The recent developments in #Serbia, following local elections in March, are an assault on the very foundations of democracy. We support the European Commission in cutting EU funds. Pre-accession money is a tool for progress, it cannot be used to fund governments that undermine the rule of law.

This week we are in Rabat, Morocco 🌍 to contribute once again to the RenewPAC Summit organised by @reneweurope.bsky.social. Today we hosted the RenewPAC Mayors Summit 2026, bringing together European & African subnational leaders to discuss urban security & smart, sustainable cities.

🚨 LAST CALL! Today is the final day to apply for the Cicero Traineeships at the European Committee of the Regions. Want to promote liberal-democrat values & shape EU policy from the ground up? Apply & choose "Renew Europe" as the preferred unit 👇 bit.ly/4sGBqFn #EUJobs #EUtraineeships

The YEP Winter School 2026 has officially concluded at the European Committee of the Regions. Our Young Elected Politicians spent 3 days diving deep into what it means to be a citizen engagement expert. 📢 YOU could be next! Applications are OPEN for the next cohort, until 17 April: bit.ly/4bL3lgk

Yesterday, subnational leaders visited the European Defence Agency and met at the European Committee of the Regions for the Working Group on #Defence. 🔑 message: European SMEs are stuck in slow funding processes & too much paperwork. Our defence is too slow and we need to modernize now.

On International Day of Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we reaffirm our commitment to ending #racism in the EU. ✊🏿✊🏽✊🏻 Pär Löfstrand will lead cities’ and regions’ work on this as Renew Europe Rapporteur within the European Committee of the Regions on the EU Anti-Racism Strategy. #FightRacism

Save the date for #EuroPCom 2026 ⤵️ We will bring together public communication professionals, practitioners, and experts to explore how communication can strengthen connection, participation, and democratic resilience. 📅 Dates: 9-10 June 2026 📍 Brussels & online Learn more here: bit.ly/479l93f

Building on our partnership with @fnfreiheit.bsky.social Western Balkans, Sofia City Councillor, Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin, is participating in the #LOCWEB2026 conference in Bjelašnica. By strengthening local democracy we are making EU accession a reality. #WesternBalkans #EUenlargement

Int. Women’s Day is often about promises, but we’re showing the real actions & results. ✅ 50% of our Presidency, Bureau, and Coordinators are women. ✅ 50% of our COR Opinions are led by female rapporteurs. We're bringing real change to Europe’s cities & regions. Leadership has no gender. #IWD2026

Our COR Opinions adopted this week: ➡️EU’s Strategic approach to the Black Sea by Blagomir Kotsev ➡️Enlargement package 2025 – Western Balkans & Türkiye by Gillian Coughlan ➡️European Grids Package by Clare Colleran Molloy ➡️EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy by Jozef Viskupič More info: bit.ly/4rYeLUW

Cities and regions are where European politics meets everyday life. 🎙️ In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Ricardo Silvestre welcomes Sean O'Curneen Cañas, Secretary-General of Renew Europe at the European Committee of the Regions. 🎧 Tune in: bit.ly/4luuM2B

At our Group Meeting, we welcomed Hungarian Mayor Péter Márki-Zay to discuss the rule of law & protection of democracy. "Illiberal democracy is a populist state. And this system is spreading in the world" We stand in full solidarity with all those fighting for European values across the continent.

When a flood hits your streets, emergency protocols kick in, rescue teams are deployed, and critical infrastructure is monitored every second. In Bitburg, Germany we visited the Disaster Relief Center to witness the lessons learned from the floods of July 2021 and prevent future #floods in the EU.

In Cyprus, Mayor of Saint-Omer, Francois Decoster, mobilises EU local councillors to celebrate #EuropeDay. We believe that a strong, sovereign & independent Europe is the only solution to protect our citizens & our way of life. Let's turn May 9th into a powerful movement for unity and pride.

The latest episode of Letter from Brussels is out! Join us on a journey to Oulu in the Finnish Arctic, and to Molenbeek in Brussels to discover the transformative power of European Capital of Culture. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: bit.ly/3LVxeSa #ECOC #EuropeanCapitalOfCulture #podcast

The #EU is being tested like never before. For liberals & democrats, the answer is clear: We must not only protect #Europe; we must shape it to be strong and independent. This May 9th, we call on subnational leaders to turn #EuropeDay into a powerful movement for unity, pride, and hope.

La conseillère départementale Anne Rudisuhli, membre du comité européen des régions, va présenter un rapport au sein de l'instance visant à mieux intégrer les perspectives locales et régionales au cœur de la mise en œuvre de la stratégie européenne de sécurité intérieure ⬇️ bit.ly/4oK1bls

Blagomir Kotsev is finally free. We welcome yesterday’s decision of the #Varna Court to release our colleague, Bulgarian Mayor Blagomir #Kotsev, on bail. Our Group stands firmly with Blagomir. We will always fight for democracy, the rule of law and against the politicisation of justice.

The Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions acknowledges the conclusions of #COP30. Specifically, the achievement for #LRAs: the #EU has officially endorsed the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (#CHAMP) for Climate Action. Our full statement: bit.ly/4ogJDNJ

📣 European Democratic Mayors speak up on the #EUbudget! At the @europeandemocrats.bsky.social Congress in Bilbao, we called for legal guarantees so local & regional authorities have a real say in managing #EUfunds in the next #MFF. Download the statement: bit.ly/48v73dn

Local/regional politician in the EU? Part of ALDE, EDP, or the wider Renew Europe family? Join the EU Councillors Network! ✅Invitations to CoR plenary sessions & political events ✅Visibility for your city/region at EU level 3,000+ politicians are already part of it. Apply anytime: bit.ly/43AKyRA

At the Liberal Mayors Summit, held during the @aldeparty.bsky.social Congress, liberal mayors from across Europe adopted a Declaration on the future of EU #Cohesion Policy — reaffirming the essential role of citizens and subnational authorities in shaping the next #MFF ⬇️ bit.ly/48J2kWd

Far too many employees in Belgian border region work elsewhere as businesses struggle to find staff, says Olivier de Wasseige, a member of the Parliament of #Wallonia ⬇️ bit.ly/4huzUkV

"Préoccupation pour centralisation. Régions doivent gérer fonds" - C'est ce qu'a déclaré François-Xavier Priollaud, vice-président de la région #Normandie, lors d'une interview à Bruxelles en marge de la session plénière du Comité européen des régions ⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvcN...

“When democracy is attacked in one Member State, it is weakened throughout Europe” says the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir #Kotsev, who has been unjustly arrested in Bulgaria, in a letter read by a municipal councilor from #Varna, Sofia Koleva, during our Group Meeting this week: bit.ly/47bjLMN

"This is a great opportunity to meet politicians from different cities & municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region" says Andres Jaadla, who represented our Group at the Network of Local Politicians of the Western Balkans event ⬇️ #EUenlargement bit.ly/473iWql

"The Commission should more fully acknowledge the contribution of regional innovation ecosystems in bringing together partners & stakeholders and in combining available funds to foster startups and scaleups" says Jozef Viskupič, President of the autonomous region of Trnava, Slovakia. bit.ly/4mHJDW0

"In Europe, we are facing a changing reality and public trust in democratic institutions is being tested. In this context, there is no doubt that local and regional authorities play a central role." says Mayor of Lemvig (Denmark) Erik Flyvholm, who hosted the CoR Bureau recently. bit.ly/3Kr9Xqc

🎙️ The Letter from Brussels podcast is back — new format, new voices! Ep1: The Art of Deterrence → from Liepāja, Latvia, where local leaders are boosting Europe’s defence capabilities. Listen now on YouTube or your favourite #podcast app! bit.ly/4nrItzh

"Europe must act boldly together to provide tailored support for the automotive industry's transformation and achieve new levels of competitiveness together" declares Bavaria's State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Tobias Gotthardt, at the Automotive Regions Alliance meeting. bit.ly/46K0uTw

Registrations are open for #EURegionsWeek 2025! 📆Brussels, Belgium: 13-15 October 2025 This is an essential event to shape the future of #CohesionPolicy. Check out the programme with +200 events, including the annual State of the Regions report presented by CoR President Kata Tüttő. bit.ly/3Ve0Ueq

At a time of growing unrest, #Europe must rise to today’s challenges to protect its citizens. And Europe’s strength lies in its regions and cities. Following today’s #SOTEU address by @ec.europa.eu President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu, our Group President François Decoster declares ⬇️

By proposing to merge all shared management funds into a single national plan per Member State and eliminating regional programmes, the new #MFF proposal is a threat to the EU’s foundations and future. Read the letter written by our President, François Decoster: reneweurope-cor.eu/mffproposal/

In this article by Ellen van Selm, Mayor of Purmerend & Ailbhe (Alva) Finn, ELF Executive Director, they argue that Europe must move from a politics of scarcity to a politics of abundance. EU cohesion policy simplify funding, empower local actors, and invest in the capacity to build. bit.ly/47iZtm9

Hoe zorgen we nu en in de toekomst.m voor schoon drinkwater? Met Kata Tüttö gesproken over Europese inzet vanuit het EU Comité van Steden en Regio’s. Europees samenwerken voor waterveiligheid is cruciaal! 🇪🇺

📢 We’re hiring! ALDE Party is looking for a Communication Assistant to join our Brussels-based Secretariat. 🇪🇺 If you have a passion for European politics, strong communication skills and want to share the liberal vision across Europe, this is for you! Apply by 14 September: bit.ly/4273y9x

The Renew Europe group in the EU’s assembly of regions and municipalities, the European Committee of the Regions, has been deeply alarmed by the recent arrest of its Bulgarian member, the Mayor of #Varna, Blagomir Kotsev. 🗎 Read our full statement: reneweurope-cor.eu/statementvar...

Learning from each other to prepare citizens for future natural disasters. Renew Europe MEP Joachim Streit 🇩🇪 meets Walloon Parliament President Willy Borsus 🇧🇪 and Tiit Terik 🇪🇪, former Dep. Mayor of Tallinn for Crisis Management. 3️⃣ areas of the EU facing #climate vulnerabilities of different types.

🕯️ 30 years ago in Srebrenica, over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by the Bosnian Serb army. As war returns to Europe and hate resurfaces, remembrance must be a call to action to defend peace and democracy. 🔗Full statement : bit.ly/4ksOOZ7

🎙️ Euronews | Bruxelles, je t’aime ? – avec François Decoster Dans cette édition, notre président de groupe discute : 🔹Les tarifs douaniers punitifs de Donald Trump 🔹L’interdiction de la gay pride en Hongrie 🔹Les vagues de chaleur en Europe Regardez le nouvel épisode : fr.euronews.com/embed/2813341

Cross-border cooperation lifts the obstacles that complicate the lives of border citizens and transforms #borders into opportunities - says our President François Decoster at the @reneweurope.bsky.social event with MEPs @sandrogozi.bsky.social & @lubicakarvasova.bsky.social #CrossBorderCooperation

This weekend’s Pride Parade in Budapest may have been banned on paper, but it was unstoppable in spirit. Liberal and democrat subnational leaders were proud to walk alongside those who will not be silenced 👇 reneweurope-cor.eu/budapestpride/ #BudapestPride #RenewEurope #LGBTQIrights

The liberal, democrat and centrist political family gathered at the @reneweurope.bsky.social #LeadersSummit2025 to align on a united vision for #Europe. Representing subnational governments, Reg. Minister of Overijssel (NL) Erwin Hoogland brought the voice of local & regional leaders to the table.

In Lille, subnational leaders met to share local success stories, boost EU-level impact, and strengthen ties with our wider Renew family. Thank you to our guest speakers MEP Dan Barna and MEP Sandro Gozi. Europe starts in our #cities and #regions. 🔗 reneweurope-cor.eu/lille2025/

Jean-Luc Vanraes, on behalf of the municipality of #Uccle (Belgium) starts a partnership with the Ukrainian city of #Bucha as part of #Tips4Ukraine - a #COR program, which aims to strengthen the capacities of Ukrainian local administrations in governance and public services. 📰 bit.ly/4kaBWXp

“#Mayors became symbols of unity, building trust through shared purpose and peace from the ground up.” - says local leader of #Cork County Gillian Coughlan, as the new Chair of the #COR Working Group on #Kosovo 👇 bit.ly/3TtDh0n

At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, climate urgency, and social transformation, liberals & democrats are reaffirming their commitment to building a more prosperous, secure, democratic, and inclusive #Europe. 🔗 Download our political priorities for the new 2025–2030 #COR mandate: bit.ly/465hLGG

At the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice #UNOC3, Mirja Vehkaperä met with EU Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis. ✅ He supported the idea of including local leaders in the high-level board that will support the Commission in ensuring the effective implementation of the #EUOceanPact.

The Summit of Young Elected Local and Regional Leaders is back! The next edition of the two-day event, co-organised with @lymec.bsky.social & YDE will be on 24–25 September 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. 🏡 2025 theme: “Housing: Bridging Perspectives“ 📆 Register by 20 June: reneweurope-cor.eu/yell2025/

Mayor of St Omer (France), Francois Decoster, met with the Dep. Heads of the European Commission Representatives in the 27 Member States to discuss the EU Local Councillors Network that he helped launch at the European Committee of the Regions. 🔗 Discover more & join the community: bit.ly/45O7lLs