At today’s CIVEX Commission meeting , EPP-CoR members sent a united message to the European Commission and Member States: the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must strengthen – not sideline – regions and cities.
Speaking in CIVEX as COTER rapporteur on the MFF, Sari Rautio, President of the EPP-CoR, underlined that the budget debate goes to the heart of European democracy:
“For CIVEX, the next EU budget is not just about figures, it is about democracy, security and trust. The MFF must be ambitious and flexible enough to respond to crises, but it cannot do so by centralising power in Brussels or weakening cohesion. Local and regional authorities have to be real partners in decisions on migration, internal security and our external action – because only when they are at the table will every euro spent truly deliver for citizens on the ground.”
Several EPP members took the floor to echo this call and to warn against any attempt to recentralise cohesion and other key EU policies.
Arnoldas Abramavičius, Councillor of the Zarasai District Municipality Council, drew attention to the new geopolitical reality, particularly for regions along the EU’s eastern border. He welcomed the Commission’s consultation focused on these areas as an important step but insisted that resilience must become a central priority of the next MFF. “Our border regions are on the frontline of instability. What matters now is not more debate, but real policy impact – ensuring that the next MFF equips these regions with the tools they need to stay resilient and to protect our common European security.”
Borboly Csaba, Vice-President of Harghita County Council, stressed that regions and cities must play a meaningful role in EU decision-making, not just be informed after the fact. He questioned how the EU can guarantee that key instruments are negotiated and implemented with regions and cities genuinely at the table. Pointing to the success of many international partnerships led by local and regional actors, he called for explicit recognition of regions and cities as full implementation partners in the future framework.
“We can no longer accept a model where we are simply notified once decisions are taken. If local and regional authorities deliver on the ground, they must also be present when the rules are written.”
József Berenyi, vice - Chairman of Trnava Self – Governing Region urged regions and cities across Europe to unite and raise their voices much more strongly – both in Brussels and in their national capitals – against approaches that he argued are “not compatible with democracy”. He insisted that the next MFF must reflect the concerns and priorities of local and regional authorities. “If we stay silent, others will shape the MFF without us. Regions and cities must speak out loudly at national level and push their governments to change course.”
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of West Pomerania, described the reopening of the MFF as “opening Pandora’s box”, warning that it risks giving space to governments with increasingly anti-European agendas. While he welcomed promising language on strengthening the role of regions in future proposals, he cautioned that “everything will depend on the details”. “Local and regional authorities have always been the strongest supporters of the European project. No national or regional plan should be adopted without the clear green light of those authorities in every Member State. That is the only way to protect both cohesion and democracy.”
Eleni Loucaidou, Municipal Councillor of Nicosia, focused on the danger of recentralisation and its concrete consequences on the ground. She warned that any move in this direction would undermine the role of regions and cities in shaping European policies and voiced concern about the proposed 20% reduction in funding. At the same time, she welcomed the fact that the Cyprus Presidency will put the MFF high on its agenda. “A 20% cut would seriously weaken our regions’ capacities. The Cyprus Presidency is a crucial opportunity to defend regional interests and to ensure that they remain at the heart of the future European framework.”
Mathieu Cuip , Member of the Île-de-France Regional Council , underlined that recentralisation of funds would represent a harmful step backwards, undermining regional autonomy and weakening the EU’s cohesion efforts. While acknowledging some openness from the Commission to adjust its approach, he highlighted continued uncertainty, especially regarding the programming of simpler and clearer funds and the way regions are classified by level of development.
“Peripheral regions are always the first to suffer from poorly designed or overly centralised systems. The criteria for classifying regions must be precise, transparent and fair – otherwise we risk deepening, not reducing, territorial disparities.”
Together, the EPP members in CIVEX sent a clear and coordinated message: the next MFF must resist recentralisation, safeguard cohesion, and embed local and regional authorities as genuine partners in designing and implementing EU policies – from democracy and security to external action and resilience.