Local and regional level plays a 'strategic' role in migration, internal security and diplomacy

Draft opinions by the European Committee of the Regions voice concerns about impact of proposed budget reforms.

Opinions on EU funding for migration, asylum, and integration, internal security and Europe's role in global affairs secured approval on 24 March from the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX). All three opinions will now be presented for adoption at the July plenary of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).

Each of the debates emphasised the need for the strategic and practical contribution of the EU's cities and regions to be recognised in planned reforms of the EU budget for 2028-34.

The CIVEX commission also held an initial discussion about the European Democracy Shield, with an eye to adoption at the CoR's plenary session in October.

Meeting documents and a recording of the meeting are available on the event page.

Union Support for Asylum, Migration and Integration Management 2028 - 2034

CIVEX members adopted an opinion on the Union's support for asylum, migration and integration management 2028-2034 after considering a wide range of amendments. The opinion follows the entry into force of the Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2024, which reshaped the Union's asylum and migration policy, and ahead of proposed reforms to the EU's long-term budget that would replace many dedicated thematic funds - including for asylum, migration and integration - with a single European fund, with national plans managed by each of the EU's member states.

The debate featured strong criticism of the proposed reforms, with members underscoring that a common European approach to migration management will continue to require strong local and regional capacity and proper funding. The opinion calls for the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP) to guarantee the structured and meaningful involvement of local and regional authorities in their design, programming, implementation and monitoring.

The European Parliament's rapporteur, Ana Catarina Mendes (PT/S&D), predicted difficult discussions in the Parliament, but emphasised that in her own experience, as a former national minister responsible for migration, the EU must avoid a situation in which local and regional authorities are not given a key role in the management and distribution of funds.

CoR rapporteur Arnoldas Abramavičius (LT/EPP), member of Zarasai District Municipality Council, said: "Migration and asylum are ultimately managed on the ground, in our cities, regions and communities. Local and regional authorities are the ones organising reception, supporting integration, ensuring access to housing, education, healthcare and employment, and responding first when pressures rise. That is why the next NRPPs must not treat migration as a secondary issue inside broad national plans. They must guarantee a clear role for local and regional authorities in planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, and it must provide predictable, adequate, and accessible funding. If Europe wants the Pact to deliver, it has to equip those who implement it locally and regionally with the resources, flexibility, and capacity to turn common objectives into real results for people and communities."

Regulation establishing Global Europe

The CoR's draft opinion on an EU regulation establishing Global Europe - a new funding instrument that would, from 2028, merge instruments used to channel EU funds to neighbouring countries, including Ukraine, and to other countries across the globe - argues that multi-level governance and localisation must be among the guiding principles of the regulation.

The opinion stresses the need for the EU to reinforce its external action in a period of geopolitical turmoil and emphasises that the proposed budget needs to be protected from cuts. The opinion builds on and adds a funding perspective to the CoR's position, adopted in December 2025, on the localisation of the EU's Global Gateway, the EU's main external cooperation and investment strategy. The CoR argues that cities and regions can become strategic actors in EU's external action, through, for example, city-to-city and region-and-region partnerships.

Robert Biedroń (PL/S&D), the European Parliament's co-rapporteur on the regulation, emphasised his conviction that it is critical for the EU - including its regions and cities - to work closely with local and regional leaders around the world, particularly in "fragile environments" where national governments are weak.

Rapporteur Joško Klisović (HR/PES), member of the Assembly of the City of Zagreb, said: "Global Europe is a political choice about the kind of Union we want to be. If we want this instrument to succeed, the EU must treat local and regional authorities as strategic actors: the ones on the first line of migration, climate action and democratic resilience. Our external action must stay firmly rooted in human rights. A credible Global Europe is one that is inclusive, values-driven and grounded in our territories."

The Union Support for Internal Security (2028-2034)

The CoR's draft opinion on 'Union Support for Internal Security (2028-2034)' welcomes the proposed increase in funding, to €34bn for the Internal Security Fund. It warns, however, that centralised governance and vague partnership arrangements risk disconnecting EU priorities from realities on the ground, reducing the impact and legitimacy of the instrument - especially in cross-border and high-risk regions. The opinion argues that the contribution of regions and cities in prevention, early detection, building community trust, and the protection of public spaces must be recognised as being strategic in nature, and not simply a matter of project implementation.

Rapporteur Anne Rudisuhli (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, said: "The challenge to the European Union's support for internal security for the period 2028-2034 is not merely budgetary; it is also institutional. The Commission and the Member States must recognise this: only multilevel governance, involving local and regional authorities, will guarantee the effectiveness of future instrument. Local and regional authorities exercise direct responsibilities in the areas of security, infrastructure protection, and prevention, and they cannot be subsumed into a purely national approach. This leads me, in our opinion, to emphasise the fundamental role we play and to demand full association in the design, implementation, monitoring, and assessment of the impact of the funds that will be allocated."

European Democracy Shield

The European Union's proposals to foster trust, resilience, and preparedness in democratic systems - collectively known as the 'European Democracy Shield' - were the focus of an initial debate with the CoR's rapporteur on the topic, Stephen De Ron (LU/Greens & Progressives), councillor of the municipality of Hesperange.

The European Commission presented the European Democracy Shield initiative in November, setting out measures intended to empower, protect, and strengthen democracy within the EU.

Rapporteur De Ron said: "The European Democracy Shield must confront a hard truth: democracy weakens when institutions fail to deliver on their promises. The real shield is not coordination only in the national level, but the revitalisation of democracy in the places where people actually live: in cities, in regions, in the daily struggles for dignity and representation. Without that, we risk mistaking resilience for the management of decline."

Mr De Ron also spoke on the European Democracy Shield at the 'winter school' of the CoR's Young Elected Politicians programme, which was held in parallel to the CIVEX meeting.