The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted its opinion on the proposed Global Europe Regulation on 10 July 2026, supporting the proposed budget while calling for amendments to systematically involve local and regional authorities (LRAs) in EU external action. The opinion, published as a cover note to the Council, proposes ringfencing parts of geographic pillars to guarantee minimum allocations for all countries and regions, and urges the Commission to develop a new Communication recognising LRAs as partners within Team Europe.
The CoR calls for multi-level governance and localisation to become guiding principles, ensuring coherence between EU Cohesion and external policies. It demands stronger CoR involvement in policy development and implementation, including through engagement frameworks with EU candidate, Mediterranean, and Eastern Partnership countries. The opinion also calls for deeper inter-institutional dialogue on the local dimension of EU external action and city diplomacy, involving the CoR in the Enlargement Forum and outreach to EU Delegations.
On programming, the CoR calls for EU Delegations to conduct territorial and multi-level governance screenings, and for performance-based plans with enlargement countries to include a legally binding 'subsidiarity clause'. It demands systematic involvement of LRAs throughout the programming cycle, adequate financial resources including tailored funding mechanisms under Global Gateway, and initiatives for political and technical exchanges between cities and regions, notably between the EU and candidate countries.
The opinion also calls for reinforced capacity building and technical assistance to help LRAs access EU funding, implement reforms, improve investment climate, deliver on SDGs, and respond to emergencies. It insists on full coherence between the Regulation and EU Interreg programmes, highlighting the strategic role of outermost regions and their neighbours. Finally, the CoR calls for improved monitoring by integrating a 'localisation marker' into existing impact assessment tools.
The opinion, if adopted by the Commission and Council, would give LRAs a stronger institutional role in EU external policy, potentially increasing their access to funding and influence over programming. EU candidate countries would face new subsidiarity requirements. The Commission and EU Delegations would need to adapt programming cycles and conduct territorial screenings, adding administrative burden. EU taxpayers could see more targeted spending but also potential inefficiencies from ringfencing. The Global Gateway initiative would need to develop tailored funding mechanisms for LRAs, affecting project design and implementation timelines.
The opinion will be forwarded to the European Parliament and Council as part of the legislative process on the Global Europe Regulation. The Commission is expected to respond to the CoR's proposals in its revised proposal or during trilogues.