EU and UK parliamentarians highlight need for greater role for sub-national governments

The European Committee of the Regions has welcomed recommendations to strengthen the EU-UK strategic partnership by enhancing the role of local and regional authorities.

The recommendations were made by the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, which met in Brussels on 16-17 March.

Noting that regions and cities "experience the impact of Brexit first-hand", Karl Vanlouwe (BE/European Alliance), member of the Flemish Parliament and chair of the CoR-UK Contact Group, said that the expertise of local and region authorities "is essential to building constructive and meaningful EU-UK cooperation going forward".

Mr Vanlouwe represented the CoR at the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA), which brings together representatives of the UK Parliament and European Parliament. For the first time, the number of observer seats for the CoR was increased from two to three.

The PPA was established by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which has been in operation since 1 January 2021 when the UK ceased to be a member of the EU. The CoR has consistently called for a stronger voice for local and regional authorities in the new EU-UK relationship.

Speaking after the two-day meeting, MEP Sandro Gozi - the European Parliament’s co-chair of the Assembly - said that "we have attached the greatest importance to re-start also the cooperation between local authorities and regional authorities".

The PPA's recommendations encourage "dialogue between sub-state authorities in the EU and UK on issues of common interest", call on the EU and the UK to "engage closely with sub-state authorities where they are affected by developments in the EU-UK relationship", and support the idea of a "specialised committee" to integrate sub-state perspectives into governance of the TCA.

In advance of the PPA, the CoR-UK Contact Group met on 16 March, with an agenda that considered the state of play in EU-UK relations and bringing the local and regional dimension to the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.

Quote:

Karl Vanlouwe (BE/European Alliance), member of the Flemish Parliament and chair of the CoR-UK Contact Group: " I warmly welcome today’s recognition of the role of local and regional authorities in the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Regions and cities experience the impact of Brexit first-hand, and their expertise is essential to building constructive and meaningful EU-UK cooperation going forward. The local and regional dimension is reflected across a range of practical areas, including transport connectivity, research and innovation, culture and education, tourism, environmental management, health and emergency cooperation, migration, and access to funding, to name but a few. It is important that local, regional and devolved governments have a clear role and engagement across the EU and UK."

More information:

• CoR-UK Contact Group: Webpage of the CoR-UK Contact Group. The Contact Group met in Brussels on 16 March 2026. For a recording of the debates, please visit the event page.
• EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA): The 7th EU-UK PPA was held on 16-17 March in the European Parliament in Brussels. The European Parliament's webpage includes the agenda, formal recommendations, a joint statement by the EU-UK PPA Co-Chairs, and recordings of proceedings and the press point.
• CoR as an observer at the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly: The three members of the CoR who attended the 7th UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly as observers are: Karl Vanlouwe (BE/European Alliance), member of the Flemish Parliament and chair of the CoR-UK Contact Group; Jimmy McClearn (IE/EPP) of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly; and Fauzaya Talhaoui (BE/PES), president of the Council of the Province of Antwerp.