The regions and the future EU budget
Regions and cities warn that centralization risks weakening Europe’s competitiveness and cohesion
Eugen Cojocariu and Radio România Internațional, 14.10.2026, 19:10
“Regions and cities are the engine of our capacity to compete and prepare for the future” considers Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), in her State of the Regions and Cities address in Brussels. Local and regional leaders warned that the Union’s next long-term budget risks concentrating decisions at national governments’ level and opportunities in the strongest areas, deepening territorial disparities and weakening Europe’s ability to mobilize the economic potential of all its regions.
During the opening session of the 2026 European Week of Regions and Cities, Kata Tüttő spoke in the presence of António Costa, European Council President, European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, and hundreds of local and regional leaders from across the Union.
The EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities, published by the CoR, paints a worrying picture of the current and future challenges that Europe’s territories are facing: one in two regions has experienced an increase in poverty and social exclusion, while more than half of regions have seen labor-market conditions deteriorate. Declining production and high energy costs are weakening regional competitiveness, and European territories are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters and affected unevenly by them: wildfires have risen by 57% over the past four years, and the annual cost of drought is estimated at €9 billion. Demographic change is also deepening territorial inequalities across the EU: nearly three-quarters of regions, particularly rural areas, are expected to lose population by 2050, while most urban areas face mounting pressure on housing and infrastructure.
More journalists, RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu included, discussed with Ms. Kata Tüttő within the framework of the 2026 European Week of Regions and Cities.
Our colleague Eugen Cojocariu also had the opportunity to discuss with Vasco Alves Cordeiro, the former President of the 2026 European Week of Regions and Cities.
