The recent developments in #Serbia, following local elections in March, are an assault on the very foundations of democracy.
We support the European Commission in cutting EU funds.
Pre-accession money is a tool for progress, it cannot be used to fund governments that undermine the rule of law.
This week we are in Rabat, Morocco 🌍 to contribute once again to the RenewPAC Summit organised by @reneweurope.bsky.social.
Today we hosted the RenewPAC Mayors Summit 2026, bringing together European & African subnational leaders to discuss urban security & smart, sustainable cities.
🚨 LAST CALL! Today is the final day to apply for the Cicero Traineeships at the European Committee of the Regions.
Want to promote liberal-democrat values & shape EU policy from the ground up?
Apply & choose "Renew Europe" as the preferred unit 👇
bit.ly/4sGBqFn
#EUJobs #EUtraineeships
The YEP Winter School 2026 has officially concluded at the European Committee of the Regions. Our Young Elected Politicians spent 3 days diving deep into what it means to be a citizen engagement expert.
📢 YOU could be next!
Applications are OPEN for the next cohort, until 17 April:
bit.ly/4bL3lgk
Yesterday, subnational leaders visited the European Defence Agency and met at the European Committee of the Regions for the Working Group on #Defence.
🔑 message: European SMEs are stuck in slow funding processes & too much paperwork. Our defence is too slow and we need to modernize now.
On International Day of Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we reaffirm our commitment to ending #racism in the EU. ✊🏿✊🏽✊🏻
Pär Löfstrand will lead cities’ and regions’ work on this as Renew Europe Rapporteur within the European Committee of the Regions on the EU Anti-Racism Strategy.
#FightRacism
Save the date for #EuroPCom 2026 ⤵️
We will bring together public communication professionals, practitioners, and experts to explore how communication can strengthen connection, participation, and democratic resilience.
📅 Dates: 9-10 June 2026
📍 Brussels & online
Learn more here: bit.ly/479l93f
Building on our partnership with @fnfreiheit.bsky.social Western Balkans, Sofia City Councillor, Tsvetelina Simeonova-Zarkin, is participating in the #LOCWEB2026 conference in Bjelašnica.
By strengthening local democracy we are making EU accession a reality.
#WesternBalkans #EUenlargement
Int. Women’s Day is often about promises, but we’re showing the real actions & results.
✅ 50% of our Presidency, Bureau, and Coordinators are women.
✅ 50% of our COR Opinions are led by female rapporteurs.
We're bringing real change to Europe’s cities & regions. Leadership has no gender.
#IWD2026
Our COR Opinions adopted this week:
➡️EU’s Strategic approach to the Black Sea by Blagomir Kotsev
➡️Enlargement package 2025 – Western Balkans & Türkiye by Gillian Coughlan
➡️European Grids Package by Clare Colleran Molloy
➡️EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy by Jozef Viskupič
More info: bit.ly/4rYeLUW
Cities and regions are where European politics meets everyday life.
🎙️ In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Ricardo Silvestre welcomes Sean O'Curneen Cañas, Secretary-General of Renew Europe at the European Committee of the Regions.
🎧 Tune in: bit.ly/4luuM2B
At our Group Meeting, we welcomed Hungarian Mayor Péter Márki-Zay to discuss the rule of law & protection of democracy.
"Illiberal democracy is a populist state. And this system is spreading in the world"
We stand in full solidarity with all those fighting for European values across the continent.
When a flood hits your streets, emergency protocols kick in, rescue teams are deployed, and critical infrastructure is monitored every second.
In Bitburg, Germany we visited the Disaster Relief Center to witness the lessons learned from the floods of July 2021 and prevent future #floods in the EU.
In Cyprus, Mayor of Saint-Omer, Francois Decoster, mobilises EU local councillors to celebrate #EuropeDay.
We believe that a strong, sovereign & independent Europe is the only solution to protect our citizens & our way of life.
Let's turn May 9th into a powerful movement for unity and pride.
The latest episode of Letter from Brussels is out!
Join us on a journey to Oulu in the Finnish Arctic, and to Molenbeek in Brussels to discover the transformative power of European Capital of Culture.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: bit.ly/3LVxeSa
#ECOC #EuropeanCapitalOfCulture #podcast
To support local and regional leaders, we have launched a dedicated platform ➡️ www.celebrateeuropeday.eu.
On the portal, which features our latest guide, you will find a list of activities designed to engage everyone in #EuropeDay celebrations.
The #EU is being tested like never before.
For liberals & democrats, the answer is clear: We must not only protect #Europe; we must shape it to be strong and independent.
This May 9th, we call on subnational leaders to turn #EuropeDay into a powerful movement for unity, pride, and hope.
La conseillère départementale Anne Rudisuhli, membre du comité européen des régions, va présenter un rapport au sein de l'instance visant à mieux intégrer les perspectives locales et régionales au cœur de la mise en œuvre de la stratégie européenne de sécurité intérieure ⬇️
bit.ly/4oK1bls
Blagomir Kotsev is finally free.
We welcome yesterday’s decision of the #Varna Court to release our colleague, Bulgarian Mayor Blagomir #Kotsev, on bail.
Our Group stands firmly with Blagomir. We will always fight for democracy, the rule of law and against the politicisation of justice.
The Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions acknowledges the conclusions of #COP30.
Specifically, the achievement for #LRAs: the #EU has officially endorsed the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (#CHAMP) for Climate Action.
Our full statement: bit.ly/4ogJDNJ
📣 European Democratic Mayors speak up on the #EUbudget!
At the @europeandemocrats.bsky.social Congress in Bilbao, we called for legal guarantees so local & regional authorities have a real say in managing #EUfunds in the next #MFF.
Download the statement: bit.ly/48v73dn
Local/regional politician in the EU?
Part of ALDE, EDP, or the wider Renew Europe family?
Join the EU Councillors Network!
✅Invitations to CoR plenary sessions & political events
✅Visibility for your city/region at EU level
3,000+ politicians are already part of it.
Apply anytime: bit.ly/43AKyRA
At the Liberal Mayors Summit, held during the @aldeparty.bsky.social Congress, liberal mayors from across Europe adopted a Declaration on the future of EU #Cohesion Policy — reaffirming the essential role of citizens and subnational authorities in shaping the next #MFF ⬇️
bit.ly/48J2kWd
Far too many employees in Belgian border region work elsewhere as businesses struggle to find staff, says Olivier de Wasseige, a member of the Parliament of #Wallonia ⬇️
bit.ly/4huzUkV
"Préoccupation pour centralisation. Régions doivent gérer fonds" - C'est ce qu'a déclaré François-Xavier Priollaud, vice-président de la région #Normandie, lors d'une interview à Bruxelles en marge de la session plénière du Comité européen des régions ⬇️
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvcN...
“When democracy is attacked in one Member State, it is weakened throughout Europe” says the Mayor of Varna, Blagomir #Kotsev, who has been unjustly arrested in Bulgaria, in a letter read by a municipal councilor from #Varna, Sofia Koleva, during our Group Meeting this week:
bit.ly/47bjLMN
"This is a great opportunity to meet politicians from different cities & municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region" says Andres Jaadla, who represented our Group at the Network of Local Politicians of the Western Balkans event ⬇️ #EUenlargement
bit.ly/473iWql
"The Commission should more fully acknowledge the contribution of regional innovation ecosystems in bringing together partners & stakeholders and in combining available funds to foster startups and scaleups" says Jozef Viskupič, President of the autonomous region of Trnava, Slovakia.
bit.ly/4mHJDW0
"In Europe, we are facing a changing reality and public trust in democratic institutions is being tested. In this context, there is no doubt that local and regional authorities play a central role." says Mayor of Lemvig (Denmark) Erik Flyvholm, who hosted the CoR Bureau recently.
bit.ly/3Kr9Xqc
🎙️ The Letter from Brussels podcast is back — new format, new voices!
Ep1: The Art of Deterrence → from Liepāja, Latvia, where local leaders are boosting Europe’s defence capabilities.
Listen now on YouTube or your favourite #podcast app!
bit.ly/4nrItzh