The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, along with the leaders of 20 other European capitals, has urged this Wednesday that cuts not be applied to the next financial framework of the European Union for 2028-2034. At the same time, they have demanded that any proposal for budget reduction be accompanied by a detailed assessment of its impact on regions and cities.
In an open letter sent to the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, whose country holds the presidency of the Council, and to the President of the European Council, António Costa, several European mayors, including those of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, and Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, as well as the President of the Committee of the Regions, Kata Tütto, reject that the new negotiating proposal that Dublin will present this Saturday starts from a generic cutting objective "disconnected from its consequences on the ground."
The text responds to the demand of the so-called 'frugal' countries to reduce the initial proposal of the European Commission by "several hundred billion euros." The mayors warn that a cut of that magnitude would force the elimination, postponement, or diversion to national, regional, or local budgets of key investments in areas such as cohesion, competitiveness, housing, transport, research, or climate adaptation.
The signatories also demand to maintain a "strong and predictable" cohesion policy, with stable funding and a "territorial approach," in addition to ensuring that cities and regions participate in the design of the programs. They also ask that the simplification of the budget does not lead to greater centralization or a reduction in investment capacity.