EPP local, regional, national and European leaders addressed a press conference on the future of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), underlining the need for a budget that remains close to citizens, reflects regional realities and equips Europe for future challenges.
The press conference featured interventions by Georgios Chatzimarkos, Regional Governor of South Aegean and EPP-CoR member, Sari Rautio, President of the EPP-CoR Group, Kostis Hatzidakis, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece, and Georgios Aftias, Member of the European Parliament (EPP Group).
Opening the press conference, Georgios Chatzimarkos stressed the symbolic significance of Rhodes as a region facing many of the challenges confronting Europe today, including climate change, connectivity, seasonality and housing. He noted that these are not merely local concerns but shared European challenges requiring common solutions. While supporting efforts to accelerate procedures, simplify rules and reduce bureaucracy, Chatzimarkos stressed that such objectives must not weaken the role of local communities. He underlined that local and regional authorities should not only be responsible for implementing European programmes but should also be involved in designing them, ensuring that policies and funding instruments respond to the realities on the ground.
Sari Rautio, President of the EPP-CoR Group, emphasised that understanding the diversity of Europe's regions is essential to achieving the Union's common objectives. She argued that Europe's ambitions cannot be delivered through top-down decisions alone and called for a strong bottom-up and place-based approach. Rautio highlighted multi-level governance as one of Europe's greatest strengths, arguing that it contributes directly to Europe's resilience, competitiveness and security. She warned that neglecting the place-based dimension and the role of local and regional authorities would mean abandoning a defining characteristic of the European project.
Turning to the future priorities of public investment, Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis stressed that Europe must look beyond traditional programmes focused on agriculture and infrastructure. He pointed to research, technology, innovation, competitiveness and artificial intelligence as key priorities that must shape future planning and investment decisions. According to Hatzidakis, these sectors will be essential if Europe is to remain actively engaged in global developments and strengthen the productivity and competitiveness of its economies in the years ahead.
MEP Georgios Aftias highlighted the different realities and priorities facing Europe's regions. He noted that the South Aegean and the Cyclades are primarily concerned with tourism, shipping, connectivity and ferry ticket prices, while the North Aegean faces significant migration challenges. These differences, he argued, demonstrate why regions and cities must remain at the centre of European policymaking. Aftias stressed that local and regional authorities are the level of government closest to citizens and play a crucial role in ensuring that citizens' concerns are brought to the European level and reflected in EU policies.