Political Council | Reaffirming the role of local democracy in Europe’s global action
On 9 June, our Political Council brought together local, regional and EU leaders in Brussels to reflect on the future of decentralised cooperation in a rapidly changing geopolitical context.
As the EU reshapes its external action through Global Europe instrument and Global Gateway strategy, there is a real risk that local and regional governments are reduced to simple implementers. That would be a profound mistake.
Decentralised cooperation is not just technical delivery, it is political
Andrea Costafreda Quesada, Director General for Development Cooperation of the Government of Catalonia (Spain), reminded us clearly: “We are not only technical actors, we are political actors embedding shared values such as democracy and feminism.”
European external action must remain about human development.
MEP Charles Goerens (Renew Europe, Luxembourg) put it very clearly: “If the link with human development becomes purely transactional, we can no longer call it development.”
Territories matter
Global Gateway will only succeed if it is rooted in cities and regions. As Councillor of Västerås City (Sweden) Elisabeth Unell (SALAR International) stressed: “Infrastructure is never abstract, it always transforms territories.”
Local governments are strategic partners
From Ukraine to the Eastern Neighbourhood, Mayor Mindaugas Sinkevičius (Lithuanian Association of Local Authorities) underlined: “Local and regional governments should not be seen as secondary, we are strategic partners.”
« It is decentralised cooperation that has the capacity to turn growth into development, to turn political intention into lasting impact on the ground,” earlier said Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR).
Localising Global Gateway is essential
As Nicolas Gérard (European Commission, DG INTPA) emphasised: “Localising Global Gateway is more needed than ever in a context of growing urbanisation, conflicts and inequalities.” He agreed with participants on the “need to better equip and involve local authorities to unlock it.”
Trust and citizenship start locally
Liam Wegimont (Global Education Network Europe, GENE) captured it powerfully: “We can’t have a global understanding of the world without a grounding in the local.”
At a time of shifting priorities to security, defence, and strategic investments, the debate also highlighted a key risk: losing citizen support for Europe’s external action.
As Fabrizio Rossi (CEMR) put it in opening: “Europe must become more strategic but not less democratic.”
Jean Van Wetter, CEO of Enabel, also warned: “The biggest issue is that we are losing citizens’ support.”
The conclusion is clear: if Global Gateway and Global Europe are to succeed, they must be built with local and regional governments from the outset, not as implementers, but as partners.
Because in the end, Europe’s credibility abroad depends on its ability to deliver with and for its citizens.