Newsroom
Ever wondered who actually fixes the potholes, deals with housing shortages, or scrambles during a heatwave? City halls do. And this week, Europe’s capital city mayors came together to remind Brussels of exactly that.
At a major summit in the Cypriot capital, local leaders signed the Nicosia Declaration, a joint message to the European Union: if you want big European plans to work in real life, you need cities involved from the start.
Their argument is simple: policies might be drafted in offices far away, but they land on the streets where people actually live. Whether it’s climate action, jobs, transport, or digital services, cities are the ones turning promises into something residents can see and use.
The discussion focused on the EU’s next long-term budget for 2028–2034. That budget decides where billions go, including funding for housing, infrastructure, innovation, and social programs. Mayors warned that if national governments control everything without local input, money might miss the places that need it most.
They’re pushing for a guaranteed seat at the table when funds are planned and handed out, saying local leaders know their communities’ problems better than anyone.
One topic kept coming up: the cost and availability of homes. City leaders stressed that without affordable housing, everything else, jobs, growth, and even family life, starts to wobble. They want long-term EU funding tools to help cities build and renovate homes, cut energy bills, and keep neighborhoods livable.
Another complaint: EU funding can be slow and complicated to access. Mayors want simpler rules so cities can launch projects faster, whether those are testing green technology, improving transport, or upgrading public services.
Bringing the mayors’ summit to Nicosia for the first time was more than ceremonial. Officials say it showed the city can play host to major European decision-making moments and help shape policies that affect millions.
City leaders plan to stay involved as negotiations over the next budget unfold and say they’ll regroup before final decisions are locked in, a signal they intend to keep the pressure on.
In plain terms: Europe’s capitals are saying, “If policies are supposed to help people, let the people closest to them help design those policies.”
Read the final declaration here.
