The Göttweig Declaration, jointly initiated by Catalonia and the region of Lower Austria, was signed this Thursday during the Europe Wachau Forum. This document calls for a European Union that is more competitive and reduces existing bureaucracy. Furthermore, it demands that the role of regions and their competencies be "fully respected and legally protected".
The Minister for External Action, Jaume Duch, emphasized the need to define "a regulatory and financial framework that guarantees competitiveness and strategic autonomy, regulatory and administrative simplification, and solid multilevel governance".
“"Regions are "implementing partners" and, therefore, should be "active partners" when decisions are made at the European level."
Duch advocated for the alignment of European, national, and regional policies, highlighting the importance of "loyalty between states and regions" and also "between the EU and the regions," describing it as an essential "triangle".
In addition to Catalonia and Lower Austria, the declaration has been signed by Bavaria (Germany), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Bolzano/Bozen - South Tyrol (Italy), Bratislava (Slovakia), Småland, Blekinge and Halland (Southern Sweden, Sweden), the Regional Council of Häme (Finland), and the Northern Netherlands region.
