The ECR Group's latest localism conference looking at the future of the EU's regional policy took place in Lecce in Southern Italy on Friday 21 October. The event held at the famous Teatro Paisiello boasted an impressive line-up of speakers, including Raffaele Fitto MEP, President of Conservatori e Riformisti, and Mayor of Lecce Paolo Perrone.

Welcoming participants to his home province of Lecce, Raffaele Fitto MEP said: "The cohesion policy is a very important instrument and Italy is one of its main beneficiaries. However, current decisions made in the EU do not match the needs of local populations. To change this, we need to ensure a stronger voice for local and regional authorities at the EU level by enhancing the role of the Committee of the Regions."

 The EU's regional policy accounts for approximately one third of the total EU budget, with the policy aiming to support all regions and cities across the EU with job creation, economic growth and sustainable development. Despite this, the EU's current regional policy has been hindered by the lack of strategic programming, centralisation, inflexibility, and not responding to the needs of small localities.

 ECR Group President Rob Jonkman said: "Our conference has illustrated the urgency in reforming the EU's regional policy along a more bottom-up, place-based approach. Local and regional government must have a voice in this process. Currently, the EU is trying to do good but is not fully delivering. The solution is decentralisation."

During the conference, the example of the management of the Xylella fastidiosa outbreak was presented as a case study to demonstrate how a lack of localism can harm the economy. The outbreak, first reported in 2013, is a virus that results in olive trees no longer being able to produce olives, affecting olive oil producers in Mediterranean countries. The virus heavily impacted the south of Italy, whose economy is reliant on the olive industry. "If local government had been more effectively involved, we could have better tackled the crisis", said Francesco Bruni, Member of the Italian Senate for Puglia.

 Speaking in the first panel discussion on the EU's current regional policy, Paolo Perrone said: "We are not empowering regional and local government enough, which undermines the effectiveness of EU Funds. This can be addressed by reforming regional policy, putting the emphasis on localism and streamlining procedures."

 Other speakers at the ECR event were Zoltan Kész MP, Member of the Hungarian Parliament, Antonio Palmisano from LUISS University, Oldřich Vlasák, Vice-President of the ECR CoR Group and Pavel Branda, ECR CoR Coordinator for Commission for Territorial Cohesion and the EU Budget.