Every seven years, Europe decides how it will invest in its future. This time is different. Faced with growing geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, security threats, climate change and global competition, the European Union is being asked to do more than ever before. Citizens expect Europe to strengthen its security, support innovation and SMEs, accelerate the green and digital transitions, ensure affordable energy and strengthen its competitiveness.
At the same time, Europe must continue to fulfil its long-standing commitments in the areas of agriculture, social inclusion and regional development, all of which support security and European independence and sovereignty.
The debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034 is therefore about much more than numbers. It is about whether the European Union can effectively respond to the challenges of a turbulent world.
Europe cannot be asked to do more with less. If Europe wants to achieve its goals, it must also provide itself with sufficient resources. This is why the discussion on new own resources is both necessary and inevitable. New priorities cannot be financed by weakening policies that have successfully strengthened Europe's economic, social and territorial fabric for decades. Cohesion and competitiveness are not competing objectives. They reinforce each other. The next multiannual financial framework must therefore be ambitious, forward-looking and regionally balanced. It must maintain a strong and renewed regional development policy and agricultural policy, while providing sufficient resources for security, defence, innovation, energy production and industrial competitiveness.
For decades, cohesion policy has been one of the Union's most successful investment instruments, reducing inequalities, strengthening local economies and the internal market, improving infrastructure and ensuring that the benefits of European integration are felt across the continent. Cohesion is not just a funding mechanism. It is a strategic investment in European unity, prosperity and stability. A power-centric approach undermines Europe's ability to develop and find effective tailor-made solutions. The future EU budget must remain firmly based on territorial cohesion, subsidiarity and multi-level governance.
Local and regional authorities, municipalities and cities, regions are not only implementers of EU policy, but also partners in its design and implementation. Future national and regional partnership plans must therefore guarantee genuine territorial participation and maintain the place-based approach that has made cohesion policy so effective.
Cohesion and competitiveness are not competing objectives. They reinforce each other. Europe's competitiveness is built in its regions and cities: where businesses invest, where innovation ecosystems flourish, where universities collaborate with industry and where citizens acquire the skills needed for the jobs of the future. The same applies to Europe's resilience and security. From energy independence and cybersecurity to civil protection and strategic autonomy, many of today's most pressing challenges require strong regional responses. Regions and cities are essential partners in achieving Europe's strategic goals.
The choices made in the coming days will shape Europe for the next decade. As the European Council discusses the Cyprus Presidency's negotiating package and prepares the next phase of the negotiations during Midsummer week, I expect to see ambition, responsibility and trust in Europe's regions and cities.
The Presidency's negotiating package must be the start of the discussion. It must provide the basis for a stronger and more effective EU budget, and everyone needs to be involved in this work. The next multiannual financial framework must also be agreed on time. Delayed negotiations create uncertainty that Europe does not need. In other words, moving swiftly towards a stronger and more sustainable, unified Europe.