There are many social and economic challenges of our time. Regions and cities across the EU remain at the frontline of responding to such challenges – acting upon them, finding resolutions, whilst all the time moving forward in an ambitious and sustainable way. The recent coronavirus pandemic has also shown once again how important local and regional authorities are to the lives of EU citizens. 

Across Europe, presidents of regions, mayors and regional and local councillors have so much knowledge and experiences that can be shared – such knowledge and experiences strive to feed into present and EU future policy areas. For 25 years, the CoR has assisted in realising the vision of the EU, whilst all the time asking the difficult questions, seeking resolution through partnership, and championing the ethos of the EU.

The CoR is a core part of Team EU. Through co-operation with the other European Institutions, the CoR has built a common interface with the people who live in the four corners of the EU. Nevertheless, the CoR needs to continue to evolve its mechanisms to ensure that the voice and powers of local, regional and national authorities are duly taken into account in European legislation.

The European Alliance believes that the European Union needs to have a strong vision, which connects policies, and which will benefit our cities, our towns, and our rural and peripheral areas across the EU. Knowledge sharing, financial investment and the creation of flexible regulation is crucial to creating innovative and cross-cutting approaches to supporting a fair and economically and environmentally sustainable EU economy. 

Finally, we should not forget who we are. Yes, we are members of the European Union, which brings huge benefits to all of us, but we all have our different cultures, traditions and languages. We need to work for and on behalf of our citizens, respecting our diverse regions and demonstrating that we can really be united in diversity.

Cllr Kieran McCarthy, Cork City Council 

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