EU regional and local leaders adopt Mullingar Declaration at Committee of Regions meeting
Today leading politicians from across the EU met in the Mullingar Park Hotel to discuss strengthening communities. The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) Bureau discussed ‘Thriving and sustainable communities – building a Europe that works for all territories’.
This meeting of the CoR’s External Bureau concluded with the adoption of the Mullingar Declaration – ‘A Future worth staying for’.
The event is part of the official programme of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is hosted by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly.
The Mullingar meeting brought together senior European and regional leaders, including Kata Tüttő, Budapest councillor and president of the CoR, Gillian Coughlan, chair of the Irish Delegation to the CoR, and Juanma Moreno, president of Andalucia (Spain) and first vice-president of the CoR.
The keynote address was given by the Minister of State for Community Development, Charities and Rural Transport, Jerry Buttimer, TD, representing the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
He said: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to meet this important representative body, which is closest to our 450 million citizens across the EU. As minister for state with responsibility for community development, charities and rural transport, I am familiar with the opportunities and challenges experienced by communities right across Ireland and beyond.
“Today’s event is an opportunity to come together and reflect on how we can empower our regions to deliver on the theme of ‘thriving and sustainable communities’.”
Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, John Cummins, TD said: “We are delighted to welcome the CoR to the heartlands of Ireland for this important meeting to discussion pressing issues facing all member states. This committee gives local government is vital and direct voice in EU laws ensuring they fit needs in towns and cities.”
Ms Tüttő explained: “The right to stay is about giving people a real choice about where and how they build their futures. From Mullingar, we are making a simple point: Europe’s future depends on strong regions and communities where people can thrive.
“A future worth staying for requires investment in jobs, housing, connectivity, services and opportunities, in particular through a strong EU cohesion policy in 2028-2034, and it requires local and regional authorities to have a decisive role in shaping those investments.”
Cllr Gillian Coughlan, chair of the Irish Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, said: “Hosting the Bureau of the CoR in Mullingar during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU is an opportunity to showcase the importance of local and regional government in shaping Europe’s future. Through the work of the CoR and the adoption of the Mullingar Declaration, we are reinforcing a simple but powerful message: every region must offer its citizens the opportunity to live, work, prosper and build a future in the place they call home.”
Challenges
The CoR’s discussions focused on two key challenges facing Europe’s territories:
‘Transitioning for stronger and more innovative regions’ will explore how regions can strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and economic resilience, drawing on perspectives from leading experts in cohesion policy, research, and enterprise development.
The right to stay: opportunity, services and quality of life across Europe’s territories’ will examine how regions can create conditions that allow people, particularly young people, to remain and thrive in their communities.
Speakers include representatives from Eurofound, SGI Europe, Housing Europe, the European Commission, and the European Youth Forum.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Mullingar Declaration – ‘A Future worth staying for’, focusing on a strong place-based European strategy that empowers local and regional authorities, strengthens cohesion policy, improves access to jobs, housing and services, supports climate resilience and innovation.
It ensures that people across all territories have a genuine opportunity to thrive in the communities they choose to call home.
The CoR is the European Union advisory body representing the voice of local and regional authorities of all 27 members states. The bureau is its political driving force. It establishes and monitors the implementation of CoR’s political priorities, coordinates the work of the plenary assembly and commissions.
Yesterday delegates visited Belvedere House, Gardens and Park, which recently received support from the EU Just Transition fund, and enjoyed a cultural programme showcasing local talent.
This afternoon, the Conference of Presidents (CoP) will meet Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, John Cummins, TD in the Custom House in Dublin. This group consists of the president, the first vice-president and the presidents of all political groups.
The CoP prepare the work and facilitates the search for political consensus on decisions to be taken by the other constitutive bodies (the Plenary Assembly, the Bureau, and the commissions) of the Committee of the Regions.