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At its eleventh meeting held on 15 May, the CoR-UK Contact Group elected Karl Vanlouwe, Vice President of the European Alliance Group, as its new Chair. The Contact Group was established to facilitate dialogue and mutual exchange between local and regional authorities in the EU and the UK, with a particular focus on the territorial impacts of Brexit.

This session took place in the lead-up to the upcoming EU-UK Summit scheduled for 19 May in London, and discussions centred on the evolving role of local and regional authorities in shaping a renewed phase of EU-UK relations. Participants addressed both the challenges and the opportunities facing cross-border cooperation, underlining the importance of local-level engagement in a successful EU-UK ‘reset’.

In his opening statement, Mr Vanlouwe provided an overview of current EU-UK dynamics and outlined the key cooperation priorities expected to be addressed at the Summit. Delegates from both sides of the Channel welcomed the renewed momentum and contributed practical suggestions to reinforce the Group’s impact. Among the most widely supported proposals were: increasing the frequency of meetings, strengthening ties with the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, developing cost-effective cross-border pilot projects, and enhancing local outreach and public engagement.

A thematic discussion followed, focusing on cross-border collaboration, featuring contributions from Moray Gilland (European Commission), Karsten Uno Petersen (CoR Member, Denmark), and Aidan Campbell (Centre for Cross Border Cooperation). All speakers underscored the value of EU cohesion policy and targeted funding as key enablers of territorial cooperation. There was a clear consensus that empowering local and regional authorities is essential for fostering sustainable partnerships and rebuilding trust in EU-UK relations from the ground up.​