Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Cohesion, opened the European Week of Regions and Cities at the European Parliament, on Monday 13 October.
“We cannot accept the centralisation of cohesion policy”, declared several members of the CoR at the event (see other news).
“Cohesion policy connects Europeans to Europe, strengthens our single market and reduces inequalities”, stressed Ms Metsola, who is expecting very difficult debates on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034.
In his speech (https://aeur.eu/f/ixf ), Mr Fitto referred to the results of the mid-term review of cohesion policy and the proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). He called for a cohesion policy with solutions tailored to each region and each city as the challenges evolve.
The CoR’s 2025 report on the state of regions and cities, published on Monday to mark the occasion, makes the worrying observation that Europe is in danger of losing its territorial soul.
While regions and cities, trusted by 61% of citizens (compared with 36% for national governments), manage two-thirds of public investment, their role is threatened by the proposal for the EU’s new financial framework (MFF) for 2028-2034 (see other news). The plan is to centralise European funds at national level, marginalising local players who are essential to the implementation of 70% of EU policies.
The challenges are immense: two-thirds of regions have seen their competitiveness decline, while energy poverty affects 47 million Europeans, according to the report. Natural disasters, such as the floods of 2024 (cost: €18 billion) are a reminder of the urgent need to invest in local resilience. However, key tools such as the Just Transition Fund (€27 billion for 96 territories) could disappear, leaving industrial regions such as Polish Silesia without a safety net.
Faced with these challenges, the report calls for a decentralised revolution: strengthening local innovation strategies, speeding up permits for green infrastructure and ensuring fair access to European funds.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/ix9 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)