​On 17 April, at our group meeting held before the 160th CoR plenary session, EA members hosted a member of the European Parliament and former Minister-President of Flanders Geert Bourgeois for a debate on the future of Europe.

Mr Bourgeois outlined his view of the future of Europe, especially the role of local and regional authorities and the CoR in it.

He said that the EU, which is our geopolitical home has provided a lot of added value and brought a lot of welfare over the past 80 years. Yet, he said, "we should work together in areas where it creates an added value, otherwise we should do things locally, in line with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality."

Mr Bourgeois also stressed the need for a new industrial plan for Europe, parallel to the EU Green Deal and indispensable for Europe's competitiveness on the global stage. "We need more investment in development, research, and cross-border infrastructure. We need to cut the red tape, and create a level-playing field when it comes to regional development."

"Structure follows policy," he added, "and we need strong regions and representation of both bigger and smaller towns in the European policy-making, also through closer interaction between the CoR and the European Parliament."