CoFoE: Bratislava: Debate on Reviewing EU Decision-making Process Necessary
Bratislava, June 19 (TASR) – The City of Bratislava has welcomed the fact that the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) stressed the need to involve the public and citizens’ initiatives in European policy-making.
According to city spokeswoman Dagmar Schmuckova, such an approach has long been applied at the level of urban policies. “[Bratislava] actively uses participatory procedures in the development of public policies, such as the Bratislava 2030 plan. Public policies affect many areas of everyone’s life, irrespective of whether they are residents of Bratislava or citizens of the European Union (EU),” the spokeswoman said.
As a member of the Pact of Free Cities, Bratislava says it has long advocated for a review of funding for cities and regions, which should have more opportunities to receive direct funding from the EU. “Especially when it comes to matters in which cities play the leading role in policy-making and adopting measures [climate change adaptation, transport, protection of democracy, etc.],” Schmuckova clarified. This is also why Bratislava considers the ongoing debate on reviewing the decision-making processes in the EU necessary and useful.