The Diplomat
European regions and cities have called for a greater say in how national recovery plans adopted by the European Union are implemented, according to the conclusions of a forum organised by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in conjunction with the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council.
“The resources of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism are starting to reach the member states. It is our joint duty to put every taxpayer euro invested in recovery to work,” said CoR President Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
The leader of the EU’s umbrella body of cities and regions believes that there needs to be a “real agreement” between European, national, regional and local actors, despite the fact that the current regulatory framework is not clear enough on the involvement of the latter, reports Europa Press.
“The best results will come from inclusive cooperation. The crisis has taught us how to cooperate in difficult times at local, regional and international level,” added Slovenia’s finance minister, Andrej Sircelj.
European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni explained that regional and local authorities “will be key” to making national recovery plans a reality. He said the Commission “will continue to encourage member states to involve them effectively”.
