Sustainable territorial and local development

Since its launch, CEMR has monitored the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to assess the experiences of local and regional governments in navigating this crucial funding instrument aimed at revitalizing the EU's economy post-COVID-19. In collaboration with the Committee of the Regions (CoR), CEMR conducted a targeted consultation in 2021, engaging with associations of local and regional governments. The objective was to examine the involvement of these bodies in both the design and execution phases of the RRF. Initial findings revealed a very limited engagement of local and regional governments in the process.

This year, CoR and CEMR conducted a follow-up consultation to assess any changes in the situation. Despite the RRF being halfway through its implementation, local and regional governments express continued frustration at being sidelined from National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs). The results of the CoR-CEMR survey confirm a trend of highly centralised management of the RRF by Member States.

On April 16, CEMR hosted a high-level panel debate featuring representatives from EU institutions, where the key findings of the consultation were unveiled. The results of the CoR-CEMR consultation can be accessed here.