On Wednesday, 4 March 2026, at 1:00 p.m., a ceremonial signing of the declaration entitled “Power Regions of Europe – For a Modern Cohesion Policy 2028+” took place at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria in Brussels. The Pilsen Region joined more than sixty other EU regions which, through this declaration, call for regions not to be overlooked in the next EU programming period after 2028.
The Pilsen Region was represented at the event by the Deputy Governor for Regional Development and IT, Martin Rybár (KDU-ČSL), who had been authorized by the Council of the Pilsen Region to sign the joint memorandum on behalf of the region.
At the same time, on 4–5 March 2026, the 170th plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions took place. Representing our region as a member was regional assembly member Rudolf Špoták (independent). Together with more than three hundred other members from all EU Member States, he participated in decision-making on topics such as the above-mentioned EU budget for the period after 2028, the evaluation of EU public procurement directives, and proposals to strengthen resilience in water supply at local and regional levels.
As one of the topics discussed at the European Committee of the Regions concerned upcoming changes to the public procurement system, Petr Kovařík (ANO), the recently elected Chair of the Pilsen Region Assembly Committee for Public Procurement, also travelled to Brussels on a working visit. In addition to participating in the Committee of the Regions’ working programme on this issue, Mr. Kovařík met with experts from the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, where discussions focused primarily on what major changes could be expected in this area. The most discussed issue during these meetings was the possible introduction of an environmental impact criterion, which could carry equal or even greater weight than price in deciding on the most advantageous bid. Mr. Kovařík also addressed this topic in a broader European policy context during a meeting at the European Parliament with Member of the European Parliament Ondřej Knotek (ANO).
