The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group in the Committee of the Regions (CoR) today launched an ambitious campaign to put localism at the heart of the EU. At a conference in Budapest (Hungary) delegates had the opportunity to exchange views and further develop the ECR’s localism agenda.

“We believe that localism is key for a reformed and better-functioning EU, as it would mean a more citizen-led, more transparent, and less intrusive system of governance,” said Cllr Gordon Keymer, President of the ECR Group in the CoR. “Approximately 70% of EU legislation impacts local and regional authorities, and these bodies therefore deserve a seat at the decision-making table to ensure they can contribute to polices which are elaborated at national and EU level.”

The principle of localism would result in the EU only getting involved if absolutely needed and better taking into account the interests of local communities.

Zoltan Kész, a member of the Hungarian Parliament, spoke about the local context in his country. “Localism is about taking decisions in a bottom-up manner and allowing local issues to be addressed locally – here in Hungary there is hardly any independence for municipalities, the growing centralization hurts local interests. It goes against conservative values such as the importance of the individual and their involvement in the decision making process as well as the idea of a free market. I can see how the principles of localism would benefit both the local populations and local businesses on the ground, moving decisions closer to the citizen and adapting them to local circumstances. I very much welcome this campaign from the ECR and will be closely following developments.

Today’s event, which focused on the role of local and regional government in delivering effective public services, brought together a wide range of decision-makers and stakeholders and featured an excellent group of speakers including MEPs, national Parliamentarians, Members of the CoR, Think-Tanks, economists, and local development agencies. This conference is the first of what will become an annual event on the topic to further raise the profile of localism across Europe.

Andrew Lewer MEP said: "Localism is particularly dear to our party group – indeed the exercise of powers at the lowest practicable level is one of our political family's founding principles. In my own country, the UK, we have a number of layers of government, with some power devolved in the regions. However, there is still much work to be done when it comes to properly respecting and rewarding our local government leaders, and they must be provided with enough autonomy and responsibility to make a difference at the local level. Working hard at the European level to get the institutions to ensure they do not block local autonomy – deliberately or otherwise – only bears its ripest fruit if national government is equally respectful of other layers of governance."

In the coming months the ECR Group will work with policymakers to ensure that localism not only remains on the EU agenda, but also comes to shape future policies to the extent that it becomes a principle to the EU as a whole.