The purpose of this Framework contract is to enable the European Committee of the Regions’ services to have at their disposal a framework contract for the provision of scientific, legal, documentary and editorial assistance services to the European Committee of the Regions’ bodies, members, rapporteurs and services. Within the scope of this contract, the CoR uses external expertise in the fields relevant for the remits of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (hereinafter ‘CIVEX commission’). The main areas covered:
– Implementation of the EU Treaties and assessment of their operation:
– Reflections and contributions towards possible revisions of the EU Treaties;
– Institutional and legal consequences of changes in the EU membership;
– Decision-making process in the EU;
– Inter-institutional relations at EU level;
– Rule of Law and anticorruption
– Citizenship of the Union (including free movement and non-discrimination):
– Active citizenship;
– Democracy
– Electoral systems;
– Fundamental rights;
– Radicalisation, terrorism, and security;
– EU information and communication policy;
– Multi-level and European governance:
– Legitimacy, transparency and accountability;
– Devolution and Decentralisation process and state of play in the Member States and countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy;
– European integration and the role of local and regional self-government;
– Fiscal decentralisation;
– Better law-making/regulation:
– The reduction of administrative burdens and regulatory fitness
– Subsidiarity and proportionality:
– Early warning mechanism
– Relations with national parliaments, regional assemblies/parliaments and other stakeholders.
– Links between the above domains and other aspects of EU policies.