According to CEMR’s latest study,nearly half of LRGs report moderate to significant impacts from misinformation, particularly in areas such aspublic health, personal attacks on officials, and election interference. During the pandemic, for example, false claims about vaccines and public measures severely undermined public trust.
The personal toll is also growing. One in four local representatives has faced online abuse or intimidation, and over half report being targeted by false claims about their integrity or conduct. These are not abstract challenges, but rather, they erode both individual safety and democratic trust.
The evidence of CEMR’s study highlighted how misinformation and disinformation spike during crises, for example, around COVID-19, climate policies like low-emission zones, or housing and migration debates. During moments when emotions run high and public debate intensifies, local and regional governments often find themselves on the frontline of these tensions, but many lack the capacity or tools to respond effectively. CEMR’s findings show that 58% of municipalities still lack a formal strategy to counter misinformation and disinformation, and only a quarter are in the process of developing one. Most rely on reactive measures, 58% monitoring social media to spot emerging issues, around a third run awareness campaigns, and a smaller share (4%) collaborate with fact-checkers or pursue legal action (21%). These are useful but insufficient without proactive planning.
For CEMR, building resilience requires three key actions:
Strengthen local capacity and trust. Training staff, protecting targeted officials, and using participatory democracy tools such as citizens’ assemblies can help communities become less vulnerable to false narratives.
Improve coordination and tools. Shared monitoring systems, partnerships, and national or EU knowledge-sharing platforms can help municipalities act faster and avoid duplication.
Create an enabling framework. National and EU support, through measures like the Digital Services Act, AI Act, and national counter-disinformation laws, can provide resources, clarity, and legal backing.
Ultimately, misinformation may be a global issue, but its impact is most visible locally. Empowering local governments with the right capacity, coordination, and frameworks is key to protecting communities, safeguarding democracy, and rebuilding public trust.
The country profiles offer a short overview of national models of (decentralised) development cooperation frameworks in selected EU Member States. The aim is to provide insights into specific mechanisms and modalities of analysed national frameworks and identify enabling factors as well as challenges related to practical implementation, focusing on the role and opportunities for local and regional governments and their associations.
Based on the study, the German framework for DDC is characterised by:
1. German federal states and municipalities maintain lasting partnerships with their counterparts abroad, generating sustainable impact. Recent German-Ukrainian solidarity partnerships underline DDC’s role in development policy and open paths for trilateral and multilateral cooperation.
2. Service Agency Community in One World – SKEW of Engagement Global is the main advisory and grant-providing platform for German LRGs in DDC, supporting project planning, implementation, and international exchange.
3. The variety of funding programmes (mainly financed by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development – BMZ, managed via Service Agency Community in One World – SKEW and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internaztionale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ), designed for specific purposes, enable project-based, thematiccooperation and long-term partnerships.
This article is part of a series of 7 Country Profiles examining decentralised development cooperation frameworks across Europe. The thirs edition, focusing on Spain, will be published in December. Stay tuned!
Read the Country Profile, available in four languages:
CEMR encourages German authorities to strengthen the role of LRGs in development policy, not only as implementers, but also as strategic partners helping shape a more resilient, inclusive and effective development agenda.
This publication is produced within the Bridging and Mapping Knowledge Gaps in Decentralised Cooperation (Mindcraft), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Town twinning in Europe: unlocking opportunities with AgoraEU
Since 1951, CEMR has championed town twinning as a driver of peace, democracy, and European identity. With the European Commission’s new AgoraEU programme proposed in the long-term budget, CEMR reflects on its legacy and introduces tools to further strengthen twinning, ensuring it continues to connect citizens across Europe.
Over seven decades later, town twinning remains one of Europe’s most powerful instruments for European integration and local governments diplomacy. In its long-term EU budget proposal presented last July, the European Commission (EC) included the AgoraEU programme, a promising opportunity to support and revitalise town twinning efforts. Yet, if twinning is to remain a vital bridge between Europe and its citizens, further steps must be taken to reinforce its role in today’s evolving political and social landscape.
Where does town twinning come from? Why does it still matter today? And how can the AgoraEU programme help strengthen its role in the Europe of today and tomorrow?
A legacy of connection and peace
In the mid-1990s, in cooperation with the EC, CEMR played a central role in coordinating the town twinning programme. Working closely with national associations of local and regional governments, CEMR promoted twinning, inspired thousands of initiatives and co-managed the “Star of Europe awards” with the EC to recognise outstanding partnerships. These efforts empowered thousands of small and medium-sized municipalities—particularly in rural and border regions—to build lasting bonds across borders, turning twinning into a grassroots driver of European integration. The 2002 Antwerp Congress further reinforced twinning as a vital tool for peace, democracy, and sustainable development.
A means to foster a shared European identity
Twinning has been evolving to better respond to the needs of cities, towns and municipalities facing multiple challenges in their territories. While cultural exchange and mutual understanding remain at its heart, today’s partnerships also address issues such as climate action, migration, social inclusion, digitalisation, and youth engagement. According to CEMR’s 2023 Twinning Report, municipalities of all sizes continue to value twinning highly, but smaller towns in particular face barriers in accessing funding and navigating sometimes complex EU procedures.
Pakruojis and Inhulka Municipalities signing Memorandum of Understanding during the Bridges of Trust Annual Gathering 2024
Far from being outdated, twinning continues to play a vital role alongside other Europe’s mobility programmes, fostering connections that celebrate both cultural diversity and the continent’s shared heritage. For many citizens, especially teenagers, senior citizens, and residents of deprived or rural areas, town twinning remains one of the few ways to directly experience Europe. It offers a deep entry point into European construction and debates, helping to reduce the growing distance between citizens and the European Union (EU), while fostering a shared European identity and a spirit of living together.
The Matchmaking Platform: an innovative tool to tackle today’s challenges
Many towns, cities, and regions face challenges in twinning, including finding suitable partners, limited opportunities for joint projects, difficulties accessing funding, and gaps in knowledge or capacity. Visibility and recognition of local initiatives can also be limited. To bridge these gaps, CEMR has launched a digital Matchmaking Platform, enabling subnational governments to:
Find peers and partners across Europe
Start joint projects with international visibility
Access funding and support opportunities more easily
This tool represents a modern continuation of CEMR’s long-standing role as a facilitator of exchange and cooperation between subnational governments in Europe and beyond.
A roadmap for 2028–2035
Looking ahead, CEMR calls for the revitalisation of twinning, especially for small and medium-sized municipalities by:
Simplifying access to EU twinning by cutting barriers and targeting support to underserved areas.
Strengthening national associations as local champions—reviving CEMR’s model of national correspondents to inspire and guide projects.
Creating a small-grants facility for new or renewed twinning between small towns, rural areas, and cross-border or enlargement partners.
Relaunching the “Star of Europe Awards” to celebrate excellence and raise the profile of high-impact twinning.
Promoting twinning as a strategic tool to deliver EU priorities locally: democratic trust, youth participation, gender equality, climate, energy, and migrant inclusion.
AgoraEU: a timely opportunity
The European Commission’s €3.6 billion AgoraEU programme (2028–2034) shows a renewed commitment to citizen engagement. CEMR urges at least a doubling of EU support for town twinning and calls for simplified access to funding and streamlined administrative procedures, including application processes and reporting.
This support is urgently needed. Town twinning projects face growing financial pressures at the local level. Municipalities continue to invest heavily in keeping partnerships alive, yet many risk being unable to sustain them without stronger European backing. Twinning is not just a tradition, it is a living, evolving practice that connects citizens, strengthens democracy, and builds resilience across Europe.
The European Parliament and the Council will now examine the proposal. CEMR calls on both institutions to ensure that town twinning receives the recognition and resources it deserves, as one of the EU’s most effective tools to bring Europe closer to its citizens.
More than 30 local and regional European leaders are heading to New York to advocate for their vital role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Among them is Clifford Galea Vella Maslennikov, President of the Tramuntana Region (Malta) and a member of the CEMR-PLATFORMA Young Elected Officials Committee. He also signs the foreword of this year’s study on SDG localisation.
Galea Vella Maslennikov sends a strong and hopeful message:
“I firmly believe that localising the SDGs through inclusive processes that engage all levels of government, and all sectors of society […] is in fact the key to building a more inclusive, just, and sustainable future for all.”
This year’s report includes contributions from 31 associationsof local and regional governments and puts forward nine key recommendations to the United Nations, the European Union, and EU Member States.
Local governments in dialogue with Member States
In recent years, the United Nations has increasingly acknowledged the essential role of local action in advancing global sustainability, including through various HLPF initiatives. However, the degree of involvement of local and regional governments – and their associations – in national SDG reporting processes still varies significantly from one country to another.
This year, Malta is one of 37 countries presenting a Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the HLPF. Three other countries with membership within CEMR – Bulgaria, Finland, and Germany – will also present their VNRs. Our latest study provides insights into how these four nations have involved local authorities in shaping their national SDG reports.
It also gives details about the progress made in achieving the five SDGs under review this year: SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 5 (Gender equality), SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 14 (Life below water), and DSG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Over 30 local and regional leaders representing Europe
Next week, PLATFORMA and CEMR, in collaboration with the Global Task Force of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), will represent European cities and regions at the HLPF, under the auspices of the UN.
Their participation aims to fast-track the localisation of the SDGs and ensure that local voices are not only heard, but also acted upon.
Here are some of the events they will attend:
15 July, Local and Regional Governments’ Networking Hub, with the launch of the GTF Annual Report “Towards the Localization of the SDGs”, by the GTF and UCLG
16 July, 8th Local and Regional Governments Forum on the 2030 Agenda, by UCLG, GTF, UN-DESA, the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, UN Habitat, UNDP, Local2030
17 July, EU delegation – local leaders breakfast meeting, by CEMR and PLATFORMA
17 July, HLPF Official Session on Localisation: “Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level”, by UN
18 July, VNR Lab on Local and Regional Governments engagement in VNR/VLR processes, by UN-DESA, UN-Habitat, and UCLG
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has issued a statement expressing its deep concern over the intensifying political pressure on local democracy in Türkiye, following the detention of Zeydan Karalar, Mayor of Adana and Deputy-President of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT), CEMR’s member organisation.
In recent months, an increasing number of opposition-affiliated mayors and staff members of the municipalities have been suspended, prosecuted, or detained in ways that obstruct their ability to carry out their democratic mandates.
The detention of Mayor Karalar follows the earlier arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, former President of UMT. These successive events “risk undermining the principles of local democracy and have potentially far-reaching consequences for stability, democratic resilience, and social cohesion across our continent”. “The legitimacy of democratic governances relies on strong, autonomous local governments, and respect for political pluralism”, defend the signatories.
CEMR calls on the European and international communities to keep the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and local self-government at the core of their engagement with Türkiye.
“We respectfully urge the prompt release of all detained Mayors and officials and the full restoration of their rights to perform their democratic functions without fear or interference”, the signatories declare. “Democracy and local self-government cannot and will not be compromised”, they conclude.
Signatories of this statement include:
Vince Maple, Councillor of Medway, Chair of CEMR Financial Management Committee
Philippe Laurent, Mayor of Sceaux, CEMR Co-President
Christoph Schnaudigel, President of the County of Karlsruhe, CEMR Co-President
Gunn Marit Helgesen, Member of Telemark County Council, CEMR President
Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague, CEMR Executive President
Anders Knape, Councillor of Karlstad, CEMR Executive President
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdansk, CEMR Executive President
The country profiles offer a short overview of national models of (decentralised) development cooperation frameworks in selected EU Member States. The aim is to provide insights into specific mechanisms and modalities of analysed national frameworks and identify enabling factors as well as challenges related to practical implementation, focusing on the role and opportunities for local and regional governments and their associations.
Based on the study, Poland’s approach to DDC is characterised by:
1. Focusing on cooperation with Eastern European countries – with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova. Polish local governments actively support partners through strategy development, peer learning, and implementation support.
2. Highlighting the vital role of direct local-level partnerships in times of crisis, including twinning and hands-on collaboration despite the ongoing war.
3. Polish municipalities have developed strong expertise in accessing EU funds and designing effective local strategies, which they can use in their partnerships.
This article is part of a series of 7 Country Profiles examining decentralised development cooperation frameworks across Europe. The second edition, focusing on Germany, will be published in September. Stay tuned!
Read the Country Profile, available in four languages:
CEMR encourages Polish authorities to strengthen the role of LRGs in development policy, not only as implementers, but also as strategic partners helping shape a more resilient, inclusive and effective development agenda.
This publication is produced within the Bridging and Mapping Knowledge Gaps in Decentralised Cooperation (Mindcraft), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
* The content of this publication is the responsibility of its author(s) and does not reflect the views of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
As Europe continues to navigate complex migration dynamics, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) stresses that migration is lived and managed locally. Cities, towns and regions are the first to welcome newcomers, support vulnerable groups, and build long‑term inclusion. Yet, most of the time, they remain under‑recognised and under‑resourced in EU migration governance.
With its new position paper, CEMR urges EU institutions and national governments to place local and regional governments (LRGs) at the heart of migration policy. This means shifting from an emergency mindset to a sustainable, human‑centred, and territorially grounded approach.
CEMR’s key asks
1. Empower LRGs
Reinforce their formal role in migration governance, supported by structured multilevel cooperation, predictable funding, and targeted capacity‑building.
2. Adopt a human‑centred EU migration policy
Ensure that all asylum and migration measures respect fundamental rights, legal clarity, and the real capacities of municipalities.
3. Include LRGs in the implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact
Systematically involve cities and regions in reception, integration, and emergency responses, backed by clear procedures and real-time information.
4. Sustain coordinated support for Ukrainians under Temporary Protection
Move from emergency assistance toward long‑term integration, with a focus on housing, employment, and access to essential services.
5. Strengthen labour‑market inclusion
Improve skills recognition, reduce administrative burdens, and promote local partnerships with businesses to ease migrants’ path to employment.
6. Secure long‑term EU funding for inclusion
Protect and expand AMIF and ESF+ resources in the next Multiannual Financial Framework to enable municipalities to continue innovative integration work.
By recognising the essential role of local actors, Europe can build a migration agenda that is both effective and true to its values—supportive, inclusive, and grounded in the realities of people and places. CEMR stands ready to work with EU and national leaders to make this shift a reality.
Europe cannot deliver competitiveness with legislation alone. It will only succeed if policies work on the ground.
And that depends on local and regional governments.
Across the European Union, towns, cities and regions implement more than 70% of EU legislation. They finance public investment, deliver essential services, and turn European priorities — from the Green Deal to digital transformation — into concrete results for citizens and businesses.
Yet too often, local and regional governments are brought into the process too late, faced with fragmented rules, overlapping obligations and growing administrative burdens — clear signs of the limits of the current system. Complex legislative packages, inconsistent timelines and layers of guidance have made implementation harder, slower and more expensive, forcing authorities to spend valuable time navigating procedures instead of delivering solutions. At a moment when Europe is striving to boost productivity, resilience and strategic autonomy, this is a luxury the EU cannot afford.
In this position paper, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls for a fundamental shift in how EU policies are designed and implemented: from top-down regulation to genuine multilevel governance.
To make this shift a reality, CEMR calls for:
Systematic involvement of local and regional governments throughout the entire EU policy cycle — from design to implementation and evaluation.
Structured consultation mechanisms, ensuring meaningful and timely participation of subnational authorities.
Territorial and governance impact assessments to ensure policies are realistic and implementable across diverse local contexts.
Stronger political recognition of local and regional governments as equal partners in EU decision-making.
EU legislation and funding frameworks that reflect territorial realities, avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches.
A governance model that prioritises implementability, ensuring policies can be effectively delivered on the ground.
Competitiveness goes beyond regulatory simplification. It requires public policies that are relevant to businesses and communities that they serve and capable of being effectively implemented.
CEMR and its members stand ready to contribute their expertise, data and on-the-ground experience. The time has come to move beyond ad hoc consultation and embed local and regional governments where they belong: at the decision-making table.
Because Europe’s competitiveness will be won — or lost — locally.
Discover CEMR’s full recommendations for a stronger multilevel governance framework in the position paper.
The recent arrests and dismissals of democratically elected mayors in Türkiye, and their replacement by appointed trustees, mark a dangerous turning point for local democracy, not only in Türkiye but for Europe as a whole. At its core, democracy is not just about casting ballots; it is about ensuring that those elected by the people can govern freely, without fear of persecution. The replacement of elected mayors through judicial intervention, without full transparency and due process, raises serious questions about democratic standards and political freedom.
This is not an isolated event. It is part of a worrying trend of democratic backsliding that threatens the fundamental values upon which modern Europe has been built. From the ashes of World War II, Europe emerged with a commitment to decentralization, democracy, and human rights. The European Charter of Local Self-Government, adopted in 1985, was a direct response to past authoritarianism, ensuring that local governments have the autonomy to serve their communities without undue interference from central authorities. This principle of local self-government is a safeguard against the concentration of power and a guarantee that democracy remains rooted in the daily lives of citizens.
Yet today, these hard-won principles are being undermined. The detention of local leaders in Türkiye is a blatant violation of the commitments the country made as a member of the Council of Europe. It is a direct assault on the principles enshrined in the Charter and an ominous signal to other governments that such actions might be tolerated.
Local democracy is the first line of defense for our freedoms. When it is attacked, it is not just a city or a region that suffers—it is the very foundation of democracy. As local elected representatives, mayors are the bridge between national governments and citizens, the leaders who turn democratic principles into tangible actions—whether in public services, social cohesion, or crisis response.
Ignoring the crackdown on local leaders in Türkiye is not just a failure to support our colleagues—it is a failure to defend democracy itself. If Europe allows the erosion of local democracy anywhere on the continent, it sets a dangerous precedent that could spread.
EU institutions, together with Member states of the European Union and of the Council of Europe, must take a clear and firm stance. The defense of democracy must not be selective or conditional on political expediency. The right of people to choose their leaders—and for those leaders to govern without fear—must be upheld at all costs.
Democracy in Europe was never guaranteed; it was built through struggle and commitment. In the face of new threats, we must show the same commitment. The free election of representatives is not a privilege; it is the foundation of a just and stable society. If we fail to defend it today, we risk losing it tomorrow.
Signatories:
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools
President of the Committee of the Regions, Katta Tüttő
President of ALDA: Nataša Vučković
President of CEMR: Gunn Marit Helgesen
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This opinion article was published on EU Observer on 15 April 2025. You can read it here
The future of the EU budget is at a crossroads. As the European Commission launches consultations on the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), local and regional governments across Europe, represented by CEMR, are calling for a fundamental change: an EU budget that is inclusive, decentralised, and truly aligned with the needs of cities, municipalities, and regions.
This requires that future national plans and investment priorities in each Member State are not imposed from the top-down, but shaped through meaningful consultations with local and regional governments, just as the Partnership Principle ensures in Cohesion Policy. Only in this way can EU investments be fit for purpose and truly serve the people it is intended to benefit.
CEMR’s newly releasedposition paper on the post-2027 MFF sets out a clear vision for a reformed EU budget that strengthens multi-level governance and empowers local and regional governments as essential partners for effective spending of the EU budget on the ground. With growing social and economic inequalities, the need to accelerate climate adaptation, and increasing geopolitical instability, Europe cannot afford to sideline local and regional governments—the very actors that implement over 70% of EU policies on the ground.
National plans must include mandatory consultations to local and regional governments
The roadmap on the next MFF confirmed the European Commission’s ambition to establish single national plans for reforms and investments based on priorities defined at European level. The European Commission mentions the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) as a good example of an instrument linking investments and reforms and points out that two thirds of the EU budget (Cohesion Policy funds and the Common Agricultural Policy) could in the future be implemented according to the RRF approach. In this context, CEMR issues a final warning to the European Commission: the RRF model failed to ensure effective multi-level governance. CEMR found that, since consultation with local and regional governments was not mandatory, it simply did not occur in most of the Member States.
The European Commission must ensure that national plans and the definition of investment priorities in each Member State are developed through meaningful consultations withlocal and regional governments, similar to the Partnership Principle in Cohesion Policy. This is the only way to guarantee that EU investments are fit for purpose and meet the real needs of the population.
“The EU is more than its institutions and the 27 states—it belongs to its people, municipalities, cities, and regions. Decisions based solely on macroeconomic trends risk disconnecting it from citizens” — Gunn Marit Helgesen, CEMR President.
CEMR key priorities for the post-2027 EU budget
CEMR’s position paper, backed by national associations of local and regional governments across Europe, contains concrete proposals to reform the post-2027 EU budget and enhance its effectiveness:
Empowering municipalities, cities and regions not only as implementers but also as planners The Partnership Principle should be made mandatory across all EU-funded programmes to ensure that the funds effectively reflect the actual needs of local and regional governments.
Decentralising the Cohesion Policy Strengthening the capacity of local and regional governments to manage EU funds will ensure that investments address real local needs and promote balanced territorial development.
Diversifying EU instruments as part of the ambitious policy agenda for cities From shared management funds to increased direct funding, it would allow EU investment to reach local and regional authorities of all sizes, from all types of territories, both urban and rural.
Simplifying and easing EU funding mechanisms to reduce administrative burdens for both Managing Authorities and beneficiaries. CEMR proposals for simplification include: a single set of rules for beneficiaries across the different funds; flexibility in thematic concentration to allow place-based definition of priorities, hence accelerating funds disbursement; and a labelling of auditing processes as compliant with EU rules to avoid multiplication of auditing.
Enhancing synergies among EU funds. The next MFF must improve coordination between different EU funding instruments to maximise impact at the territorial level.
Take part in the public consultation
Local and regional governments must not be sidelined in shaping the post-2027 EU budget. The European Commission’s consultation must not be reduced to a bureaucratic exercise or a mere checkbox. Consultations alone are not enough. The next EU budget regulations must include a mandatory requirement to involve local and regional governments in defining the investments that will meet the real needs of the population.
Use this public consultation —open until May 7 2025— to demand a real seat at the table and a budget that truly serves our communities. A stronger, more inclusive Europe starts from the ground up. Speak up before it’s too late.
