PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions

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PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions

Stories and actions from progressive cities and regions in the EU. Housing, climate, equality - told by local leaders.

Follow for events, campaigns and live coverage. The PES Group in the Committee of the Regions is one of the four political Groups bringing together local and regional representatives from all over Europe: Mayors, President of Regions, regional and local councillors. As part of the European Socialist family, the PES Groups works closely together with the S&D Group in the European Parliament, the Party of European Socialists (PES) and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS).

16/09/2026

“We will invest in our regions.” Good. Then don’t nationalise cohesion policy.

President von der Leyen said today that Europe must invest in its regions.

Yet Cohesion Policy was not mentioned once in the , just as negotiations on the next EU budget enter a decisive phase.

The Commission’s proposed MFF would bring Cohesion Policy into National and Regional Partnership Plans organised around one plan per Member State.

We have been clear: turning a European regional policy into a chapter of national plans risks abandoning the territories that need Europe the most and weakening shared management.

If Europe wants to invest in its regions, regions need a real say in how Europe invests.

15/09/2026

Across Europe, trust is often strongest closer to home. 🏘️

In most of the regions we mapped, people trust their local and regional authorities more than their national government.

And the latest EU-wide figures tell the same story:

🏘️ 61% trust local and regional authorities
🇪🇺 52% trust the European Union
🏛️ 36% trust national governments

On the International Day of Democracy, that matters.

Trust is built through everyday politics: public services that work, decisions people can see, representatives they can reach.

So if Europe wants to rebuild trust, it should start where trust already exists and give cities and regions a stronger voice in the decisions that shape people’s lives.

A Europe made by everyone, for everyone.

People trust the level of government they experience closest to home.

In most surveyed territories, trust in local and regional authorities is higher than trust in national government. The gap is especially wide in parts of Slovakia, France and Czechia.

There are exceptions: in Åland, Malta and Berlin, national trust is higher.

Trust in local and regional authorities is highest in Finland and Denmark, reaching 91% in Helsinki-Uusimaa.

It is much lower in parts of Croatia and Italy, falling to 30.8% in Adriatic Croatia.

Local democracy is not experienced in the same way everywhere.

Trust in the European Union is strongest in Nordic territories, reaching 86.4% in Åland and 85.8% in Helsinki-Uusimaa.

It falls to 26.1% in Corsica.

European democracy has to be understood and felt in every town, city and region.

Trust in national governments is highest in Åland, at 84.6%, and in Luxembourg, at 76.9%.

It is lowest in parts of Romania and Bulgaria, reaching 17.2% in Central Romania.

In many of these territories, local and regional authorities are trusted more than national government.

12/09/2026

When too many people are losing faith that politics can actually make a difference in their lives, what does it take to keep democracy strong?

That was the question at the heart of this week’s discussions📍in , as progressive leaders from across Europe returned to .

Progressive voices from all levels came together, not just to defend democracy, but to help each other understand how we can make it stronger.

We talked about how cities and regions can rebuild trust and bring people (back) into democratic life. About how European investment can strengthen the communities at the heart of our democracies. About the inspiring transformation of cities such as Paris, the pressures facing democratic leaders and the very real political choices ahead.

And we heard from those who know what it means to defend democracy under pressure, including from Özgür Özel and the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoglu. 🇹🇷

The challenges are serious. But so is our determination to meet them. ❤️

✍️ That is why we signed the : a shared commitment to strengthening democracy from the local level up. ⬆️

A special thank you to the Mayor of Athens, Χάρης Δούκας and the City of Athens for hosting us. Ευχαριστώ! ❤️

We are also extending our heartfelt gratitude 🙏 to all our speakers and partners for bringing your experience, ideas and commitment to the table: Luca Menesini, Tüttő Kata, George A. Papandreou, Iratxe García Charalambos Prountzos María Chivite María Chivite Jean-Marc Germain Anne Hidalgo Γιάννης Μανιάτης Gurmai Zita Nicolas Schmit THOMAS BAJADA Christina Kitsos Dario Nardella Antje Grotheer Krzysztof Śmiszek Socialists and Democrats Group Party of European Socialists FEPS | Progressive EU think tank Young European Socialists PES_Women

11/09/2026

(EN/TR) What does democracy look like when opposition party headquarters are raided, when the regime pressures and intimidates its opponents, and when elected mayors are imprisoned for standing up to those in power? ⚠️

In , this is not a hypothetical question. It is happening now.

At in Athens, we hear directly from about the growing pressure on democracy, the imprisonment of opposition mayors, and the fight to defend people’s right to choose their leaders.

From Athens — the birthplace of democracy — cities, regions and social democrats from across Europe are coming together to ask how we defend democracy, rebuild trust and put people’s voices back at the heart of politics. ❤️

Because when democracy is under pressure, we stand together.

📍 Athens, Greece
📅 10–11 September 2026

———

Muhalefet partilerinin genel merkezlerine baskınlar düzenlendiğinde, rejim muhaliflerine baskı uygulayıp onları sindirdiğinde ve iktidara karşı çıktıkları için seçilmiş belediye başkanları hapse atıldığında demokrasi neye benzer?

Türkiye’de bu, varsayımsal bir soru değil. Şu anda yaşanıyor.

Atina’daki etkinliğinde, den demokrasiye yönelik artan baskı, muhalefet belediye başkanlarının hapse atılması ve halkın liderlerini seçme hakkını savunma mücadelesi hakkında doğrudan bilgi alıyoruz.

Demokrasinin beşiği olan Atina’da, Avrupa’nın dört bir yanından şehirler, bölgeler ve sosyal demokratlar bir araya gelerek demokrasiyi nasıl savunacağımızı, güveni nasıl yeniden inşa edeceğimizi ve halkın sesini siyasetin merkezine nasıl geri getireceğimizi sorguluyor.

Çünkü demokrasi baskı altındayken, birlikte dururuz. ❤️✊

📍 Atina, Yunanistan
📅 10–11 Eylül 2026

10/09/2026

Hope doesn’t come from pretending things are easy. It comes from watching people roll up their sleeves and get to work changing them.

After two days in Athens with the next generation of progressive leaders, we can honestly say that we have plenty of reasons to be hopeful. ❤️

🏛️ The 6th edition of our School brought together young elected politicians from across Europe to learn, challenge each other, share ideas, and, most importantly, build the confidence to speak up for the politics we believe in.

We chatted to the brilliant ex-Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on leadership, talked campaigning and mobilisation with the European Center for Digital Action, brought in MEP THOMAS BAJADA to cut through the bu****it, as well as touched on storytelling that makes people care and political identities that actually feel authentic.

Because progressive politics isn’t just about having the right ideas. It’s about bringing people with us. Making them care. And ultimately, turning hope into action.

A huge thank you to Χάρης Δούκας, Mayor of Athens, for hosting this year’s school. Ευχαριστώ! ❤️

And sincere gratitude 🙏 to all our speakers for sharing their experience, energy and ideas: Anne Hidalgo, Luca Menesini, Iratxe García Pérez, Thomas Bajada, Christina Kampisiouli, Vesna Jusup and the European Center for Digital Action, Pietro Valetto, Mariam Asghari, Jean-Marc Germain, Josko Klisovic, Pascal Smet, Fauzaya Talhaoui, Nadia Pellefigue, and more.

And of course, we could not have done it without our partners: Party of European Socialists Socialists and Democrats Group Young European Socialists FEPS | Progressive EU think tank PES_Women.

Yes, there’s plenty of work ahead. But watching a new generation of progressive local leaders come together in Athens, ready to speak up, organise and fight for change...that’s a pretty good reason to be hopeful.

10/09/2026

Mamdani, you were missed 👀

But no jealousy… there’s room for more in this club.

Who’s your mayor crush? Drop the name below 👇

10/09/2026

Fake news spreads fast. ⚠️ Do we fight the bu****it, ignore it, debunk it — or risk giving it even more oxygen?

MEP Thomas Bajada puts the question to our young elected politicians at the in Athens. 🌹

📍 Athens, Greece
📅 10–11 September 2026

09/09/2026

🇬🇷 What better place to talk about the future of democracy than the city where its roots run deepest?

This week, Athens welcomes our progressive family for two days dedicated to the people who make democracy live every day.

🌹 brings together the next generation of progressive local and regional leaders.

🏛️ Democracy at its Roots brings cities, regions and our wider political family together to ask how we protect democracy, rebuild trust and give people a stronger voice in shaping their future.

A huge thank you to Haris Doukas, Mayor of Athens and Vice-President of the PES Group in the CoR, for opening his city to these conversations and for reminding us why progressive local leadership matters.

Democracy has deep roots in Athens. Together, we’re working to make sure it has a strong future too.

📍 Athens, Greece
📅 10–11 September 2026

🇬🇷 Ποιο καλύτερο μέρος για να μιλήσουμε για το μέλλον της δημοκρατίας από την πόλη όπου βρίσκονται οι βαθύτερες ρίζες της;

Αυτή την εβδομάδα, η Αθήνα υποδέχεται την προοδευτική μας οικογένεια για δύο ημέρες αφιερωμένες στους ανθρώπους που δίνουν καθημερινά ζωή στη δημοκρατία.

🌹 Το ProgressivesSpeakUp φέρνει κοντά τη νέα γενιά προοδευτικών τοπικών και περιφερειακών αιρετών.

🏛️ Το Democracy at its Roots ενώνει πόλεις, περιφέρειες και την ευρύτερη προοδευτική μας οικογένεια για να συζητήσουμε πώς προστατεύουμε τη δημοκρατία, πώς ξαναχτίζουμε την εμπιστοσύνη και πώς δίνουμε στους πολίτες ισχυρότερο λόγο στη διαμόρφωση του μέλλοντός τους.

Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στον Χάρη Δούκα, Δήμαρχο Αθηναίων και Αντιπρόεδρο της Ομάδας PES στην Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή των Περιφερειών, που φιλοξενεί αυτές τις συζητήσεις στην πόλη του και μας θυμίζει γιατί η προοδευτική τοπική ηγεσία έχει σημασία.

Η δημοκρατία έχει βαθιές ρίζες στην Αθήνα. Μαζί δουλεύουμε για να έχει και ένα ισχυρό μέλλον.

📍 Αθήνα
📅 10–11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2026

08/09/2026

Germany has just crossed a line we cannot ignore.

For the first time since WWII, the far right has won a regional election.

The AfD secured 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt, more than twice its 2021 result. Its regional branch has been classified as right-wing extremist.

And this is not simply about one election. The AfD is pushing an agenda of closed borders, weakened public services, attacks on migration and a Europe built around nationalist “patriots”.

The far right is no longer at the margins. It is knocking on the door of government.

That should concern every democrat: in Germany and across Europe.

Democracy needs to be defended before it is too late.

07/09/2026

Do you know what you’re actually breathing in? 🍃

Clean air is not a luxury. It is a public good and a matter of social justice.

Yet millions of Europeans breathe air that harms their health. And while air pollution affects everyone, its impacts are not felt equally: the people living, working and travelling in the most polluted areas often face the greatest risks.

On the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, we are calling for stronger action at every level of government. Especially our cities and regions have a huge role to play: from cleaner public transport and safer streets to greener urban spaces, better planning and climate action, local political choices can directly make the air we breathe healthier.

So, how clean is the air in your city? 👇

Source: European City Air Quality Viewer, European Environment Agency (2024).

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