March 3, 2022

The following is a press release:

The European Committee of the Regions Summit in Marseille on the 3-4 March 2022 with more than 2000 representatives of regional and local authorities of the European Union representing over one million mayors, local and regional elected political leaders,

unanimously stand by the people of Ukraine, and agree the following:

Strongly condemn the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression by Russian President Putin against free Ukraine. This is a criminal act against the people of Ukraine, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity. Moreover, it is in breach of international law, our rules-based world order, and jeopardises the entire system of security and stability in Europe;

Ukrainian cities and regions are our direct partners: we, the mayors and regional leaders from all the 27 Member States of the European Union, reiterate our full solidarity with them; we stand ready to put forward to our respective governments and to the Council of the European Union their call for the hardest possible sanctions to be imposed on the government of the Russian Federation;

Call for immediate assistance to the citizens of Ukraine through the swift trigger of the EU Mechanism of Civil Protection for humanitarian assistance by the European Commission; we stand ready to mobilise cities and regions' capacities for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Ukraine at its mayors' request; we encourage Local and Regional Authorities to help the Ukrainian people forced to flee their homes across European cities and regions;

Call for EU support to be delivered to the EU's bordering regions with Ukraine in order to help the authorities to welcome and assist refugees coming from Ukraine, who should be granted refugee status under EU Asylum Law in accelerated emergency procedures;

The future of all Europeans can only rely on democracy and the rule of law as pillars of peace and prosperity; the European perspective offered to Ukraine, a sovereign country, its people, its cities and regions must be strengthened as a deterrent to any attempt to revert to the totalitarian past: no one should undermine the choice of people for freedom;

We salute the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people and are in full solidarity with them. We call on all local and regional governments in the European Union to support Ukraine in these times of need.

President Putin has to stop his war!

Free Ukraine in Europe!

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The European Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives from all 27 Member States. Created in 1994 following the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, its mission is to involve regional and local authorities in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. To sit on the European Committee of the Regions, all of its 329 members and 329 alternates must either hold an electoral mandate or be politically accountable to an elected assembly in their home regions and cities. Click here for more details on your national delegation.