Towards a new era of genuine shared governance in Europe

ACR+ is supporting mayors and regional leaders from over 100 cities, towns and regions and their networks from across Europe in calling for a new era in EU governance that recognises local and regional governments as essential partners in shaping Europe's future. To share their ideas, they published a joint letter.

Initiated by the cities of Malmö and Freiburg, this joint letter emphasises that local governments, who are responsible for implementing nearly 70 % of European Green Deal legislation and 60 percent of climate-related public spending, are pivotal in driving tangible changes and should not be sidelined in European policy processes. 

Leaders from cities across the EU, including Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon, Vienna, Munich, Tallinn, Rotterdam, Wroclaw and Strasbourg, are calling for a move beyond consultation to genuine collaboration at the EU level, seizing the next seven-year budget preparations as a critical opportunity to invest in regional development, social cohesion, and innovation.

The letter urges the European Commission, Council, and Parliament to recognise local and regional governments as key partners by establishing structured, permanent dialogues from the outset that include agenda-setting, policy co-design, financing, and implementation. It also calls on EU institutions to integrate local and regional feedback throughout the legislative process to ensure more effective and well-grounded outcomes.

As drivers of Europe’s transformation in areas such as sustainable housing, clean energy, digital innovation, infrastructure and public health, local and regional governments stress that EU funding reaches community needs. Therefore, the letter highlights that multilevel governance must become a guiding principle for the next EU Budget to ensure that funding priorities reflect local and regional needs and that implementation is effective on the ground. A stronger role for local and regional governments in decision-making is also essential for turning European ambitions into lasting change in communities.

Among the signatories are the Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Presidents of Aalborg, Barcelona, Braga, Budapest, Lisbon, Cascais, Grenoble Metropolitan Area, Katerini, Matosinhos, Mannheim, Modena, Munich, Pescara, Rotterdam, Strasbourg Metropolitan Area, Tallinn, Turku, Udine, Utrecht, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Växjö, and Wroclaw, as well as representatives from the Green Metropolitan Region of Arnhem-Nijmegen and the Province of Noord-Holland. European networks, including ACR+, CEMR, Climate Alliance, Eurocities, and Fedarene have also endorsed the initiative.