A message from the PES Group President
Adopt a resolution in your local or regional council before 17 December
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Dear colleagues,
The negotiations on the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are entering a decisive phase. The choices made in the coming weeks will determine whether the EU continues to invest in its regions, cities and people, or weakens the policies that hold our communities together.
We cannot leave this debate to Brussels alone. We need to make our voices heard where it matters most: in our territories and national political debates.
A common progressive position
The PES Presidency has recently adopted a resolution setting out our political family's priorities for the next EU budget. Our group contributed substantially to it, defending an ambitious EU budget, strong cohesion policy, social investment and respect for the partnership principle and subsidiarity.
We have also been actively shaping the debate through our common position adopted in Las Palmas, our work on CoR opinions and the MFF Steering Board. You can find the latest MFF briefing prepared by the PES Group Secretariat here ⤵️
2026 10 12 PES MFF Briefing - EN.pdf
PDF 198 KB
Several recent PES Group-led initiatives have further strengthened our message:
- The Declaration of Athens: A Budget for Democracy, linking EU investment to the strength of our democracies ➡️ Sign the declaration at takeastand.eu
- The letter from CoR President Kata Tüttő and 21 European capital mayors, highlighting why cohesion policy matters to all cities and regions, not just those facing the greatest economic challenges ➡️ Read more
- The joint declaration by progressive presidents of Italian regions, demonstrating a united regional front against cuts to the EU budget and in defence of cohesion ➡️ Read more
Bring the MFF debate to your council
This debate must move beyond Brussels. As local and regional elected representatives, you have a direct connection to the communities that stand to lose most if the territorial dimension of the EU budget is weakened.
I also encourage you to raise the issue within your national political family, with party leadership and fellow elected representatives, to ensure that the interests of our cities and regions are heard by national decision-makers.
This initiative was inspired by our comrades Antonio Mazzeo, Vice-President of the Tuscany Regional Council, and Christophe Rouillon, Mayor of Coulaines and councillor of the Sarthe Département, who took the lead in bringing the issue to their regional and provincial assemblies. We want to see this mobilisation spread across Europe.
I encourage each of you to propose and adopt a resolution in your local, regional or provincial council defending an ambitious EU budget and a strong cohesion policy.
To help you, the PES Group Secretariat has prepared an English-language template resolution, which you can adapt to your own context ⤵️
Template Resolution MFF-Cohesion.pdf
PDF 81 KB
Timing is crucial. The European Council on 17 December will be an important moment in the MFF negotiations. We therefore encourage you to table your resolution as soon as possible
Thank you for your commitment. For the template or support in taking this initiative forward, please contact the PES Group Secretariat.
Thank you for your commitment.
With best regards,
Luca Menesini
President of the PES Group
European Committee of the Regions