The Poles have been participating in the works of the European Committee of the Regions since July 2003, when 95 observers members from 10 countries, which were to enter the European Union on the 1st May 2004, were accepted in this EU body. Since the latter date Polish delegates have been participating in the CoR meetings as full members.
The works of Polish delegation
The principal task of the members of our national delegation to the European Committee of the Regions is the representation of Polish local and regional governments interests on the European forum. They fulfil it by the participation - by preparation of opinions - in the EU legislative process and by the resolutions taken up by the CoR upon its own initiative. The tasks of the CoR members also include informing the EU forum about the issues which are important to the regional and local authorities in Poland, as well as the promotion of activities taken up by the European Union in their own environment in their home country.
Although Polish delegation members, just like the representatives of other countries, belong to supranational political groups (at present there are four such groups), they participate in the national delegation meetings in order to inform one another about their works and to discuss the issues which are the most important from the Polish perspective. The representatives of the European Commission, the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the EU and of other institutions are also often invited to Polish delegation meetings. Apart from the participation in the commissions meetings and plenary sessions, the delegates also participate in different conferences, seminars and meetings organized in co-operation with the CoR both in Brussels and in many EU member states.
Under the Polish presidency of the EU Council in the 2nd half year of 2011, the delegation members initiated a number of significant events, organized by the CoR in Poland. Upon the invitation of Marek Woźniak, the inauguration meeting of the Permanent Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) took place in Poznań on September 8th, and one day later there was an external meeting of the European Committee of the Regions’ Bureau. Upon the initiative of Adam Struzik, the COTER Commission was in session on October 19th in Warsaw, and the next day the same Commission – thanks to Leszek Świętalski and Jerzy Zająkała – organized a seminar “What kind of cohesion policy should there be after 2013?”, which was organized under the 1st European Congress of Rural Communes.
The works of Polish delegation are co-ordinated by the Information Office of the Wielkopolska Region in Brussels.
The composition of Polish delegation
Polish delegation to the European Committee of the Regions in the term 2020-2025 consists of 21 full members and 20 alternate members. It is the fourth biggest national representations in the CoR.
Head of the Polish delegation is Marek Woźniak – President of Wielkopolska Region. He has held this function since April 2008 (and he has been a CoR member since February 2006). At the same time he has been the CoR Bureau member.
The present composition of the delegation:
*members (and commissions they work in):
1. Gustaw BRZEZIN - President of the Warmian-Masurian Region (CIVEX, NAT)
2. Aleksandra DULKIEWICZ – Mayor of Gdańsk (CIVEX, ECON)
3. Olgierd GEBLEWICZ - President of the Westpomerania Region (CIVEX, NAT)
4. Paweł GRZYBOWSKI - Mayor of Rypin (SEDEC, NAT)
5. Mariusz FRANKOWSKI - Councillor of Warsaw (CIVEX, ECON)
6. Krzysztof IWANIUK - Mayor of Terespol (CIVEX, ECON)
7. Józef JODŁOWSKI – Head of Rzeszow District (NAT, SEDEC)
8. Robert KOŚCIUK – Mayor of Krasnystaw (NAT, SEDEC)
9. Witold KOZŁOWSKI – President of the Lesser Poland Region (COTER, ENVE)
10. Krzysztof MATYJASZCZYK - Mayor of Częstochowa (ECON, SEDEC)
11. Władysław ORTYL - President of the Subcarpathian Region (COTER, ENVE)
12. Cezary PRZYBYLSKI – President of the Lower Silesian Region (ENVE, SEDEC)
13. Grzegorz SCHREIBER – President of the Łódź Region (ECON, SEDEC)
14. Jarosław STAWIARSKI – President of the Lublin Region (COTER, ECON)
15. Dariusz STRUGAŁA – Mayor of Jaraczewo (NAT, ENVE)
16. Mieczysław STRUK – President of the Pomerania Region (COTER, NAT)
17. Adam STRUZIK – President of the Mazovia Region (COTER, ENVE)
18. Rafał TRZASKOWSKI – Mayor of Warsaw (COTER, ENVE)
19. Marek WOŹNIAK – President of the Greater Poland Region (COTER, CIVEX)
20. Hanna ZDANOWSKA – Mayor of Łódź (ENVE, SEDEC)
Alternates:
1. Andrzej BĘTKOWSKI – President of the Świętokrzyskie Region
2. Rafał BRUSKI - Mayor of Bydgoszcz
3. Andrzej BUŁA – President of the Opole Region
4. Marian BURAS – Mayor of Morawica
5. Piotr CAŁBECKI – President of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Region
6. Jakub CHEŁSTOWSKI – President of the Silesia Region
7. Jacek GAJEWSKI – Councillor of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Region
8. Robert GODEK – Councillor of Strzyżów District
9. Wojciech KAŁUŻA – Vicepresident of the Silesia Region
10. Jakub KWAŚNY – Councillor of Tarnów
11. Mirosław LECH – Mayor of Korycin
12. Sebastian ŁUKASZEWICZ – Councillor of the Podlaskie Region
13. Beata MOSKAL-SŁANIEWSKA – Mayor of Świdnica
14. Piotr PSIKUS – Mayor of Kępno
15. Ludwik RAKOWSKI – Head of the Council of the Mazovia Region
16. Łukasz SMÓŁKA – Vicepresident of the Lesser Poland Region
17. Joachim SMYŁA – Head of Lubliniec District
18. Tadeusz TRUSKOLASKI – Mayor of Białystok
The Nice Treaty signed in 2001 established that the CoR members must be elected members of a local or a regional body or be politically accountable to an elected local or regional assembly.
Polish delegates to the CoR are designated by the following local government corporations: the Association of the Regions of the Republic of Poland (10 members and the same number of deputy members), the Association of Polish Poviats (3), the Association of Polish Cities (3), the Union of Polish Metropolises (2), the Association of Rural Communes of the Republic of Poland (2), the Union of Polish Towns (1).
