Calendar

CEMR and PLATFORMA will host a public webinar on the Post-2030 Agenda.

This meeting hosted within the CEMR Impact Community Society, will bring together policymakers, researchers, civil society, youth representatives, and private-sector stakeholders to explore priorities for sustainable development beyond the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework.
The discussion will focus on emerging global challenges and lessons learned from SDG implementation.

Insights gathered will inform the development of a CEMR-PLATFORMA position paper, to be finalised by the end of the year, reflecting a broad range of perspectives and policy recommendations. The paper will serve as a contribution to the preparatory discussions leading to the SDGs Summit in September 2027, helping to shape a forward-looking and inclusive global development agenda.

See the agenda of the event.

Contact: Eva.banosdeguisasola@ccre-cemr.org

• Public event
• Online
• Registration form

The workshop is part of the LAB project, an EU-funded project by CEMR and EPSU aiming to strengthen social dialogue and social partner capacities in the local and regional government sector of the target countries. The workshop will feature presentations and discussions on topics related to social dialogue and allow for exchanges between participants representing trade unions and local and regional governments.

• Member only event
• In Person
• Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent work and economic growth

This high-level Brussels event, held during the European Week of Regions and Cities 2026, will bring together EU, national and local leaders to discuss the future of Cohesion Policy and its territorial dimension. It will focus on upcoming decisions on the EU budget and investment framework, while promoting balanced, place-based development across urban and rural areas and strengthening cooperation between key European stakeholders.

You will hear from the following speakers:

Dr Christoph Schnaudigel – President of Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the President of the County of Karlsruhe (Germany)

Matija Kovač – Mayor, City of Celje (Slovenia)

Vasco Alves Cordeiro – Member of the European Committee of the Regions

Arjen Gerritsen – King’s Commissioner of Flevoland, The Netherlands

Renata Calak – Director of the Strategy Department in the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, Poland

Claragh Mulhern – Principal Adviser, National Strategic Planning in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Republic of Ireland

Hugo Sobral – Deputy Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission

and Tilman Buchholz – Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB)

Organisers: German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building in cooperation with the German Association for Housing, Urban and Spatial Development (DV) and Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)

• Public event
• Registration here

The fourth edition of the Bridges of Trust Annual Gathering brings together partners from Local and Regional Government Associations, networks, partner organisations and EU institutions to exchange experiences, strengthen cooperation, and shape joint initiatives on international municipal cooperation between European and Ukrainian towns, cities and regions.

• Member only event – Bridges of Trust Community
• On-site

The meeting will be an opportunity to exchange on the state of play of the MFF interinstitutional negotiations and the programming of the National and Regional Partnership Plans in your Member States. We will also discuss the upcoming CEMR position paper on a Territorial vision for Europe. In addition, the meeting could be the occasion to exchange on two ongoing consultations: Do No Significant Harm and the 10^th Cohesion report

Learn more about our expert group

• Member only event
• Hybrid

Under the LORAI programme, CEMR will organise a peer exchange bringing together approximately 60 local and regional representatives from EU Member States and candidate countries. The session will provide a platform for dialogue on the local and territorial dimensions of EU enlargement, exploring how accession-related reforms and investments can contribute to the long-term resilience and attractiveness of municipalities, particularly in small and medium-sized communities.

Through the exchange of experiences and good practices, participants will discuss challenges linked to demographic decline, service provision, and local economic development, as well as the role of local governments in ensuring access to quality public services, including education and childcare. Particular attention will be given to how the EU accession process can support sustainable local development through targeted investments, enhanced infrastructure, energy-efficient public buildings, and strengthened local capacities, ultimately helping municipalities create favourable living conditions and opportunities for citizens while preventing territorial disparities and depopulation.

• Member only event
• In-person

Program of the event

Register here

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On 28 January 1951, in the aftermath of the Second World War, visionary European mayors gathered in Geneva with a shared conviction: that rebuilding Europe would begin in its towns, cities and regions. Their commitment gave birth to the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the first transnational organisation in Europe, and in the world, bringing together mayors and local leaders around a common vision of peace, democracy and European cooperation. Seventy-five years later, that vision remains as important as ever.

Over the decades, CEMR has grown into the largest and broadest organisation representing local and regional governments in Europe. Together with its members, it has championed local democracy, supported local self-government, defended human rights and territorial cohesion, while ensuring that local and regional governments have a voice in shaping European policies and global debates.

Through periods of reconstruction, integration, enlargement and transformation, CEMR has consistently defended a simple but powerful principle: Europe is built from the ground up, and local democracy is one of the foundations of the European project.

Today, Europe once again stands at a turning point. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions, climate change, artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, declining trust in democratic institutions, pressures on competitiveness and social cohesion, or the housing crisis are reshaping Europe’s political agenda. While these challenges are global and European in nature, their success or failure will ultimately be determined where citizens live: in Europe’s towns, cities and regions.

As Europe asks more of local and regional governments than ever before, an important political question emerges: How should Europe’s governance systems evolve to enable local and regional governments to deliver on Europe’s future priorities?

Marking CEMR’s 75th anniversary, this high-level political event will bring together leaders from across Europe to reflect on the evolution of local leadership over the past seven decades and to look ahead to the governance challenges of the future. Beyond celebrating a remarkable history, the discussion will explore whether local and regional governments are equipped with the powers, resources and partnerships needed to respond to Europe’s most pressing challenges.

The event will also mark the launch of the latest edition of TERRI Report, CEMR’s flagship publication on territorial governance, local and regional government powers, and territorial reforms in Europe. Published every five years, TERRI offers a comparative analysis of how territorial governance, reforms and the powers of local and regional governments have evolved across Europe. The 2026 edition focuses on housing, providing a timely case study through which to explore whether Europe’s governance framework equips local and regional governments with the powers, resources and partnerships needed to address Europe’s housing emergency.

Rather than treating housing as a standalone policy issue, the discussion will use it as a case study to explore whether Europe’s governance systems are fit to address increasingly complex challenges and to deliver on citizens’ expectations.

• Public event

The second CEMR MFF workshop will take place in Montenegro on 10 November. The MFF workshop in Montenegro will bring together approximately 45 participants, including representatives of local and regional governments, national institutions, EU stakeholders, civil society organisations, and experts.

The event will feature panel discussions and a structured multilevel dialogue on how the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) can better support Montenegro’s accession-related priorities and strengthen the role of local   governments in the EU integration process, including the Reform Agenda.  The Workshop will also include three interactive and participatory MFF Lab sessions involving local government officials.

• Public event
• In-person
• Learn more about the LORAI project

The study visit is part of the LAB project, an EU-funded project by CEMR and EPSU aiming to strengthen social dialogue and social partner capacities in the local and regional government sector of the target countries. It aims to deepen the networks and lessons learned from the previous LAB project workshop by bringing workshop participants on a study visit to further exchanges and showcase best practices for social dialogue.

• Member only event
• In Person
• Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent work and economic growth

The CEMR Leaders’ Summit brings together over 150 international leaders from 41 member countries and partners to explore Europe’s most urgent challenges. This two-day gathering includes internal CEMR statutory affairs meetings, as well as political discussions and events on the broader EU and international context.

This edition of the Leaders’ Summit will be hosted by the ​CEMR Italian Section (AICCRE).

• Member only event
• On-site