Opinions on internal security and international partnerships advance

Members of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) on 1 October adopted recommendations on the European Union's internal-security strategy and on the Global Gateway initiative that now guides the EU's development cooperation.

In both cases, members of the policy commission pressed for greater collaboration with local and regional authorities, regretting the lack of a formal role for local and regional governments in the internal-security strategy ProtectEU.

More information: agenda, photos, and recording.

ProtectEU - European Internal Security Strategy

The success of the ProtectEU strategy, presented by the European Commission in April, hinges on good cooperation with local and regional authorities, CIVEX members stressed when adopting a preliminary set of recommendations for consideration by the European Commission, the Parliament and by the Council of the European Union. They underscored that the strategy fails to recognise adequately that local and regional authorities are "on the frontline of prevention, detection and resilience in the event of security crises".

The ProtectEU strategy aims to strengthen the EU’s resilience against emerging security threats through a 'whole-of-society' approach to internal security, an approach that mainstreams internal security and also has a bearing on social, educational, digital, economic, environmental and cultural policies.

The governance of the ProtectEU strategy put forward by the European Commission does not envisage any formal mechanisms for involving local and regional authorities or provide – in the view of the CIVEX commission – "appropriate arrangements for access to analytic, funding, coordination or training tools".

Rapporteur Anne Rudisuhli (FR/Renew Europe), member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, said: "Local and regional authorities are the first to detect cyberattacks, respond to violence, support families facing radicalisation, and protect young people from trafficking. This report underscores that Europe’s security must be built with its territories, by providing them with the necessary resources, expertise, and recognition to act effectively on behalf of citizens. Our message is clear: Without the territories, ProtectEU has no meaning. With them, it can become a concrete, effective tool that stays true to the democratic values of the Union."

The opinion is scheduled for adoption at the CoR's plenary session in December. During the same session, the CoR will also consider an opinion on the EU's Preparedness Union Strategy, which focuses on crisis management in both the civilian and military sectors.

Localisation of the Global Gateway initiative

CIVEX adopted a draft opinion on the role of local and regional authorities in the Global Gateway, an EU initiative launched in 2021 that seeks to connect the Union's development cooperation policies and its investment policies and to reinforce the infrastructure and the democratic fabric of countries outside the EU.

The opinion argues that local and regional authorities' competencies and democratic legitimacy are critical to the success of Global Gateway.To fulfill their potential, they need to be fully integrated in Global Gateway governance both at EU level and in partner countries, and be involved in the implementation of projects in their areas. The opinion underlines the contribution of decentralised cooperation in this respect and calls for a dedicated budget line in the next Multiannual Financial Framework to support city-to-city and regions-to-regions partnerships.

The Global Gateway on investments in digital connectivity, renewable energy, transport, health and education, in order to build resilience, diversification and stable supply chains while promoting the EU's fundamental values. It is also presented by the European Commission as a reflection of the EU's ambition create a comprehensive, integrated development approach, combining hard infrastructure with governance support, institutional strengthening and inclusive territorial development.

Rapporteur Jaume Duch Guillot (ES/PES), Catalonia's minister for European Union and foreign action, said: "The European Union’s geopolitical role must go beyond economic interests and infrastructure. It should be grounded in solidarity, inclusive development, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. In this effort, regional and local governments are indispensable. They bring proximity to citizens, legitimacy, and institutional capacity, enabling the EU to project its unique model of multi-level governance and cohesion globally, while ensuring that the Global Gateway delivers credibility, ownership, and lasting impact.”

MEP Hildegard Bentele (DE/EPP) said that local and regional governments play an "indispensable" role in translating "high-level strategies into tangible results on the ground".

The opinion will be sent for adoption at the December plenary session of the CoR.  At the same time, the European Commission and the CoR will host Forum 2025 - Cities and Regions for International Partnerships, an event that will on 8-10 December bring together regions and cities from the EU, Africa, Asia and Latin America to develop city-to-city and region-to-region partnerships and to share their experience of using peer partnerships to develop projects and administrative capacity

European Union’s strategic approach to the Black Sea region

In an initial exchange about the EU's review of its strategy in the Black Sea , members of CIVEX emphasised that each of the three 'pillars' of the strategy – security, stability and resilience; sustainable growth and prosperity; environmental protection, climate change resilience, preparedness and civil protection – has implications for local and regional actors. They argued that the success of this strategy will therefore rest heavily on municipalities, regional governments, and coastal communities as they seek to implementation measures ranging from de-mining, infrastructure construction, and the environmental protection.

The Black Sea region, which includes Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, as well as five non-EU countries, was described in the meeting as: a vital crossroads; a bridge between Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the eastern Mediterranean; a "trafficking border"; a region with strategic importance for trade, energy, connectivity, security, environmental protection, and the global rules-based order; and a "strategic heartland" that "must become a sea of peace, freedom, and opportunity".

The EU's strategic review of its approach to the Black Sea, launched in May 2025, comes as part of a package of EU policy initiatives tailored to the broader geopolitical dynamics shaped by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, with a greater focus on awareness, preparedness, resilience, security, and defence.

The CoR rapporteur is Blagomir Kotsev (BG/Renew Europe), mayor of Varna. He is currently in detention in Bulgaria facing charges that he rejects. The opinion, is due to be sent to the CoR's plenary in March 2026. 

Other items:

The meeting also included a debate on cities' and regions' contribution to the EU simplification agenda and an exchange of views with the European Commission on the EU Civil Society Strategy.

• In September, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union asked the CoR to consider how local and regional authorities can contribute to the simplification agenda in the EU. Addressing CIVEX, Jonathan Bugge Harder, Director for EU Coordination in the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said that "the Danish experience is that it's invaluable to have all levels of government  to identify ways in which we can make regulation simpler and more effective, without compromising our political ambitions. This very much includes the regional and local levels, because this is where the rubber meets the road". Magdalena Czarzynska-Jachim (PL/EA) was appointed rapporteur for this opinion, to be adopted in the CoR plenary in December 2025.
• The EU Civil Society Strategy, due to be presented by the European Commission in November, is a strategy to engage with and protect and support civil-society organisations and human-rights defenders in the EU, the representative of the European Commission said. The strategy, which will build on previous recommendations, is likely – among other things – to encourage Member States to have regular dialogues with civil-society actors, and to improving data-gathering and monitoring.