On 11 July 2025, members of the Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) gathered to discuss key challenges shaping the future of the European Union: crisis preparedness and sustainable tourism. The discussions highlighted the pressing need for resilient strategies that truly reflect the realities on the ground and strengthen the involvement of local and regional authorities in shaping effective responses.
A Proactive Approach to Crisis Preparedness
Europe today faces an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving risk landscape. From geopolitical tensions and cyberattacks to the growing impacts of climate change and natural disasters, the EU’s capacity to anticipate and respond to crises is more crucial than ever. The European Preparedness Union Strategy, currently under discussion, aims to build this resilience by fostering a proactive mindset focused on prevention and readiness.
During the debate, Maria Isabel Urrutia De Los Mozos (ES/EPP), Regional Minister in the Government of Cantabria and appointed rapporteur emphasised that an effective crisis response cannot be designed solely at the EU level. Instead, it requires full involvement of local and regional authorities, who understand the unique territorial challenges and can adapt measures accordingly. She noted: "It is about coordinating and implementing the necessary instruments so that Europe is prepared from the local and regional level to respond to any sort of threat, crisis or emergency that may arise and to do so together. When Europe acts united and coordinated, we achieve better results; together, this is how we managed to overcome the pandemic, we protected our citizens and economies, and we emerged stronger to face future challenges together. Now Europe must take the same initiative, the same drive and tenacity as it did in these and many other cases.”
Rethinking Tourism for a Sustainable Future
As the world’s top tourist destination, Europe’s popularity is both an asset and a challenge. The impact of overcrowding, pressure on natural resources, and strains on infrastructure are growing concerns that demand urgent attention. In response to these challenges, the EU is preparing to update its tourism strategy, fifteen years after the original framework.
Following a plenary debate on 2 July, where local and regional authorities called for close collaboration with Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas to develop a forward-thinking strategy, NAT members explored how the green and digital transitions can support more resilient and adaptive governance in the tourism sector.
Margarita Prohens Rigo (ES/EPP), President of the Balearic Islands Government and rapporteur on tourism, stressed that "The pressure on territory, natural resources, water, mobility, public services, and coexistence with residents makes an urgent transformation of tourism necessary. For this reason, we have presented to the European Committee of the Regions the Opinion Towards a sustainable and resilient tourism in the European Union: strategy for balanced and adaptive management. Because only by acting systemically will we be able to transform tourism together and achieve a balance between tourists and residents, preserve natural resources, and, above all, increase social cohesion and the competitiveness of European regions."
The discussions reinforced a shared commitment to creating EU policies that are not only ambitious but also grounded in the lived realities of communities across the continent. By empowering local and regional actors and embracing innovation, Europe aims to build a stronger, more resilient future for all.
