EU-LAC | Local governments must remain political actors of Decentralised cooperation
At a time when international cooperation is increasingly shaped by geopolitical, security and economic interests, local and regional governments have an essential role to play in defending a model of cooperation based on solidarity, democracy and global justice. This is one of the central messages emerging from the conclusions of the 10th Conference of the Observatory for Decentralised Cooperation EU-LAC.
Held in Barcelona on 7-8 May 2026, the conference brought together actors involved in decentralised cooperation between Europe and Latin America to reflect on the profound changes affecting the international cooperation landscape and on the role that cities, regions and their partners can play in responding to them.
The Observatory describes an international context marked by overlapping economic, climate, democratic and geopolitical crises, growing competition between geopolitical blocs and an increasing concentration of wealth and power. At the same time, development cooperation is increasingly being linked to strategic, security and economic objectives, while resources and decision-making are being recentralised.
For decentralised cooperation, these trends raise a fundamental question: what kind of cooperation do we want, and who should have a say in defining it?
Local and regional governments are more than implementers
One of the clearest conclusions of the conference is the need to recognise local and regional governments as political actors in their own right, rather than simply as implementers of policies and programmes designed elsewhere.
Cities and regions are responsible for policies that directly affect people’s daily lives, from housing, transport and social services to education, economic development and the ecological transition. They are also essential to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals and increasingly act as laboratories for innovative public policies in areas such as care, social inclusion, sustainable resource management and urban regeneration.
Yet this responsibility is still not matched by equivalent recognition in international decision-making. The conclusions therefore call for more inclusive global governance in which local governments have genuine political and decision-making capacity.
Keeping cooperation political
The conference also warns against the depoliticisation and recentralisation of cooperation. Growing pressure to demonstrate economic returns and measurable results can reduce cooperation to a technical exercise, overlooking its contribution to democracy, rights and social transformation.
The changing international cooperation landscape, including the growing emphasis on investment and initiatives such as the Global Gateway, can offer opportunities for territories. But the conclusions also highlight the risk that cooperation becomes subordinated to external strategic interests rather than responding to territorial priorities, human rights and equity.
Instead, the Observatory argues for a decentralised cooperation agenda built around global justice, equity, sustainability and human dignity, with priorities including local democracy, decentralisation, gender equality, environmental sustainability, social cohesion and housing.
Cooperation between territories matters more than ever
The conclusions underline the importance of networks and partnerships between local governments, particularly at a time when traditional multilateralism is under pressure. Such networks allow cities and regions to exchange experience, build common solutions and strengthen their collective voice internationally.
This resonates strongly with PLATFORMA’s vision of decentralised cooperation: long-term partnerships between territories, built around mutual learning, democratic ownership and shared challenges.
Strengthening these partnerships means giving local and regional governments the political space, recognition and resources they need to act internationally. In a rapidly changing world, decentralised cooperation is therefore not merely an instrument for delivering projects. It is also a way of strengthening local democracy and building fairer international partnerships.