“The MFF is much more than a financial tool — it is the instrument that must translate our political priorities into concrete investments. But we are centralizing the budget when we should be devolving power and looking for allies in order to push our priorities” were the opening remarks of Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw and rapporteur of the opinion on “Mainstreaming climate, energy and environmental priorities across the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)” during a stakeholders meeting. The debate focused on how the next EU long-term budget can turn political ambition into investment pipelines that deliver clean energy, climate resilience and nature protection in every territory.
With the European Commission having presented its proposal for the next MFF in July 2025, Mayor Trzaskowski stressed that the EU budget must function as a delivery instrument — not a set of abstract targets — and that the green transition will only succeed if towns, cities and regions are enabled to implement it. The rapporteur also called for direct and stable EU funding for cities.
“If Europe wants sustainable prosperity, it must back the local and regional transition plans that deliver energy independence, resilience and new industrial opportunities.” said Mayor Trzaskowski
From headline targets to implementation that works
Participants discussed the risks of relying on mainstreaming percentages without a clear operational architecture. Mayor Trzaskowski warned that spending climate and environment targets can be diluted if they are not accompanied by clear priorities, accessible funding routes and robust multilevel governance.
“A mainstreaming target without a clear programme and strong multilevel governance risks diluting impact,” he said. “We need funding frameworks that make it straightforward for regions and cities to deliver — fast, at scale, and with measurable results.”
Olbrycht: Complexity makes local and regional involvement inevitable
Jan Olbrycht, Special Adviser to Commissioner Serafin, underlined that the way the new system is being designed — with EU priorities, performance milestones, indicators, country-specific recommendations and earmarkings — makes active territorial participation obligatory, particularly in delivering the 43% climate and environment target across national plans.
“Active local and regional participation is no longer optional; it is inevitable. Without local and regional authorities around the table, this will not fly,” said Jan Olbrycht. “The answer cannot be a mechanical ‘43% everywhere’. The only workable approach is to jointly plan responsibilities and contributions across all levels of government from the start — participation, not a box-ticking consultation. LRAs are not only partners, but they are co-responsible for the implementation of the MFF.”
Key priorities highlighted in the meeting
The stakeholder debate reinforced several political priorities reflected in the rapporteur’s work, including:
• National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP): making the 43% climate/environment target deliverable through real multilevel governance, including mandatory urban and regional chapters and a structural link to National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).
• European Competitiveness Fund (ECF): ensuring local climate and energy plans (including those under the Covenant of Mayors and Cities Mission) are explicitly recognised as funding priorities and are easy to identify and access.
• A stronger city dimension: establishing direct, stable, targeted support for cities of all sizes, with capacity-building and technical assistance to convert plans into investment-ready projects.
Next steps
Mayor Trzaskowski will integrate stakeholder input into the draft opinion. The opinion is scheduled to be discussed and voted on in the CoR ENVE Commission on 22 April 2026, ahead of final adoption at the CoR Plenary Session on 1–2 July 2026.