​Following the CoR President annual address on the State of Regions and Cities in the European Union, and the publication of the 2023 EU Annual Report, EA President Karl Vanlouwe took the floor during the CoR Plenary debate on 11 October.

In his intervention Mr Vanlouwe stressed that "regions are Europe's engine. Nevertheless, we still have a very centralized EU, which looks mostly at Member States and capital cities. With over seventy percent of policies and legislation being implemented by regions, their role should be more recognised in EU decision making" he said.

EA President said he was also very pleased with the reference in the report on Flanders Blue Deal Strategy.

"I am proud to say that also in regards to tackling droughts and climate disasters, Flanders Blue Deal, to improve water management and address water scarcity has been retained as case study and that the European Commission has announced an initiative on water resilience. I hope Flemish Blue Deal will inspire EU coordinated action to address Europe's future crisis with dedicated support", he added.