EU budget reforms in the spotlight of regions and cities

Also on #CoRplenary agenda: Ukraine, simplification agenda, and crisis preparedness.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) will on 6-7 May set out its detailed responses to many of the major items in the European Union's proposed long-term budget, adopting opinions on reforms that will determine the EU's investment between 2028 and 2034 into regional development, research and innovation, infrastructure and other major areas of the economy.

The CoR has already outlined its central objections to reforms proposed by the European Commission, in an opinion adopted in March in which it particularly opposed the idea of centralising and nationalising the budget. The Commission is proposing the creation of a single National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP) for each member state into which support for cohesion, agriculture, rural areas, fisheries, migration and security, and social policies would be pooled.

At its plenary on 6-7 May, the EU's regions and cities will provide a thorough assessment of the NRPP regulation and-in separate opinions-on proposals related to regional development, rural development, research and innovation, the Connecting Europe Facility for investment into transport, energy and digital infrastructure, the Erasmus+ mobility programme for education, and the proposed AgoraEU programme for culture, media and democratic support.

Concerns about the proposed reforms may surface in separate debates with: Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, who will discuss the work of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union; European Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who is responsible for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport; and with Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms. Commissioner Fitto will be focusing on the outcome of the mid-term review of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2021-2027.

Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories, Oleksii Riabykin, will have an opportunity on 7 May to update the CoR on the needs of Ukrainian cities and regions as they try to maintain public services in the fourth year of Russia's full-scale invasion. The CoR is the co-founder of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and will participate on behalf of the Alliance at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Poland on 25-26 June.

In other opinions, regions and cities will provide their perspective on whether and how environmental legislation should be simplified, and on whether and how data rules should be streamlined. Protection is a subject of a number of opinions: on the protection of youth and minors in the digital sphere; on medical counter-measures against public health threats; on the stockpiling of essential goods, such as medicine, oil, fuel, food, and water for use in crises; and on protecting citizens and nature from noise pollution.

The plenary will also see the launch for nominations for the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award. The current laureate is Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul, who is now in his second year of pre-trial detention. The award is open to leaders of local communities "for courage and excellence in the promotion of freedom, solidarity and equality".

Follow the plenary session (#CoRplenary) on the CoR's website.

Photos of the CoR's plenary session will be available here.

KEY MOMENTS

6 May, 3.35 p.m.: Debate with Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus.

6 May, 6.05 p.m.: Debate with Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.

7 May, 9:00 a.m.: Intervention by Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

7 May, 9:15 a.m.: Debate on the outcome of the Midterm Review of the MFF 2021-2027, with Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms.

OPINIONS FOR ADOPTION

• 'NRPP Fund Regulation'. Rapporteurs: Emil Boc (RO/EPP), mayor of Cluj-Napoca, and Vasco Alves Cordeiro (PT/PES), member of a Regional Parliament of the Azores.
• 'European Fund for Regional Development including for Interreg and the Cohesion Fund'. Rapporteur: María Guardiola Martín (ES/EPP).
• 'Performance Framework Regulation'. Rapporteur: Luca Menesini (IT/EPP), president of the Province of Lucca.
• 'Future of the Rural Development 2028+'. Rapporteur: Radim Sršeň (CZ/EPP), mayor of Dolní Studénky Council.
• 'Connecting Europe Facility 2028-2034 Regulation'. Rapporteur: Juraj Droba (SK/ECR), president of the Bratislava Region.
• 'Horizon Europe - the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation'. Rapporteur-general: Anne Besnier (FR/PES), vice-president of the Centre-Val de Loire.
• 'Erasmus+ programme for the period 2028-2034'. Rapporteur: Roberto Pella (IT/EPP), mayor of Valdengo.
• 'AgoraEU'. Rapporteur: Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP), vice-president of Harghita County Council.
• 'Simplification of administrative burdens in environmental legislation'. Rapporteur-general: Nadia Pellefigue (FR/PES), vice-president of the Region of Occitanie.
• 'EU stockpiling strategy: Boosting the EU's material preparedness for crises'. Rapporteur: János Ádám Karacsony (HU/ECR), member of the Local Government of Tahitótfalu.
• 'Medical Countermeasures Strategy'. Rapporteur: Antonio Aurigemma (IT/ECR), member of Regional Council of Lazio.
• 'Digital simplification and the Data Union Strategy'. Rapporteur-general: Pehr Granfalk (SE/EPP), member of Solna Municipal Council.
• 'The Protection of Youth and Minors in the Digital Sphere'. Rapporteur: Heike Raab (DE/PES), State Secretary, Rhineland Palatinate State Government.
• 'Sound Policies: Protecting Citizens and Nature from Noise Pollution'. Rapporteur: Marieke Schouten (NL/Greens and Progressives), alderwoman of Nieuwegein.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Location: Paul Henri Spaak building - Hemicycle, European Parliament, Brussels

Date: Wednesday, 6 May - Thursday, 7 May 2026.

Background material: The plenary agenda, and opinions and amendments.

Webstreaming: On the website of the CoR.

Contact:

[email protected]