Cities and regions should be treated as strategic partners in the European Union’s foreign policy and given a formal role in EU development cooperation, enlargement policy and work in fragile settings, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) said in two opinions adopted on 1 July.
The organisation — the EU assembly of local and regional politicians — backed a bigger role for sub-national authorities in plans for “Global Europe”, a proposed financing instrument for EU external action in 2028–34.
The opinion on Global Europe was drafted by Joško Klisović, a member of the Assembly of the City of Zagreb, the CoR informed on Thursday.
It argued that “multi-level governance” and “localisation” should guide the regulation, meaning local and national authorities would work alongside EU institutions in designing and delivering programmes.
The Committee of the Regions said 65% of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals could not be implemented without cities and regions.
It added that local authorities account for 70% of climate change mitigation measures and up to 90% of adaptation measures.
It also linked local and regional government to EU enlargement, saying 70% of EU legislation is implemented at local and regional level.
Enlargement refers to the process of countries joining the EU and adopting its laws and standards.
Funding and “fragile settings”
Cities and regions need access to targeted funding, including under the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and for cross-border and inter-regional cooperation, the CoR said.
Global Gateway is the EU’s programme to support investment projects with international partners.
From 2028, the proposed Global Europe instrument would merge existing tools used to channel EU funds to neighbouring countries, including Ukraine, and to other regions worldwide.
A second opinion, requested by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, focused on “decentralised cooperation” and “city diplomacy” in fragile settings such as conflict and crises.
It was drafted by Magali Altounian, a member of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur Regional Council.
Cities and regions are sometimes the only level of government still operating in fragile contexts and providing essential services, and EU external action should support them, the Committee of the Regions said.
It pointed to the Committee’s Nicosia Initiative as an example, saying it has mobilised partnerships for Libya’s local administrations since 2016 at the request of Libyan municipalities.
