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Michael Häupl
Europe and Local Government Must Work Togethe
The author is the Mayor of Vienna and President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CCRE). He advocates strengthening the role of city governments in European politics. To date Europe has been dominated by the free market ideas of the European Commission and the European Council. The European Social Model is in danger of being condemned to insignificance. Brussels' plan to continue liberalizing and privatizing public services, for example, reveals a clear discrepancy between the policies of the European Commission and the needs of city and local councils and the people they represent. A policy of liberalization based purely on economic considerations cannot bring about improved standards of living; quite the contrary. Vienna offers an example of how a comprehensive range of public services can ensure better quality of life. Local authorities must get involved in "foreign affairs" if they are to have any influence on European Union policymaking. Some approaches have already been sketched, and these must be developed. They include lobbying in Brussels, increasing cooperation with EU parliamentarians, and forging links with various national and foreign authorities.
Deutsche Zeitschrift für Kommunalwissenschaften, Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik
Print ISSN: 1617-8203
Volume: 44, 07/2005