Brussels, 12 June 2025
Mayors and regional leaders from more than 100 cities, regions and networks are joining forces to call for a new era in EU governance that recognises local and regional authorities as essential partners in shaping Europe's future.
Initiated by the cities of Malmö and Freiburg, in their respective roles as ICLEI’s Global and European Presidents, this joint letter emphasises that local governments, who are responsible for implementing nearly 70 % of European Green Deal legislation and 60 % of climate-related public spending, are pivotal in driving tangible changes and should not be sidelined in European policy processes. The signatory cities and regions of this letter alone represent over 47 million citizens and over 1,8 million employees.
Leaders from cities across the EU, including Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Vienna, Munich, Tallinn, Rotterdam, Strasbourg and Wroclaw, 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.
Martin W.W. Horn, Mayor of Freiburg, Germany, said: “Opinion polls show that local governments are the most trusted level of governance. Trust is earned every day by engaging citizens on the issues that matter most to them. If Europe is to deliver the transformative changes our communities urgently need, local and regional governments need to be equipped with the mandate, recognition, and resources to shape and deliver them. Effective EU policymaking is not about centralising responsibility, but about sharing it with those best placed to understand the needs on the ground. This is how we can create prosperous and resilient Europe, rooted in its territories and responsive to citizens. ”
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.
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor, City of Malmö, Sweden, said: “As Commission President von der Leyen has said, the status quo is no longer an option. We can’t afford business-as-usual nor to leave local and regional potential untapped. Local and regional governments are not only local service providers, we are major investors in Europe's economy and green transition. We are testbeds and engines of progress, we invest billions in infrastructure, social and public services that allow businesses to settle, operate and thrive. Our cities, towns and regions are the engines of Europe’s job creation, resilience and competitiveness, and it’s time that EU governance and financing mechanisms reflect that.”
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 must reach 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.
The full letter is available at the following link: https://iclei-europe.org/publications-tools/?c=search&uid=ry0Kv2ib
Notes to editors:
Among the signatories are the Mayors, Deputy Mayors and Presidents of Aalborg, Barcelona, Braga, Budapest, Cascais, Grenoble Metropolitan Area, Katerini, Copenhagen , Lisbon, 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.
ICLEI Europe is the European Secretariat of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. ICLEI Europe supports local governments to build more sustainable, resilient and equitable communities.
