Topical Information

On 10 and 11 December, the 169th Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) was held in Brussels. At a time when the European Union is simultaneously facing geopolitical upheavals, economic transformations and social fractures, Europe’s regions and cities are increasingly asserting their role as an essential factor without which EU policies remain incomplete.

The Bulgarian delegation was represented by Tanya Hristova – Mayor of Gabrovo, Zlatko Zhivkov – Mayor of Montana, Vladimir Moskov – Mayor of Gotse Delchev, Rumen Guninski – Mayor of Pravets, Pavel Gudjerov – Mayor of Rakovski, Dobrin Dobrev – Mayor of Razgrad, Lyudmil Veselinov – Mayor of Popovo, and Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin – Municipal Councillor in the Sofia Municipal Council.

Energy Resilience

Local and regional leaders welcomed the European Commission’s intensified efforts to tackle energy poverty, strengthen energy resilience and provide clean energy to EU citizens and businesses. A major concern raised was the lack of measures targeting cities and regions in the EC’s Affordable Energy Action Plan.

Energy production and consumption account for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, making decarbonisation of the energy system essential for achieving the Union’s climate goals. At the same time, high energy costs currently affect more than 47 million Europeans. CoR members therefore insist that the energy transition must be economically efficient, technologically neutral and socially fair.

Health Security

The Critical Medicines Act (CMA) was among the central topics of debate. In response to the growing shortage of medicines, there is a rising need to strengthen Europe’s pharmaceutical security. In its opinion, the CoR calls for health security to become part of the EU’s new security paradigm and for regions to have an official role in implementing the new rules.

Medicine shortages in Europe have risen sharply over the last decade, putting patients at risk and straining healthcare systems. The CoR warns that Europe’s heavy dependence on third countries – especially for antibiotics and key ingredients – has become a strategic vulnerability amid increasing geopolitical tensions.

Global Partnerships Start Locally

The CoR urges the EU to reinforce the role of local and regional authorities in its Global Gateway investment strategy to ensure that international partnerships reach their full potential and that EU investments are sustainable, aligned with local needs and supportive of democratic governance.

The opinion stresses that involving partner-country regions and cities from the very beginning in designing, implementing and monitoring investments will be crucial for the strategy’s success. Delegates added housing to the list of priority investment sectors, which currently includes transport, healthcare, education, energy, climate and digitalisation.

ProtectEU Strategy

The ProtectEU strategy aims to strengthen the EU’s resilience against emerging security threats through a society-wide internal security approach. Although cities and regions cannot alone counter cross-border trafficking, terrorism or cyberattacks, they must be recognised as key partners in implementing prevention and protection strategies.

Local and regional leaders highlighted the need to reinforce cooperation between national and territorial authorities, including port authorities, customs and EU agencies such as Europol and Frontex.

Improving Cybersecurity in Europe

With cyberattacks on local infrastructures such as hospitals and schools increasing, two new instruments were proposed:
– the creation of regional cybersecurity contact points to coordinate local actions, and
– regular EU-supported audits of local authorities by ENISA to assess vulnerabilities and guide investment decisions.

Family Support Units Against Radicalisation

Security begins at the local level, where early signs of radicalisation often emerge in schools, sports clubs or associations. Local and regional leaders recommended broad use of family support units dealing with radicalisation and the creation of an EU-wide network supported by reciprocal training for frontline staff.

Responsible Deployment of Artificial Intelligence

An opinion on the AI Action Plan calls for decentralised initiatives, investments and guidelines to ensure that regions and cities can fully participate in the AI-driven transformation of industry and society.

Local administrations are uniquely positioned to deploy AI responsibly in sectors such as healthcare, transport and energy. Delegates emphasised the need to avoid an “AI divide” between regions and highlighted the importance of EU-owned AI models that are accessible, ethical and interoperable.

Steel and Metallurgy

Europe’s metallurgical industry is a strategic pillar of the EU’s economic and social stability and a vital link to sectors such as automotive and defence. CoR members outlined urgent measures to protect the sector and secure the future of industrial regions. The industry is a driving force for local economic development, creating high-quality jobs and supporting critical industries essential to regional prosperity and EU strategic autonomy.

During the 169th Plenary Session, local and regional authorities stood behind a Europe that seeks solutions through cooperation, solidarity and local engagement. Cities and regions made it clear that they are not the periphery, but the very centre of political processes.