The Local Alliance – a coalition of Europe’s eight leading city and regional networks – share a vision for the next EU budget (2028–2034) to become a strong, comprehensive tool for a democratic, just, climate-neutral, secure and competitive Europe. This position paper has been developed in the framework of the European Commission’s consultations on the next EU budget (EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – implementing EU funding with Member States and regions) and represents the above-mentioned networks’ joint position.
Local and regional governments are central actors in delivering Europe’s priorities. Far beyond implementation, they serve as policymakers, crisis responders, and major investors. The future EU budget aims to link investment with reforms, following the model of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). While the RRF has faced challenges due to its lack of multilevel governance,
this approach of combining investment with reform can accelerate progress towards key EU objectives. While not all reforms are local in nature (e.g., judiciary reform in Italy), it is essential that local and regional governments have a seat at the table on
the reforms that are important for their mandate and competencies when the 'menu of reforms' is discussed between the European Commission and national governments. Excluding local and regional governments from defining possible and adequate reforms risks missing critical policies, failing to identify and effectively address local gaps, and setting the wrong priorities.