PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions

✨ Emotional plenary at the European Committee of the Regions.

The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award was given to @ekremimamoglu.com , a true defender of democracy.

From procurement reform and water resilience to enlargement and child wellbeing : cities and regions keep democracy strong. 💙

If we want real change, the European Child Guarantee needs real funding.

Fauzaya Talhaoui calls for at least €20 billion in the next EU budget and a strong role for cities & regions because they deliver support directly where children live.

#CoRplenary #ChildGuarantee

If we want real change, the European Child Guarantee needs real funding.

Fauzaya Talhaoui calls for at least €20 billion in the next EU budget and a strong role for cities & regions because they deliver support directly where children live.

#CoRplenary #ChildGuarantee

“My struggle is not the struggle of one person. It is the struggle for a country’s future and a warning for all democracies facing backsliding.”

@ekremimamoglu.com

Freedom for all imprisoned mayors.

#Democracy #AdamowiczAward

“I will continue to defend the will and freedom of the Turkish people. The will of elected officials must be protected under the rule of law.”

@ekremimamoglu.com

His absence today speaks louder than any speech.
#Democracy #AdamowiczAward

“I believe in Türkiye’s future. Our nation knows how to preserve its will, even in difficult times.”

@ekremimamoglu.com

Today we honour him with the Adamowicz Award, even as he remains unjustly imprisoned.

#Democracy #AdamowiczAward

"Ekrem İmamoğlu represents the essence of democratic courage.

When an elected mayor is removed for defending transparency and citizens’ rights, it is not just a local issue: it is a European one.”

💭 Luca Menesini

Enlargement will only work if citizens believe in it.”

Patrick Molinoz calls for local media, civil society and local and regional authorities to engage communities because trust is built where people live.

#CoRplenary #Enlargement

“Defence is not only about armies. It is also civil protection, preparedness, and strong local institutions.

Cities and regions in Ukraine prove that local resilience is national security.”

💭 Patrick Molinoz

#CoRplenary #Democracy

Europe is already in water stress.

Arianna Censi highlights that cities and regions are on the frontline and must have the tools to act.

From sponge cities to clean water for all, she calls for EU support that matches the scale of the crisis.

#CoRplenary #WaterResilience

"There cannot be an EU procurement reform without listening to cities and regions, Europe’s main public buyers.

After years of overlapping rules, Europe now has a chance to simplify procurement so every euro spent delivers high-quality results for citizens."

Roberto Gualtieri

#CoRplenary

Peter Kaiser reminds us that public procurement shapes everyday services: from childcare to care homes to local transport.

He supports stronger protection for workers and clear rules on subcontracting so public money never rewards social dumping.

#CoRplenary

For Nadia Pellefigue, public procurement is a lever for Europe’s green and industrial transition.

She backs rules that let regions invest in innovation, skills and clean industries, by looking at quality, social and climate impact, not only lowest price.

#CoRplenary

Together we can turn “much more than a budget” into "much more for people and places".

💭 Pascal Smet

#CoRplenary

“Let’s be honest: the real battle on the EU’s long‑term budget is with national governments.”

Pascal Smet urges local and regional leaders to mobilise their parties back home to stop cuts to cohesion, CAP and social investment.

No more doing more with less.

#CoRplenary

Vasco Cordeiro warns that promises aren’t enough: governance must be guaranteed in the EU’s long‑term budget.

Regions need a real seat at the table: strong partnership rules, shared management and a clear role in national plans.

Good governance is not optional.
#CoRplenary

Europe’s competitiveness starts in its territories.

María Victoria Chivite Navascués calls for a long‑term budget that supports innovation, skills and industrial transition in our regions.

Cohesion and competitiveness go together, or we lose both. #CoRplenary

"If we cut cohesion, we cut the future of our regions.”

Luca Menesini warns that the Commission’s proposal is too weak. He brings a clear message: we need an ambitious EU budget that protects cohesion, public services and the green transition, not new austerity.

#CoRplenary

"Much more than a budget”.

Today’s debate on the EU’s long‑term budget is about whether Europe will keep investing in cohesion, public services and climate action or accept a race to the bottom.

Our PES leaders are clear: Europe cannot do more with less.

#CoRplenary #EUbudget

The Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions has just opened!

Stay tuned to find out what’s on today’s agenda: we work to put cities and regions at the very heart of Europe.

👉 cor.europa.eu/en/plenaries...

🤝 A #SocialEurope and a #SaferDemocracy go hand in hand!

FEPS President Nicolas Schmit met with @pes-cor.bsky.social President Luca Menesini, discussing the key policies driving a #SocialEurope, including the #MFF and how regions can drive a bottom-up approach. 🇪🇺

Across Europe, local and regional authorities are turning solidarity into concrete action: city‑to‑city partnerships, support for reconstruction, and everyday work to welcome and protect Ukrainians in our communities.

As representatives of progressive cities and regions in the European Committee of the Regions, we stand for:
👉 Ukraine’s territorial integrity
👉 Its European future
👉 Local democracy that survives even under attack

For four years, Russia’s war of aggression has tried to erase cities and regions from the map. It has failed.

Ukrainians show their resilience: rebuilding schools, restoring public transport, defending democracy street by street.

Donetsk is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Luhansk is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Mariupol is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Kherson is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Crimea is Ukraine 🇺🇦
Every occupied city is Ukraine 🇺🇦

Four years of Ukrainian resistance.
Zero doubt about whose land this is.

Place-based industrial policy in Europe - Foundation for European Progressive Studies Any serious discussion of industrial policy must begin with the recognition that economic activity is […]

🇪🇺Register for the event “Place-based industrial policy in Europe”, which will discuss the new policy study of the same title!
bit.ly/LocalIndustr...

📅 19 March 2026
🕰️09:00-13:30
🏡 FEPSHQ

🤝 By FEPS in cooperation with Progress and @pes-cor.bsky.social

When the EU invests in your city, it should strengthen unity, not weaken it.

Pascal Smet warns that the new MFF risks cutting cohesion and sidelining regions and cities through national-only plans.

Cohesion is how people see Europe delivering.

We need more Europe, not less.

Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony has been charged for organising Pride.

The march was peaceful.
The protesters were thousands.
The response: prosecution.

This isn’t about “procedure”.
It’s about punishing those who defend freedom.

🏳️‍🌈 Pride is not a crime.
#Hungary #RuleOfLaw

⏳ The countdown has started. But so has the resistance.

"If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop."
That is the warning from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.