Members of the European People’s Party Group in the European Committee of the Regions (EPP-CoR) highlighted the need to safeguard cohesion policy, strengthen multi-level governance and ensure meaningful involvement of regions and cities during a debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) with Siegfried Mureșan, Vice-President of the EPP, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group in the European Parliament and co-rapporteur of the European Parliament on the next MFF. During the exchange, EPP-CoR members stressed the importance of transparency and institutional cooperation in shaping the EU budget, warned against excessive centralisation of EU funds through national plans, and underlined that local and regional authorities must remain key partners in implementing EU policies across Europe.
Opening the discussion, Siegfried Mureșan emphasised that negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget must remain transparent and inclusive, and that regional and local authorities must be fully involved in shaping and implementing EU policies. “Decisions on the next EU budget must be taken in a transparent and inclusive way—local and regional authorities have to be part of the process. The European Committee of the Regions is essential to ensure that decisions are grounded in realities on the ground, not just negotiated behind closed doors. We need constant dialogue with local and regional partners to make sure their voice is heard at every step.”
Sari Rautio, President of the EPP-CoR said "The success in delivering on the European-level priorities depends heavily on effective multi-level governance — that is, on how efficiently national, regional and local actors coordinate their actions to achieve our common goal."
Juanma Moreno, President of the Government of Andalusia and Vice-President of the CoR, stressed that the EU’s long-term budget must remain a strategic tool for delivering European priorities and ensuring territorial balance across the Union. “Regions and cities must be recognised as key actors in implementing EU policies and exercising their competences.” He underlined the need to protect cohesion policy through a legally binding multi-level governance framework and called for a stronger and more institutionalised role for the Committee of the Regions in the EU budgetary procedure.
Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, emphasised that effective implementation of EU policies depends on genuine engagement with regional and local authorities. “Our work on local authorities and cohesion policy is not abstract. We are speaking with partners, including ministers, to make clear that cohesion can support long-term development and the capacity to deliver priorities on the ground. But success depends on involvement and clarity: fewer priorities, clearer framing, and a shared narrative repeated consistently. If the Commission limits cooperation to box-ticking consultations, engagement drops and delivery suffers. We should not let that happen—because the goal is implementation, not declarations.”
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, underlined the importance of strengthening the “regional check” in EU legislation and ensuring that regions and cities are involved throughout the policy cycle. He also stressed the need for territorial chapters in national plans and warned against creating competition between farmers and local authorities for EU funding. “The EU should not become a Union only of capitals.”
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the West Pomeranian Region, raised concerns about the design of national and regional partnership plans and warned that regions must not be reduced to administrative actors without real influence over EU policies. “Regional chapters cannot become a purely conditional transfer—especially in Member States where regions do not have legislative power. That is not realistic and it creates a structural unfairness. In practice, regions can end up being punished for irresponsible policies at national level, despite delivering EU programmes effectively on the ground. Cohesion policy works when responsibility is matched with authority and partnership. We need safeguards so that regions are not reduced to administrative clients, but remain empowered actors able to deliver outcomes for citizens.”
Jesús Ángel Garrido Martínez, Director General for Funds and Relations with the European Union in the Government of La Rioja (Spain), highlighted the importance of maintaining direct cooperation between regions and the European Commission. “Regions stand for a strong cohesion policy delivered through regional plans, and for a basic principle: local and regional authorities must be able to engage directly with the Commission. The ‘one fund, one plan, one interlocutor’ model centralises governance and weakens partnership. The Court of Auditors has already pointed to risks: greater complexity for Member States, more complicated management, and additional difficulties if the RRF procedure is replicated—also in terms of comparability. If we want results, we need genuine cooperation, not centralisation.”
Csaba Borboly, Vice-President of Harghita County, emphasised the role of local and regional authorities in providing practical knowledge and experience during the negotiations on the future EU budget. “From my experience as a local elected representative and rapporteur in the European Committee of the Regions, I can assure you that local and regional authorities stand ready to contribute data and hands-on experience to strengthen the Parliament's position in this negotiation.”
Markku Markkula, Member of the Board of the City of Espoo and Chair of the Committee of the Regions’ Working Group on Green Deal Going Local, highlighted the importance of maintaining strong financial support for EU Missions in the next budget framework, stressing their role in driving innovation and coordinated European action. “EU Missions have become one of the strongest and most effective instruments developed by the EU in recent years.”
Zlatko Zhivkov, Mayor of Montana Municipality (Bulgaria), cautioned against overly simplified approaches to restructuring EU policies and budgets. “What worries me is the idea that we can easily merge—and then split—policies as if it were merely an administrative exercise. It is not. Changes of this scale require clear rules, political accountability, and serious preparation—not assurances that it will ‘work’ in a matter of days.”
The debate confirmed the EPP-CoR’s strong commitment to ensuring that the next EU budget remains ambitious, transparent and rooted in genuine partnership with Europe’s regions and cities.