Liberal Mayors from across Europe gathered in Brussels on 24 October for the 12th Annual Liberal Mayors Summit, held during the ALDE Party Congress.
Under the theme “Building a Coalition for the Future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)”, the Summit concluded with the adoption of a strong declaration and then the approval of a resolution by the ALDE Party Congress, both aimed at defending cohesion policy.
The participants, including mayors, national politicians and European representatives, delivered a unified message against the centralisation of EU funding. They insisted that the Union’s long-term budget must directly involve local and regional authorities.
Co-organised with the Belgian liberal parties Mouvement Réformateur (MR) and Open VLD, the Summit served as an important platform to unite liberal subnational voices. High-level speakers included Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium David Clarinval and ALDE Party and Renew Europe Group Vice-President Dan Barna MEP.
The central debate focused on the European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 MFF, which was unanimously condemned as a dangerous step backwards.
In his opening remarks, François Decoster, President of the Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions and Mayor of Saint-Omer, France, underlined the importance of local and regional authorities. He warned that under the new MFF proposal, regions and municipalities would become only optional partners in shaping national programmes.
Vice-President Barna cautioned that centralising EU funds risks disconnecting the Union from citizens and weakening the core of cohesion policy, which he described as essential for European unity.
Following this, Deputy Prime Minister Clarinval delivered a strong message on the indispensable role of the local level in the European project. He noted that being a mayor means “being at the service of the people, being confronted with their expectations, their hopes, but also their trust,” demonstrating how central the local level is to building Europe’s future.
Several participants highlighted that cohesion policy remains one of the most visible expressions of the EU’s added value.
Karina Miķelsone (Ādaži, Latvia), First Vice-President of the Renew Europe CoR and Mayor, shared her country’s experience as a border region with Russia. She stressed that fair resource allocation is critical not only for development but also for security concerns. She argued local leaders are on the frontline and must be included in MFF management.
Alva Finn, Executive Director of the European Liberal Forum (ELF), proposed a series of liberal reforms based on a joint policy lab organised by Renew Europe and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF). These reforms aim to prevent misuse of EU funds by illiberal governments and to ensure cohesion policy reflects the current geopolitical context.
Both the Mayors’ Declaration and the Congress Resolution state that the MFF proposal represents a “fundamental shift toward centralised national control.” This move is described as a “strategic error” and a “fundamentally illiberal push” that sidelines the very actors who are closest to citizens and best placed to deliver results.
The Mayors’ Declaration, adopted on Friday during the Summit, and the Resolution, approved by the ALDE Party Congress on Saturday, jointly set out a clear liberal blueprint for the future of cohesion policy.
The key demands in the adopted texts include:
- Restoring the direct role of subnational authorities: calling on the European Parliament and Member States to revise the MFF governance model to restore the compulsory role of local and regional authorities.
- Institutionalising multilevel governance: ensuring meaningful participation of regional and local actors throughout the entire funding cycle.
- A single cohesion fund: adopting a unified cohesion fund with thematic windows, as proposed by ELF, to streamline access and align investments with strategy.
- Smart conditionality: linking EU funds to democratic values, the rule of law and modern indicators beyond GDP to guide fair and future-oriented investment.
Liberal mayors and delegates affirmed that cohesion policy must remain strategic, inclusive and future-oriented. They warned that undermining the role of local and regional leaders would weaken the EU and diminish its relevance for citizens.
Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions is committed to promoting these priorities to ensure that the MFF remains a tool for citizens, not a hostage to national interests.