THE SUBSIDIARITY MONITORING NETWORK
Since its establishment in 2007, the
Subsidiarity Monitoring Network (SMN) has regularly consulted its members on compliance of EU initiatives with the subsidiarity principle. The network was set up to facilitate the exchange of information between local and regional authorities in the European Union and the European institutions regarding EU initiatives which, once adopted, will have a direct impact on these authorities and the policies for which they are responsible. At present it has
132 members and operates through its website, where partners are also free to submit their subsidiarity assessments,
www.cor.europa.eu\subsidiarity .
This first news brief provides information on the activities carried out through the SMN in 2011, its main events and future projects. It will be published twice a year.
"Subsidiarity means allocating responsibilities to the most appropriate levels of government, based on the principle that decisions should be taken at the closest possible level to the public"
Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso
Coordinator of the SMN and First Vice-President of the CoR
