The Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) is a political network and joint initiative of leading regions in Europe with legislative power, their own system of government, parliament and head of government. It primarily consists of representatives of regional authorities from European Union (EU) member states. It is not a formal EU institution, and 69 regions of 7 member states participate.
Background CALRE advocates for a system of multilevel governance across the European Union (EU) by advocating for co-responsibility in the integration process. The body suggests that this would ensure the "precise application of the decentralised dimension of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality".
The network aims to bring together the regions across the European Union and continental Europe who hold legislative powers with devolved systems of government which hold legal competencies that have been created as a result of the political and constitutional mechanism of the member states of the European Union in which the region is part of.
At a point, the regions part of the conference accounted for 56% of the total population of the European Union.
History Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies On 7 October 1997, the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies' (CALRE) was established in Oviedo, Spain, following a period of meetings to enhance European roles for regional legislatures.
Three precedents were the founding principles:
"The Declaration of the Assembly of European Regions (Basle, 1996) in its article 12.1 proposed mechanisms for contact between the European Parliament and Regional Parliaments, considering that they are institutions representing the direct will of citizens" "The Stuttgart theses, developed in May 1997 during an International Conference organised by the Landtag of Baden-Würtemberg in collaboration with the European Centre for Research on Federalism of Tübingen, on the role of Regional Parliaments of the European Union in European policy" "The Declaration signed by Germany, Austria and Belgium in October 1997, referring to one of the Stuttgart theses on the principle of subsidiarity established by the Maastricht Treaty. This declaration predicated the extension of this principle not only in the relationship between the Union and the Member States but also the Lander and other Regions considering that they have been attributed legislative power assigned by the national Constitution"
The Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies serves as a conference of the seventy-four presidents of the regional legislative assemblies across continental Europe and European Union member states. The current composition of Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies is made up of representation from the parliaments of the Spanish communities, Italian regional councils, the federated states of Germany and Austria, the Portuguese regions of l'Açores and Madeira, the countries of the United Kingdom with devolved national parliaments – Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Ǻland Islands in Finland and Belgium community and regional chambers.
Conference of European Regions with Legislative Power Following the Barcelona Conference held in 2000, six presidents (heads of governments of the membership regions of the conference) were appointed to manage the network which was agreed following the conference held in Barcelona. The six members responsible for managing the network following the Barcelona Conference were Baden-Württemberg, Catalonia, Scotland, Tuscany, Tyrol and Wallonia. Flanders spearheaded discussions around the creation of a political declaration by Bavaria, Catalonia, North-Rhine Westphalia, Salzburg, Scotland, Flanders and Wallonia and defining regions with legislative power as "regions having a legislature as defined in Article 3 of the First Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights".
In November 2002 during a meeting of the conference held in Florence, the REGLEG conference called for greater roles and representation of regions with legislative across the European continent in regards to the European Union. Previously, in 2001, the European Council adopted the Laeken Declaration as part of the Convention on the Future of Europe which acknowledged the enhanced roles regions of Europe with legislative power could have in regards to decision making across the European Union. The European Commission formally recognised the White Paper on Governance which highlighted the role regions of Europe with legislative power and own system of government could. As a result, the European Commission formally recognised the "enhanced inclusion of the sub-national authorities can contribute to the quality of European decision- making" and called on each of the member states of the European Union to suggest how relations and decision making processes between the European Union and regions with legislative power can be improved.
Leadership 2003–2004: (Jack McConnell) 2010–2011: (Jean-Luc Vanraes) 2011–2012: (Michael Häupl)
Membership All 9 states of the federal republic of Austria All 5 regions and communities of the federal kingdom of Belgium Åland, an autonomous region of Finland All 16 states of the federal republic of Germany All 20 regions of Italy The two autonomous regions of Portugal: the Azores and Madeira All 17 autonomous communities of Spain
Members Member nameSymbolsParliamentHead of governmentStatus Arms Flag Burgenland Landtag Burgenland Governor States of Austria Carinthia Carinthian Landtag Governor Lower Austria Landtag of Lower Austria Governor Salzburg Salzburg Landtag Governor Styria Landtag Styria Governor Tyrol Tyrolean Landtag Governor Upper Austria Landtag of Upper Austria Governor Vienna Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna Mayor and Governor Vorarlberg Landtag of Vorarlberg Governor Flemish Region Flemish Parliament Minister-President of Flanders Regions of Belgium Wallonia Parliament of Wallonia Minister-President of Wallonia Åland Parliament of Åland Lantråd Regions of Finland Baden-Württemberg Landtag of Baden-Württemberg Minister President of Baden-Württemberg States of Germany Bavaria Landtag of Bavaria Minister President of Bavaria Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin Governing Mayor of Berlin Brandenburg Landtag of Brandenburg Minister President of Brandenburg Bremen Bürgerschaft of Bremen Mayor of Bremen Hamburg Hamburg Parliament Mayor of Hamburg Hesse Landtag of Hesse Minister President of Hesse Lower Saxony Landtag of Lower Saxony Minister-President of Lower Saxony Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Minister President of Mecklenburg North Rhine-Westphalia Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland Landtag of Saarland Minister President of Saarland Saxony Landtag of Saxony Minister President of Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein Thuringia Landtag of Thuringia Minister President of Thuringia Abruzzo Regional Council of Abruzzo President of Abruzzo Regions of Italy Aosta Valley Regional Council of Aosta Valley President of Aosta Valley Apulia Regional Council of Apulia President of Apulia Basilicata Regional Council of Basilicata President of Basilicata Calabria Regional Council of Calabria President of Calabria Campania Regional Council of Campania President of Campania Emilia-Romagna Legislative Assembly of Emilia-Romagna President of Emilia-Romagna Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regional Council of Friuli-Venezia Giulia President of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Lazio Regional Council of Lazio President of Lazio Liguria Regional Council of Liguria President of Liguria Lombardy Regional Council of Lombardy President of Lombardy Marche Legislative Assembly of Marche President of Marche Molise Regional Council of Molise President of Molise Piedmont Regional Council of Piedmont President of Piedmont Sardinia Regional Council of Sardinia President of Sardinia Sicily Sicilian Regional Assembly President of Sicily Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol President of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Tuscany Regional Council of Tuscany President of Tuscany Umbria Legislative Assembly of Umbria President of Umbria Umbria Regional Council of Veneto President of Veneto Azores Legislative Assembly of the Azores President of the Azores Autonomous Regions of Portugal Madeira Legislative Assembly of Madeira President of the Regional Government of Madeira Andalusia Parliament of Andalusia President of the Regional Government of Andalusia Autonomous communities of Spain Aragon Cortes of Aragon President of the Government of Aragon Asturias General Junta of the Principality of Asturias President of the Principality of Asturias Balearic Islands Parliament of the Balearic Islands President of the Government of the Balearic Islands Basque Country Basque Parliament Lehendakari Canary Islands Parliament of the Canary Islands President of the Canary Islands Cantabria Parliament of Cantabria President of Cantabria Castile and León Cortes of Castile and León President of the Junta of Castile and León Castilla–La Mancha Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha President of the Junta of Communities of Castilla–La Mancha Catalonia Parliament of Catalonia President of the Government of Catalonia Extremadura Assembly of Extremadura President of the Regional Government of Extremadura Galicia Parliament of Galicia President of the Regional Government of Galicia La Rioja Parliament of La Rioja President of La Rioja Madrid Assembly of Madrid President of the Community of Madrid Murcia Regional Assembly of Murcia President of the Region of Murcia Navarre Parliament of Navarre President of the Government of Navarre Valencia Corts Valencianes President of the Valencian Government
Former members The three countries of the United Kingdom with devolved legislatures, i.e. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are no longer listed as members of CALRE, following a United Kingdom wide decision to leave the European Union in 2016.https://www.calrenet.eu/members/
See also Committee of the Regions Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
External links Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) regleg.eu RLEG
References