European Centre for Research on Federalism

In the era of globalization, the traditional national states in Europe are less and less able to fulfil their tasks in a stand alone position. As the world is becoming more and more interdependent and competitive, the national states in Europe are facing new challenges. They have to find new ways of policy making: transfer from the global to the local level is needed in all major fields of policy making, e. g. the economic and social development, science and research, demographic change, migration and integration, environmental and climate protection, stability of law, national security and foreign policy. To implement a strategy and realise an action plan in Europe, all political levels of policy making as well as the private sector have to be involved. Therefore, a specific model of governance in the EU is needed: Governing in partnership. Today, there are already several EU-wide transnational partnership networks in place that address global policy challenges together in cooperation of different political levels (from the local up to the national level). This cooperation could be used more intensively in the future.

Governing in partnership is a major way

1. to promote the essential goals and measures in Europe by a multi-level networked governance of the European, national, regional and local level coordinated and reliable by jointly decided rules, regulations and contracts.
2. to combine the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality with power sharing, partnership und participation on all political levels all over Europe.
3. to develop flexible but binding organisations in an increasingly interdependent and network orientated world as well as to activate citizens for common goals and measures, which are essential for all Europeans, and to strengthen their identification with the European Union.