Governance and citizenship

The debate launched by the European Commission on the future of Europe is a crucial initiative if we are to reconnect with the fundamentals of the European project and make it appealing to young generations.

The challenges Europe is facing – economic crisis, unemployment, deepened inequalities, migrant inclusion, increase of nationalism and populism, among others – call for new answers and everybody’s involvement. For this reason, we see with great interest the different options that strengthen multi-level cooperation as well as European integration.

The secretary general of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Frédéric Vallier, states:

"We see with great interest the different options that strengthen multi-level cooperation as well as European integration. Nevertheless, we expect this process to put citizens at the heart of the debate and decisions on the future of the European project.
Europe cannot work through the only prism of nation states any longer. It will only thrive on the basis on strong relationships between the European Union, its territories and its citizens. To enable everyone’s participation, we call for the debate on the future of Europe to take place in European towns and regions, as close as can be to European citizens.

In 2016, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, representing mayors and local and regional elected representatives from more than 130.000 towns and regions, started to reflect on a vision of Europe in 2030. This important piece of work will allow us to efficiently contribute to the thought process on the future of Europe.

In our view, today and tomorrow, when Europe is closer to its territories, Europe is closer to its citizens."