“Local governments must be at the heart of the EU’s international partnerships”, Mayor Jan van Zanen

In a bilateral meeting on 10 June UCLG President and Mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen met with the European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela at the occasion of 10 years of strategic partnership agreements between key associations of local and regional governments with DG INTPA (2015–2025), to advocate for a stronger role of local and regional governments (LRGs) in EU development cooperation – and to secure long-term support for decentralised cooperation in the next EU budget.

The delegation of CEMR and PLATFORMA, led by Mayor van Zanen, and including CEMR Secretary General Fabrizio Rossi found promising common ground with the Commissioner. Both sides agreed that the goals of the Global Gateway strategy and the objectives of the EU international action – from sustainable development to infrastructure investment – can only be met by empowering the actors who are closest to the people: local governments.

“Mayors and local leaders are not just implementers. They are political actors, democratically elected and accountable to their communities“, Mayor Jan van Zanen said. “They have a unique role to play in achieving the EU’s goals – but they need the means and the recognition to do so“.

Commissioner Síkela acknowledged the critical contribution of cities and regions to EU’s Global Gateway strategy and international partnerships. As a former Czech Minister of Industry and Trade and a representative of the liberal “Mayors and Independents” party, Síkela expressed strong political sensitivity to the added value of local and regional leadership in global cooperation.

Improved dialogue with EU Delegations on the ground

The meeting was part of a coordinated advocacy effort based on the PLATFORMA Political Declaration on the Role of Local and Regional Governments in the next Multiannual Financial Framework and EU External Action, adopted by local leaders in April 2025. CEMR and PLATFORMA underlined the need for a dedicated financial mechanism in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028–2034) that would allow LRGs and their associations to scale up their international cooperation, and support peer-to-peer partnerships with their counterparts in partner countries.

They also called for improved dialogue with EU Delegations on the ground, clearer distinction between LRGs and civil society organisations in EU instruments, and  tailored, realistic and impactful calls for proposals.

Beyond financial tools, CEMR and PLATFORMA emphasised the importance of political recognition of the role local and regional governments and their associations and networks in the implementation and governance of the Global Gateway strategy. As Europe’s largest network of municipalities and regions, CEMR highlighted the importance of structured policy dialogue and inclusive governance – especially in fragile contexts where local actors are often the last line of defence of democratic values, and provision of basic public services to the local populations.

The exchange with Commissioner Síkela comes ahead of the “2025 Cities and Regions for International Partnerships” conference, scheduled for December, where the Commissioner is invited to continue the dialogue with the presidents of five key associations, signatories of a strategic partnership agreement with DG INTPA[1].

As the EU begins to shape its upcoming budget cycle, the message from Europe’s mayors and local leaders is clear: for EU development cooperation to succeed, and for the Global Gateway strategy to deliver on its ambition as a value-based offer to partner countries, the local level must be included.

[1] CEMR-PLATFORMA, UCLG, UCLG-Africa, AIMF, CLGF