Ahead of the European Council meeting, EPP-CoR President Sari Rautio participated in the European People's Party Summit in Brussels, joining EPP heads of state and government, party leaders, and senior representatives to discuss Europe's key priorities and the future direction of the European Union.
The discussions focused on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), European competitiveness, security and defence, cohesion policy, agriculture, and the importance of ensuring that Europe remains close to its citizens through strong local and regional governance.
At the Summit, President Rautio stressed that Europe cannot do more with less. She called for an ambitious EU budget, rejecting cuts to key European policies and supporting the introduction of new EU own resources to finance Europe's growing priorities. She underlined that investment in Europe's security and defence must not come at the expense of cohesion policy or agriculture. Europe's competitiveness, security, territorial cohesion and food security must go hand in hand, without forcing trade-offs between current and emerging priorities.
President Rautio also highlighted the essential role of local and regional authorities in shaping and implementing European policies. She called for the strong involvement of regions and cities in the future governance of EU funds and stressed the need for a budget that delivers tangible results on the ground as well as the engagement of local and regional authorities in regional checks of the National and Regional Partnership Plans. She further emphasised the importance of reaching an agreement on the next EU budget by the end of the year, ensuring that it is ready to deliver from day one.
On the margins of the Summit, President Rautio held exchanges with several EPP leaders, including Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy; Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the Partido Popular and Leader of the Opposition in Spain; Péter Magyar, President of the TISZA Party in Hungary; Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland; and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.