October 11, 2022

The following is a press release:

The President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro highlights that social inequalities, energy poverty and the climate crisis can only be addressed by mobilising regional and local actors

As Europe faces multiple challenges – from the consequences of the war against Ukraine to the climate and energy crisis – the President of the European Committee of the Regions Vasco Alves Cordeiro has highlighted the fundamental work done at regional and local level to preserve Europe’s cohesion, through solidarity and democracy.

President Cordeiro was giving his annual address on the State of Regions and Cities in the European Union, which coincides with the publication of the 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities by the European Committee of the Regions. The Report features the annual Regional and Local Barometer, a European-wide poll of local and regional representatives in the 27 EU Members States on how they see the future of Europe and how they address today's crises.

The war against Ukraine, the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the existential threat of the climate crisis put the European Union under unprecedented pressure. The 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities highlights how regions and cities remain the first responders to these global challenges.

President Cordeiro said: “The state of regions and cities can only be the state of people's lives across Europe, in all their diversities, the same way the state of the European Union cannot be fully and completely assessed if we forget the state of its regions and cities, the stories from across Europe are a powerful testimony of regions and cities as beacons of solidarity, progress and hope, regions and cities as beacons of European values and principles”.

The Report also offers a series of policy recommendations for EU legislators in key files, such as the reconstruction of Ukraine, measures to support households, businesses and public administration in the energy crisis or to prepare the debate on the future of cohesion policy.

On the reconstruction of Ukraine, President Cordeiro added: “There must be a specific budget line available for regional and local cooperation in reconstructions efforts. This is my concrete proposal in view of the Berlin Reconstruction Conference”.

When it comes to the energy crises, he stressed that “local and regional authorities must be supported in their energy saving efforts and we will do our part”.

Regarding the future of the cohesion policy, President Cordeiro announced that “the European Committee of the Regions will work on ensuring that all EU policies integrate the ‘do no harm to cohesion’ principle introduced by Commissioner Elisa Ferreira earlier this year”.

The 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities fed into a political resolution to be voted by the members of the European Committee of the Regions on 12 October and which will be presented to the Presidents of the EU institutions.

BACKGROUND

Links:

Speech of the CoR President Vasco Alves Cordeiro

Video of the debate

Pictures of the debate

Findings of the 2022 EU Annual report on the State of play of regions and cities:

Factsheet of the 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities – main findings

2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities – full report

Regional and Local Barometer – opinion poll (including country-specific results)

Regional and Local Barometer:

The Regional and Local Barometer, a survey of local and regional politicians in the 27 EU Member States that complements the 2022 EU Annual report on the State of regions and cities, was commissioned by the European Committee of the Regions and conducted by IPSOS. The poll probes their views on the support to Ukraine, the implication of sub-national governments in national recovery plans, the impact of the war on EU policies objectives and the role of the local and regional level in shaping the future of the EU.

Contact:

Monica Tiberi -Spokesperson of the President

Tel. +32 (0) 479 51 74 43

monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu

Marie-Pierre Jouglain – Press Officer

Tel. +32 473 52 41 15

mariepierre.jouglain@cor.europa.eu