Plataforma de ministros y líderes políticos regionales de la Unión Europea establecida en 1993 que se reune cada dos años
Regions in different member states have different legal duties and responsibilities. However, all regions have a significant role in implementing at least some aspects of European (and national) environmental policy and law. Many regions spend a great deal of money on this activity and employ significant numbers of staff. Indeed, the principle of subsidiarity means that regions are often best placed to deal with issues involved in managing the environment, yet their direct participation within the decision making process at the European level has been limited.
Given this context, the reasons for holding an environmental conference for the regions are:
- to provide politicians with a forum for discussing environmental issues of regional significance
- to enable regions to establish a common position and exert their collective influence on the formulation of environmental policy within the European Union
- to create a permanent network of regions that will facilitate the establishment of partnerships for environmental projects
- to share and exchange experience and good practice on environmental matters.