EU Covenant Board meets with EU policymakers to discuss resilience, energy justice and a democratic EU budget

On 15 October, the day before the big annual EU Covenant of Mayors Ceremony, the in-person meeting of the extended EU Covenant of Mayors Board took place. The Week of Regions and Cities and EU Covenant Ceremony presented a good opportunity to organise meetings between our mayors and regional leaders with key EU policymakers on climate, energy and EU funding. 

First, members of the EU Covenant of Mayors Board and national Covenant Ambassadors from the European Committee of the Regions met with Jan Dusík, Deputy Director-General of DG CLIMA, and Rosalinde Van der Vlies, Director at DG ENER, to discuss how the European Union can better support local resilience and energy poverty and efficiency in the face of accelerating climate impacts. 

Later, the Board met with Members of the European Parliament (from the Committee on Regional Development) to discuss the future of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the risks posed by its proposed centralisation, both for cities and for European democracy itself. 

Building Local Resilience in a Warming Europe 

With Europe warming faster than any other continent, the discussions on resilience and risk management focused on the urgent need to make resilience by design a guiding principle for all EU policies and investments. 

Jan Dusík presented the Commission’s forthcoming framework for resilience and risk management, to be unveiled in 2026. The framework aims to integrate adaptation and risk reduction into all sectors, shifting from post-disaster response to proactive preparation. 

Mayors including Åsa Lindhagen (Stockholm), Eckart Würzner (Heidelberg), Noel Formosa (San Lawrenz) and Dovydas Kaminskas (Tauragė) stressed that building resilience must be a shared European mission, with clear targets, direct access to funding, and nature-based solutions as a central approach. 

Local leaders also underlined that cities need simpler funding channels, stronger technical assistance, and a voice in EU decision-making. They highlighted that resilience is not only an environmental imperative, but also a matter of economic competitiveness, security and social justice. 

Tackling Energy Poverty and Advancing Energy Justice 

In the discussion with DG ENER, Rosalinde Van der Vlies outlined the upcoming Citizen Energy Package, which aims to deliver tangible results on the ground and empower citizens in the energy transition. 

Chair of Barcelona Province, Marc Serra Solé shared an example of how they are promoting energy communities, cooperatives, and affordable renovation schemes to help lift families out of energy poverty and give citizens ownership of the transition.  

Mayors called for further simplification of funding procedures, support for local capacity-building, and inclusion of cities as direct beneficiaries of EU energy programmes. 

The Future of the EU Budget: A Question of Democracy 

The EU Covenant of Mayors Board later met with MEPs from the REGI Committee of the European Parliament to discuss the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). 

Both mayors and MEPs expressed deep concern that the new proposal could recentralise cohesion policy, reducing the role of local and regional authorities and weakening multi-level governance — the foundation of European democracy. 

Emil Boc (Cluj-Napoca), Åsa Lindhagen, and Eckart Würzner warned that the disappearance of direct links between EU institutions and local governments would threaten cohesion, climate progress, and citizens’ trust in the Union. 

MEPs, including Marcos Ros Sempere, echoed these concerns, noting that cohesion policy and the single market are two sides of the same coin — essential for Europe’s unity and fairness. They called for a renewed commitment to partnership principles, separate budget lines for cohesion and agriculture, and guaranteed resources for local and regional innovation. 

Following this meeting, Board members then joined the European Parliament's Urban Forum for a public debate around the MFF with MEPs and city representatives. 

A Policy Agenda for Cities for Europe’s Future 

At the Forum, speakers from both EU institutions and local governments again voiced strong concerns over the European Commission’s proposed MFF, warning it risks sidelining cities and regions in shaping Europe’s future.  

Opening the debate, MEP Marcos Ros Sempere called for a true European agenda for cities, arguing that “Europe must be built from the bottom up” and that without an adequately funded urban dimension, the Union cannot tackle housing, inequality, or digital transformation.  

Hugo Sobral from DG REGIO defended the Commission’s efforts to simplify and modernise the EU budget and cohesion policy in a time of growing uncertainty and crisis. He did neverthelss highlight that “the 21st century is the century of cities” and “cohesion was the backbone of the transofrmation in cities”, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to ensure cities remain “agents of European integration” via their upcoming Policy Agenda for Cities (expected in December).  

However, several speakers, including former Minister of Brussels Capital Region, Pascal Smet, warned that the proposed shift toward national control under the prospective Regional and National Partnership Plans represents “a Europe of Nations”, not one of regions and cities. In his opinion, this would lead to “less Europe” in a time when “we need more Europe”, undermining the spirit of cohesion and democratic participation. 

Local leaders from across Europe, including the mayors of Velenje (Slovenia), Heidelberg (Germany), Bologna (Italy), and the president of the Karlsruhe region (Germany), spoke powerfully about the risks of disconnecting EU policy from urban realities.  

Peter Dermol, the Mayor of Velenje and EU Covenant of Mayors Board Member, emphasised the social cost of the green transition in former coal cities like his. He highlighted the importance of ongoing EU support to the just transition, ensuring that there is an alternative to the thousands of jobs lost following the closing of the mines. 

“Europe made a promise that no one will be left behind – we must do it this way”, he insisted. He warned that “if we don’t succeed, people – the miners – will not believe in the process [of the green transition]," which would end up hurting Europe by fueling backlash and euroscepticism.  

The mayor of Heidelberg and EU Covenant of Mayors Board Member, Eckhart Würzner ended the event on a strong note, formulating his hopes for the Commission’s upcoming Policy Agenda for Cities, insisting it should outline “the future of Europe; it’s a vision for Europe”, because essentially, “a vision without local and regional authorities is not a vision for Europe”.