The impact of European institutions on local and regional development

• Author: Olta Qejvani, Brikena Buda (Dhuli)
• Position: Lecturer, Department of Law, Faculty of Political and Juridical Sciences, University Aleksander Moisiu, Durres, Albania/Lecturer, Department of Law, Faculty of Political and Juridical Sciences, University Aleksander Moisiu, Durres
• Pages: 94-102

European Integration - Realities and Perspectives. Proceedings 2019

94

The Impact of European Institutions on

Local and Regional Development

Olta Qejvani,1 Brikena Buda (Dhuli)2

Abstract: A united Europe is the sum up of how different regions live together and find common perspectives.

This does not fit only as a political, social or philosophical idea, but since the creation of the European Union,

regional development remains one of the most important cornerstones of the institutions of EU. Different

legislative acts of EU institutions refer something in specific about regions policy, regional development etc,

but since 1994 the issue of the regions in Europe has been treated throughout a specific institution: European

Committee of the Regions. On the other hand, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of

Europe is established to make sure that the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government are

observed through systematic monitoring and regular dialogue with the governments of the Council of Europe

member states. Member states of European Union are also member states of Council of Europe. This paperwork

aims to: Find concrete impact of European institutions on local and regional reality in Europe; Analyze the

work of European Committee of the Regions throughout concrete examples for the regional development;

Propose concrete policies or legislative changes on how European Committee of the Regions (CoR) can develop

productive agreement with other institutions that can strengthen regional cooperation and further development

in EU. This approach would realize a ne w perspective on managing the point of view of the researchers, but

also to give some important recommendations on how EU institutions, specifically CoR can properly behave

with each other in order to help on regional development.

Keywords: regional institutional cooperation; European institutions’ mechanisms; European Committee of the

Regions; Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

1. Introduction

A functional EU does not make sense without a concrete and useful policy on local and regional

development. The recent initiatives that happened inside EU has demonstrated a special awareness in

order to improve local and regional realities. EU institutions, despite of the macro level of policies, have

also paid attention to the local and regional policy and laws, as micro arenas to initiate the present and

future of EU.

On the other side, the phenomena of migration towards EU boundaries has disorientated the way how

different regions are being developed and facing different problems, too. EU institutions are conceived

to be very bureaucratic and centralized ones. This has made the public opinion to think that EU

institutions are issues to be handled only by Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, which are far away from

their everyday life and reality and sometimes impossible to be truly reached.

1 Lecturer, Department of Law, Faculty of Political and Juridical Sciences, University Aleksander Moisiu, Durres, Albania,

Address: 14, 2001, Rruga Currila, Durrës, Albania, E-mail: olta.qejvani@hotmail.com.

2 Lecturer, Department of Law, Faculty of Political and Juridical Sciences, University Aleksander Moisiu, Durres, Address:

14, 2001, Rruga Currila, Durrës, Albania, Corresponding author: kenadhuli@yahoo.com.