The regions and cities unanimously welcomed the election of the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday 16 July, and in particular her position in favour of strengthening cohesion policy (see EUROPE 12297/1) and the creation of a transition support fund.
Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of the Regions, immediately welcomed her election on his Twitter account, immediately agreeing with the need to develop an "ambitious" European programme based on "solidarity, subsidiarity and proximity". A few weeks ago, the Committee presented a document compiling all the requests from regions and cities to strengthen their role in the European decision-making process (see EUROPE 12272/24).
The President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Stefano Bonaccini, also welcomed Mrs von der Leyen who was, he recalled, "a former local councillor (in the municipality of Sende) and a member of a regional assembly (Hanover region)". An experience that will hopefully result in a Commission that will take better account of "local and regional concerns".
The Executive Director for Policy, Think Tank and Membership of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR), Nicolas Brookes, also welcomed the German President's words and election, noting with approval on his Twitter account that she had heard his organisation's messages about the future of Cohesion Policy.
A vice-presidency for urban issues? The cities also warmly welcomed the election of the new President. Secretary General Anna Lisa Boni of Eurocities expressed the hope that the role of cities will be better recognised and explicitly requested that the new President create a vice-presidency position in the future college of the European Commission entirely dedicated to urban issues. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)