The second week of October 2025 was reserved in Brussels for the traditional European Week of Cities and Regions, when dozens of conferences, workshops, and seminars are held on topics related to what cities and regions do or what is important to them.
In addition, the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, the official EU body representing the interests of local and regional authorities at European level, also takes place at this time. Among its members is the former governor of the Pilsen Region, Rudolf Špoták (Greens and Progressives/non-partisan).
For the above reasons, we could not help but get involved in all kinds of activities taking place in Brussels at the time, which were all linked by one theme above all else – European funds. In mid-July 2025, the European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen (EPP), presented proposals for the shape of not only the EU budget for the period 2028–2035, but also legislation governing the use of European funds during this period. This legislative package crystallized most of the concerns that representatives of cities and regions had expressed based on fragmentary information and speculation leaking from the European Commission; the proposals presented are not an evolution of the system as we know it today, but a radical revolution that changes everything, and not always for the better. These proposals are particularly toxic from the point of view of local government.
The seriousness of the situation was also reflected in the fact that the otherwise lethargic Cohesion Alliance operating within the Committee of the Regions came to life and organized a demonstration against the aforementioned proposals in front of the European Parliament on October 15, 2025. Of course, we couldn’t miss this, and our group, led by Martin Rybár, Deputy Governor of the Pilsen Region for European Affairs and IT, was one of the most visible. But we’re not stopping there – our efforts to promote the interests of local governments will continue in the future!
