Three types of consultations are carried out through the Subsidiarity Monitoring Network :
Consultations are operated on-line through the interactive website of the subsidiarity monitoring network.
TARGETED CONSULTATIONS
Targeted consultations concern EU legislative proposals which are included in yearly Subsidiarity Work Programmes. They are initiated by rapporteurs in the context of the preparation of CoR opinions. They may be based on the
standard grid or on a tailored questionnaire drawn up and distributed to members.
On the basis of partner's contributions, the SMN Secretariat draws up a summary report which is forwarded to rapporteurs before they submit their draft opinion. They may agree to publish the report on the network website and CoR TOAD portal, and distribute it to the members of the relevant CoR commission at the appropriate meeting. Rapporteurs have consistently agreed to the reports being distributed.
List of the Targeted Consultations
OPEN CONSULTATIONS
Next to contributing to targeted consultations, network partners, through open consultations, also have the opportunity to submit their views on the way EU legislative initiatives comply with the subsidiarity and proportionality principles. These spontaneous contributions are uploaded onto the SMN website and sent to the relevant CoR commission secretariat, so that, if this is the case, they can feed the policy analysis supporting a CoR opinion.
In this section, it is also possible to find other contributions of SMN partners on issues of European relevance, not necessarily linked to specific legislative proposals. In general, the SMN Secretariat has noticed a greater interest for open consultations after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. In fact, some Network Partners have increased their activity - especially in the context of the early warning system - and have found that the SMN can act as a perfect channel to give publicity to their subsidiarity analysis.
CONSULTATIONS RELATED TO IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
In its effort to achieve a clearer and more effective regulatory environment, the European Commission has to carry out Impact Assessments (IA) of its future initiatives. The CoR is offering its support to this process, by providing a direct access to quantitative and qualitative data from the field.
Based on specific questionnaires circulated among the SMN as well as through other platforms (EU 2020, GETC), the CoR's contributions to IAs reflect a technical input from the local and regional stakeholders’ point of view. They constitute a valuable source of information for CoR members as well as for all stakeholders.
Thanks to their membership of the Subsidiarity Monitoring Network, local and regional authorities are able to express their views on EU proposals before the legislative process starts. This mechanism helps to avoid conflicts regarding compliance with the subsidiarity principle at a very early stage in the pre-legislative process, since it gives the European Commission direct access to the views of local and regional authorities.
more about Impact Assessments
