Last week, the President of the European Alliance (EA) Group, Nanette Maupertuis, held a series of institutional meetings with key European and national counterparts to discuss shared priorities related to regional development, cohesion policy, and Mediterranean cooperation.

Among these engagements, she met with the Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, Fernando Sampedro, to exchange views on the common priorities of Spain and the EA Group at European level. The discussion focused in particular on the importance of strengthening the role of local and regional authorities in shaping EU policies and ensuring that future initiatives remain closely connected to territorial realities.

Nanette Maupertuis also met with Member of the European Parliament Sandro Gozi to discuss the situation of EU islands and the role of local and regional authorities in the next EU programming period. Their exchange highlighted the need to maintain strong territorial cohesion instruments and to ensure that islands and regions continue to benefit from adequate support in the forthcoming financial framework.

Finally, in the context of her appointment as co-rapporteur on the Mediterranean Pact, she held a meeting with Mr Gaztelu, responsible for North Africa at the European Commission’s DG MENA. The discussion focused on the upcoming measures to implement the Pact through its future action plan, with particular attention to how local and regional authorities can contribute to its delivery and strengthen cooperation across the Mediterranean.

These meetings reflect the EA Group’s continued efforts to engage with institutional partners and promote a multilevel governance approach in the development and implementation of key European policies.