Cities and regions across the European Union are responsible for the implementation of around 70% of European legislation.
Their growing impact, thanks to their devolved powers, on the drafting of EU legislation puts these authorities in a unique position when it comes to articulating a vision for sustainable development an d territorial cohesion. When it comes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 65% of the targets cannot be reached without the full involvement of local and regional governments.
Progressive local and regional politicians are changing the way Europe works on the gro und, safeguarding social and territorial cohesion, and takin g forward a growth model that steers clear from austerity-only measures.
The PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions launches a new platform for progressive cities and regions in order to foster the exchange of best practices, connect with a new generation of progressive leaders, and put forward new ideas on how to build a more sustainable Europe from the ground up. The core values of this initiative are explained in the appeal “No places and no people left behind”, which is addressed to national governments and other European institutions and puts forward cohesion policy as the most important investment policy available to local and regional authorities to build a just transition towards a more sustainable Europe that works for the many and not the few.
There are many stories on how progressive cities and regions work every day to build a sustainable Europe so that ending poverty, taking climate action and building sustainable communities become a reality. The PES Group wants to share these Progressive Local Stories to show that we can build another Europe starting from the local and regional level.
