The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, meets the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa

​The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, met today the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, in an exchange meant to present the priorities of President Cordeiro at the helm of the CoR for 2022-2025.​

In this context President Cordeiro highlighted: "Prime Minister António Costa is very knowledgeable about the Committee of the Regions (CoR). He was an outstanding member of the Committee, having even chaired one of its Commissions, CIVEX. I know the importance he attaches to the levels of regional and local power in Europe, and cooperation between all levels of power to strengthen the EU's own internal democracy and its ability to deal with present and future challenges."

The meeting, held at the official residence of the Prime-Minister in Lisbon, was also an opportunity for both leaders to exchange on the current situation in Europe and for the President of the Committee of the Regions to discuss two important aspects facing the EU in the near future: the implementation of the recommendations resulting from the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFE) and the future of cohesion policy, to guarantee its long-term added value.

Vasco Alves Cordeiro stated "In relation to CoFE, what I had the opportunity to convey was the CoR's desire to increasingly assert itself as the political assembly of local and regional authorities of Europe, with the effects that this has in terms of reinforcing its participation in the EU decision-making process, bringing the perspective of local and regional authorities to that process, and bringing citizens closer to the European project."

In today´s encounter, the recently elected President of the CoR and the Portuguese Prime Minister also discussed the future of EU Cohesion policy, with Vasco Alves Cordeiro underlining its relevance not only to face the immediate challenges of the fight against the pandemic of COVID 19, support for Ukrainians and Ukraine, as well as support for cities and regions dealing with the socio-economic costs of the war, but as a long-term EU investment policy and guarantee that no region is left behind

When referring to the process, which will start soon, on the preparation of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework, post 2027. Vasco Alves Cordeiro said " As far as Cohesion Policy is concerned, it is also important to emphasize the importance that this policy has for local and regional authorities, the challenges it is faced with, the lessons that can be learned from having helped to deal with the pandemic and those that still result from the war in Ukraine. Lessons that must be incorporated into a reflection process on how the Cohesion objective, which is linked to the very definition of the European project, can be achieved in the near future".

The President of the Committee of the Regions also took the opportunity to invite Prime Minister António Costa to participate in one of the next plenary sessions of the Committee of the Regions, bringing his perspective on these and other matters.

Prime Minister António Costa was a member of the European Committee of the Regions between February 2010 and April 2015, as mayor of Lisbon, having assumed the position of Chair of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) between September 2012 and January 2015.