EU internal security must not be run from the top down, regions warn

Local and regional authorities must be formally involved in the EU's future internal security instrument for 2028-2034. This is the core message of the opinion Union support for internal security for the period from 2028 to 2034, adopted unanimously at the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 1 July 2026.

The Committee welcomes the proposed increase in EU security funding but warns that it risks re-centralising security policy unless the authorities closest to citizens are placed at the heart of its governance.

Drafted by Anne Rudisuhli (FR/Renew Europe) and focusing on the plans for funding internal security under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034, the opinion notes that the larger budget confirms internal security as a political priority, but stresses that results will depend on the design of the instrument itself, which must be preventive, community-based and genuinely territorial. It also recalls that, under the Europol Regulation, competent authorities include regional and sub-national law enforcement bodies.

Regions as operational actors, not just recipients

The CoR warns that the regulation does not specify how local and regional authorities are to take part in the national and regional partnership plans, breaking with the practice of Cohesion Policy and the partnership principle. Yet these authorities are operational actors and first responders in their own right: they run local policing, emergency and civil protection services, critical infrastructure and the security of public spaces, and they are central to prevention, early detection and operational response. Their role cannot be reduced to that of mere beneficiaries of EU funding. As the level of government closest to communities, they must be fully recognised in the financing framework.

The Committee therefore calls on the Commission to make their involvement in the planning, coordination and implementation of the partnership plans mandatory, and to withhold approval of any national plan that lacks formal coordination with them, in line with the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and multilevel governance. To guard against a de facto re-centralisation of funding, it also urges that a guaranteed minimum share of national allocations be earmarked for these authorities.

The opinion further signals that competitive funding mechanisms penalise smaller or less-resourced authorities, and seeks equitable access through simplified arrangements, technical support and capacity-building. Rather than a one-size-fits-all allocation, it argues, programming should rest on a place-based assessment that reflects differentiated territorial needs, from cross-border regions and the EU's external-border and outermost regions to smaller and rural municipalities.

Security beyond policing

Internal security, the Committee stresses, is not only a matter of law enforcement, but also rests on social cohesion, diversity and trust. Here too, local and regional authorities are key to countering polarisation and extremist narratives. The opinion warns that youth out-migration, skills drain and demographic ageing leave young people more exposed to radicalisation and crime, and that environmental pressures can heighten risks in rural and mountainous areas. In both cases, local and regional projects are part of the response.

Lastly, the Committee asks to be formally involved in evaluating how the funds are implemented, to reinforce democratic accountability and keep the instrument anchored in realities on the ground.

Quote:

Rapporteur Anne Rudisuhli (FR/Renew Europe), Departmental Councillor of Bouches-du-Rhône: "Local and regional authorities are strategic actors in internal security, not merely beneficiaries of European funding. The governance of this instrument must also be multi-level from the programming stage onwards, rather than only at the end of the process: local authorities must be consulted and actively involved in the planning, coordination and operational implementation of the actions supported under this Regulation, and in particular in identifying needs and priorities at territorial level."

Background:

• Video and photos of the CoR plenary session.
• The adopted opinion is part of a series of 20 opinions on which the CoR is working to assess specific aspects and regulations of the future EU long-term budget 2028-34: check the opinions roadmap.
• Read the opinion 'Union support for internal security for the period from 2028 to 2034'.

Contact:

Víctor Moreno Morales de SetiénTel: +32 [email protected]