The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is currently drafting its opinion on the European Commission’s proposal for the AgoraEU Programme.
The rapporteur of the opinion, Mr Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP), Vice-president of the Harghita County Council, warmly invites you to participate in a consultation meeting with stakeholders to exchange views and gather contributions on the key issues addressed in this opinion.
The opinion's timeline is as follows: the first discussion and adoption of the draft opinion is scheduled for the SEDEC meeting on 2 February 2026; and final adoption is expected during the plenary session of 5-6 May 2026.
In this context, the CoR is launching an in-person consultation meeting to collect the views of stakeholders active in culture, media, civil society, democratic participation and fundamental rights, as well as local and regional authorities. Your contributions will help ensure that the CoR's reflection captures territorial realities and the needs of regions and cities across the EU.
Following a short introduction by the rapporteur, participants will be invited to present their perspectives and engage in a discussion on the main priorities of the AgoraEU. The meeting will be held in English.
The consultation is structured around the following six guiding questions:
- Does the merger of Creative Europe and CERV under AgoraEU enhance coherence and efficiency, or does it risk diluting specific policy priorities (culture, media, democracy)?
- How can the CoR ensure that the needs of local and regional authorities are fully reflected in the programme's governance and funding design?
- Will the proposed simplification effectively reduce administrative burdens for small municipalities, grassroots organisations and local operators?
- Should geographic balance mechanisms be strengthened to support participation from rural, remote and less-developed regions?
- How can AgoraEU ensure stable and long-term support for local creative, media and democratic ecosystems?
- Does the proposed structure risk increased centralisation of funding at EU level, and how can territorial ownership be safeguarded?
If your organisation has any position papers relevant to the subject, we kindly invite you to share them in advance by e-mail to: sedec@cor.europa.eu.
Please register your participation no later than Wednesday, 17 December