Cities and, more broadly, local government associations attract more and more attention from EU lawmakers and the international community. The concern is: there is no legal basis as yet to allow cities and their representative associations to be formally and systematically involved in EU decision-making.

This is what MEP Michal Ujazdowski and counterparts from different political groups want to put on the table with a report on the “Role of cities in the institutional framework of the Union”. It will be put to the vote in the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee before summer. Once adopted, the draft report will make its way to Strasbourg for adoption in plenary.

While discussions are moving forward at the Parliament, here is why we believe local government associations, such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, should be fully recognised as contributors to European Governance.

EU cohesion policy must continue to represent at least one-third of the EU budget after 2020 and support all of Europe's regions. Reducing it risks deepening divides in Europe and would undermine the future of the European Union. This message was delivered today by the EU-wide Cohesion Alliance (#CohesionAlliance) to the European Commission ahead of the publication of its draft future EU budget on 2 May.

Worth over €350 billion between 2014 and 2020, cohesion policy – implemented through the European Structural and Investment Funds – is the EU's main investment tool that works to reduce regional disparities, create jobs, open new business opportunities and address major global issues such as climate change and migration. It is the only EU policy that covers all of Europe's local communities involving local stakeholders to deliver growth strategies led by shared EU goals. 
 

Europe’s towns and regions are worried about the European Union’s future budget. They want it to be respectful of their needs.

On 14 February, the European Commission published a communication on the EU’s future spending plan (the Multiannual Financial Framework – MFF) outlining potential cuts of 15% or even 30% to the cohesion policy budget. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) believes that a clear cut to cohesion policy would mean withdrawing local governments from the European project.

As CEMR’s Executive director for European Affairs, Angelika Poth-Mögele states: “It is in everybody’s interest for the EU’s future spending plan to be local-friendly. The success of the EU’s political priorities (innovation, jobs and growth…) depends on towns and regions’ budgetary well-being and capacity to invest in their territories.” The EU’s future budget should be local-friendly. CEMR explains how and why this should happen.