Press Release: EU budget review: CoR urges Belgian Presidency to defend regional and local interests and to protect front-line services

The forthcoming review of the EU budget must not lead to less money for local and regional authorities to invest in sustainable, green and socially fair growth, the Committee of the Regions has warned.

Speaking after a debate on the forthcoming EU budget review at the CoR's external Bureau meeting in Antwerp, the Committee's President Mercedes Bresso warned that Member States' knee-jerk reaction to the economic downturn must not be allowed to impact front-line services, most of which are supplied at the local or regional level.