Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions – Building on 30 years of the European Committee of the Regions: Local and regional authorities shaping the future of the EU
Date: 2024-11-20
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU regional policy, EU situation, European Committee of the Regions, European integration, democracy, enlargement of the Union, multi-level governance, operation of the Institutions, region-EU relationship, regional and local authorities








C_202500277EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/277


24.1.2025






Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions – Building on 30 years of the European Committee of the Regions: Local and regional authorities shaping the future of the EU
(C/2025/277)

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (CoR),
Having regard to:






—


the Maastricht Treaty on European Union establishing the European Committee of the Regions, which held its first plenary session in 1994. This Treaty added the subnational level to the existing forms of representation in the EU and codified the subsidiarity principle in European law;










—


the successive extensions of the CoR’s competencies in the Treaty of Amsterdam (giving the European Parliament the prerogative to consult the CoR directly and expanding the fields on which the CoR must be consulted), the Treaty of Nice (requiring that CoR members hold an electoral mandate for a regional or local authority or be politically accountable to an elected assembly) and the Treaty of Lisbon (granting the CoR the right to bring proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU both to protect its prerogatives and in the event of an infringement of the subsidiarity principle).




Considering:






—


its resolution on the outcome and follow-up of the Conference on the Future of Europe of 30 June 2022
                (1);










—


its declaration on the occasion of the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities, adopted in Mons on 10 March 2024
                (2);





The political Assembly of regions and cities of the EU









1.


points out that the European Committee of the Regions was established as a political assembly. It was tasked with representing the legitimacy and diversity of European municipalities and regions in the EU decision-making process; advising European institutions on laws that affect local and regional authorities through their elected representatives; contributing to the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proximity and bridging the gap between the citizens and the European institutions; and ensuring that the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality are upheld during each phase of the EU legislative process;












2.


points out that the CoR has developed policies and activities to reach beyond its membership. Currently, it represents 1,2 million locally and regionally elected politicians in the EU, who are responsible for half of all public investment in the EU, a third of public expenditure and a quarter of tax revenue. Subnational governments are responsible for implementing up to two thirds of EU legislation and their representatives therefore have access to direct experience and information about how to ensure that EU policies are for the benefit of Europeans, wherever they may live;












3.


highlights the CoR’s fundamental contribution to key milestones of European integration. This contribution includes the active role of CoR members in the Convention on the Future of Europe in 2001, which designated the CoR as a guardian of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality in the European treaties, and the CoR’s role in the Conference on the Future of Europe in 2021. The Conference confirmed the added value of the active involvement of regions and local authorities in designing and delivering on policies, and recommended that the CoR be more involved in EU policy making;












4.


emphasises the key role played by local and regional authorities and the CoR in the EU enlargement process throughout the last decades and in the future. This role fosters cooperation and dialogue between local and regional authorities in the EU and in candidate countries, while ensuring that the territorial dimension is taken into account in the accession process in order to foster public support for EU enlargement and promote the smooth integration of new Member States;












5.


underlines that its political demands and recommendations have been underpinned by tangible, timely evidence from the ground and that it is continuing to develop its analytical capacity in order to assist the European legislators even more effectively by raising awareness about how the Union and its policies affect local and regional communities. It would, however, point out that the CoR has so far been limited in this endeavour by inadequate resources, which in turn deprives EU decision makers of crucial knowledge and data that would support their legislative work;












6.


recalls its paramount contribution to the development and promotion of the principles of active subsidiarity and multi-level governance, which are fundamental to the functioning and democratic legitimacy of the EU. Proper application of these principles would ensure a more evidence-based and effective EU legislation and policies, thus better reflecting the needs of European citizens;












7.


stresses that since day one of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the CoR, alongside its local and regional authorities, has supported Ukraine’s local and regional authorities with peer-to-peer cooperation in order to deliver immediate action and long-term reconstruction projects;












8.


is proud to note both its unique contribution to promoting territorial cohesion as a key objective of the European Union and its full commitment to the principle of ‘do no harm to Cohesion’. It points out that it has continuously promoted both the territorial dimension of EU policies and territorial and cross-border cooperation, and worked to ensure that a local and regional perspective is included in EU decision making;












9.


highlights its contribution to making the European Green Deal a more place-based, multilevel governance framework that takes into account the diverse territorial and economic situations across the EU. It stresses its active involvement in and contribution to the global climate negotiations over the last decade, when it has emphasised that local and regional authorities must contribute to the design of climate and biodiversity goals to make them easier to implement. It advocates for the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, as this will make Europe’s economy and societies more resilient, prosperous and sustainable;





Looking ahead









10.


undertakes to continue bridging the gap between Europeans and the EU institutions and to further develop its own capacity to collect evidence from the ground with a view to improving European legislation through networks such as the Regional Hubs along with the delivery of territorial impact assessments and rural proofing;












11.


stresses that the global nature, economic, welfare and security system, and the EU as an integral part of that, are in urgent need of reform. The CoR highlights the crucial role played by the local and regional level in developing innovative solutions that can respond to major societal challenges while taking account of local culture and circumstances at all times. As communities close to people’s daily lives, cities and regions thus have a key role in establishing the conditions for prosperity, a civilised society and sustainable growth. Democracy, know-how, open sharing of research-based knowledge and good practices, and cooperation are the foundation of humanity, which must be strengthened both within the EU and globally;












12.


reaffirms its commitment to promoting the inclusion of young people in EU level political debates. It points to its Young Elected Politicians programme, which has brought around 1 000 young, locally elected politicians closer to the EU decision-making process and is raising awareness of the importance of European cooperation among the young generation of local leaders all across Europe and the neighbouring countries;












13.


considers that an ambitious reform of the functioning of the EU is needed to meet the challenges ahead, including strengthening the role of the CoR on matters with a territorial impact and therefore welcomes the European Parliament’s call to launch a European Convention to prepare such treaty changes. Requests that the CoR be fully involved in any future Convention on Treaty revision, and that the idea of reforming the Committee of the Regions be addressed at these future revisions, with the aim of recognising the specific nature of regions with legislative powers, providing them with appropriate means of participation that respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;












14.


intends to embody a new vision of cooperation and shared responsibilities between all levels of governance. Moreover, in order to pursue its ongoing work promoting active engagement of local and regional authorities in all stages of the legislative cycle, the CoR looks forward to implementing the recently renewed cooperation agreements with the European Commission and the European Parliament. Both of these agreements recognise the importance of the CoR as a political assembly;












15.


expects that the co-legislators will recognise it as an observer in the trilogue negotiations (3) on the basis of a more inclusive Interinstitutional agreement on simplification and better law-making (IIA). It also expects to participate in Council meetings and working party meetings in policy areas with a strong territorial focus, paving the way for an evolution of its institutional role;












16.


will continue to contribute to the development of a culture of preparedness and strategic foresight. It aims to strengthen its capacity to deliver territorially sensitive reality checks for EU legislation and initiatives based on evidence and experience on the ground;












17.


stresses the importance of having gender-balanced representation among its members and calls on all EU Member States to strive to ensure gender-balanced proposals when nominating members to the European Committee of the Regions;












18.


confirms that defending the EU’s democratic values is its fundamental priority and will contribute to tackling societal challenges. It also aims to preserve the cohesiveness of European societies which are faced with increasing fragmentation, demographic change, systemic transformations and polycrises, while championing the ‘Think global, act local’ approach;












19.


calls on the Union’s Budgetary Authority to address the CoR’s structural underresourcing which contravenes the spirit of the Treaty, and reiterates that any new resources would be used to amplify the voices of local and regional authorities in EU legislative processes and strengthen the connections between citizens, territories and the EU. In this regard, remains committed to demonstrating its added value and to continue to develop as a proactive, dynamic, agile and innovative institution;












20.


is committed to continuing to work towards promoting and strengthening territorial cohesion as one of the EU’s key objectives (which is fundamental to the interests of this Committee), ensuring that a local and regional perspective is included in decision-making in order to achieve full territorial, social and economic cohesion, so that local and regional authorities are not limited to being mere executors of national objectives and so that their specific needs – which are theirs alone to determine – are respected.






Brussels, 20 November 2024.


The President


of the European Committee of the Regions

Vasco ALVES CORDEIRO
               





(1)  Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions — The outcome and follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe (OJ C 375, 30.9.2022, p. 9).

(2)  
            Declaration of the 10th European summit of regions and cities - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu).

(3)  As adopted in its opinion Active subsidiarity: a fundamental principle in the EU better regulation agenda(OJ C, C/2024/5366, 17.9.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/5366/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/277/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)