FEDERACION ESPAÑOLA DE MUNICIPIOS Y PROVINCIAS

The Mayor of Palma, Aina Calvo, elected co-chair of CEMR


Aina Calvo, Mayor of Palma de Mallorca, has been elected co-chair of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the meeting that the Steering Committee of this organization held on 7 December in Luxembourg. At the same meeting there was the election of new president, the mayor of Stuttgart Wolfgang Schuster.




Aina Calvo, a member of the Executive Committee of the FEMP, which represents the meeting in Luxembourg, will share the chairmanship with the Mayor of Almere and President of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), Anne Marie Jorritsma.


RSMC is an organization of national associations of local and regional governments across the European continent, which aims to promote, territorial authorities, the process of European integration, collaboration between local and regional authorities, and the defense of local and regional autonomy within a democratic framework.


It also represents municipalities at the request of the European Union and the Council of Europe, with the character of the same advisory body. The FEMP is part of RSMC from its own constitution.


The Policy Committee is discussing in Luxembourg, among other things, the priorities of work for 2011, which will focus on promoting innovation, sustainability and a cohesive Europe and the strengthening of local and regional democracy in space Europe. Indeed, in line with these objectives, the representatives of this organization of European local and regional authorities are preparing a new document called "Towards 2020 RSMC Future Strategy."

Aina Calvo noted that in this new era the RSMC should refocus its efforts in recognizing the role of local governments participating in regional and European policies, as reflected by the Lisbon Treaty and Europe 2020. The Mayor said that "we must go for local autonomy established and recognized by the European and world" and that the RSMC "must remain committed to this principle, in favor of democracy and local governance."

A proposal from the Spanish delegation and the new President of CEMR has been agreed that the next meeting of the Political Committee of this institution will be held in Palma, during the month of June 2011.