Cities and regions demand real EU partnerships in new letter
Mayors, regional leaders, and major European networks have signed a joint letter to the European institutions to recognise local and regional governments as essential partners in shaping Europe's future. They advocate for a new era of governance based on shared responsibility to better respond to the needs of European citizens and businesses.
In times of uncertainty and challenges, there is often a shift towards centralised approaches. However, no single level of government can tackle today’s complex and interconnected challenges alone. Overlooking this complexity risks excluding key actors from critical decision-making processes.
As Commission President von der Leyen has stated, the status quo is no longer an option. In this spirit, the time has come for the EU to unlock the potential of its regions, towns, and cities.
The joint letter calls on the European Commission, Council, and Parliament to move beyond ad-hoc consultations and establish permanent, structured partnerships with local and regional governments. These partnerships should involve local and regional governments from the start—in agenda setting, policy co-design, financing, and implementation.
More than 80 mayors and regional leaders from across Europe, and 12 major European networks—ACR+, CEMR, Climate Alliance, Energy Cities, Eurocities, European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN), FEDARENE, ICLEI Europe, Resilient Cities Network, Climate KIC, and POLIS—have signed this letter. The signatory cities and regions alone represent over 47 million citizens and over 1,8 million employees. Together, they demand that local and regional authorities be recognised as key partners and that their perspectives be integrated throughout all stages of EU policymaking.
A new partnership model
Local and regional authorities are not merely implementers of policies—they are policymakers, first responders, and long-term builders. They account for 70% of EU Green Deal implementation and 60% of climate-related public spending, bringing the green transition to the citizens’ doorstep. In addition, local governments account for more than 50% of total public investments, making them strategic players in industrial innovation and job creation.
Public trust further reinforces their role: in 2024, trust in local and regional governments reached 60%, the highest among all levels of governance. Despite this, their input is often limited to ad hoc consultations or after-the-fact feedback.
So, how can the EU better answer the real interests and needs of the people?
To ensure EU policies respond more effectively to citizens' real needs, the letter presents a new partnership model that fully includes subnational governments in EU decision-making.
The signatories propose a clear way forward, calling on EU institutions and Member States to formalise multilevel governance through:
- Placing multilevel governance at the heart of the next EU budget (2028-2034). As the Commission prepares its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework, this is a crucial opportunity to adopt multilevel governance as the standard principle across all EU funding. In particular, the Cohesion Policy should remain a cornerstone, with its partnership principle strengthened to support more bottom-up strategies.
- Establishing structured and permanent dialogue mechanisms under the Cities Agenda and upcoming legislation. As highlighted in the EU’s new agenda for cities consultation, involving local and regional governments from the earliest stages of policy can ensure that the EU’s ambitions for sustainable urban development reflect the interests and needs of cities and regions.
Why now
This call to action comes at a critical juncture, ahead of two key moments for the future of European policies: the Commission consultation on ‘the new EU Agenda for Cities’ and the proposal for the next EU budget. With business-as-usual no longer an option, multilevel governance must guide future policymaking to ensure effective implementation and funding alignment with local and regional priorities.
Local and regional leaders are ready to take on greater responsibility in achieving the EU’s long-term goals. They call on the European Commission, the Council, and the Parliament to acknowledge their role, in line with the subsidiarity principle and existing Treaty provisions. Transforming ‘implementation dialogues’ into genuine multilevel partnerships that actively involve all levels of government, and embedding their feedback throughout the legislative process, will lead to more effective and ground measures that answer the real interests and needs of the territories.
Unlocking the full potential of multilevel governance will accelerate project delivery, enhance investment quality, and boost public trust in the EU. It also reinforces democratic values by ensuring European decisions are made with people, not merely for them.
POLIS reiterates this call for transformative change. Cities, towns and regions drive Europe’s sustainable transport transition; they are the engines of Europe’s job creation, resilience and competitiveness, and it is time that EU governance and financing mechanisms reflect that.
Read the full letter here.
