Climate crisis, war against Ukraine, green and digital transition top the list of concerns of representatives from cities and regions
The European Committee of the Regions has published its 2023 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities and had a debate on the most pressing challenges for cities and regions in Europe with Francina Armengol, president of the Congress of Deputies of Spain, and Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Economy and Employment. The debate focused on the climate crisis, rising social inequalities, and the need to involve local and regional authorities to build sustainable policies in Europe that are closer to the direct concerns of citizens.
Jelena Drenjanin (SE/EPP), EPP-CoR 1st vice-president and member of Huddinge Municipality Council, said that there needs to be more recognition to the priorities of regions in national and European decision-making and called for greater attention to rural areas, regions in industrial decline and peripheral regions. "Boosting our recovery cannot work without setting the right targets bottom-up and in coordination with the territorial needs" she said, noting that the CoR-commissioned Eurobarometer survey found that 70% of local and regional authorities were not involved in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a key element of the EU's support for a post-COVID recovery. "We are witnessing that also with the Green and Digital transition."
Speaking on democratic deficiencies across Europe, Drenjanin said "We often take democratic legitimacy across the EU for granted. We must address the concerns of citizens to bring Europe closer to the people. As the most trusted level of governance, we local and regional authorities are ready to help explain the EU added value in our communities."
The European Committee of the Regions also adopted a resolution, informed by the 2023 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities, that acts as a first contribution for the Strategic Agenda of the European Union for 2024-2029. The CoR's resolution identifies the energy transition, climate action, food safety, economic development, democracy, enlargement and the reconstruction of Ukraine as areas where local and regional authorities play a critical role. It specifically highlights the challenge of 'left-behind' regions.
More information:
• The CoR's "Resolution on the State of Regions and Cities in the European Union and proposals in view of the next EU Strategic Agenda 2024-2029" can be found here.
• The debate can be re-watched on the website of the European Committee of the Regions.
• Entire EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities and Factsheet.
• Regional and Local Barometer survey.
• Previous editions of the Report.