The European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Committee of the Regions held its first Localism Summit on 19 September in Milan, Lombardia. The Summit brought together thinkers and leaders from government and business to explore bottom-up solutions to global trends. Organised under the theme of 'A Glocal Vision for the Future of Europe', the Summit addressed issues such as access to urban services, social inequalities, climate change, disaster risk management and migration.

The ECR Group Localism Summit focused on the future of Europe and identified the kind of reforms needed to deliver greater innovation, competitiveness and democratic accountability. Cities and regions are facing bigger challenges than ever before and are developing innovative solutions to address these. Things like the digital transformation created by the 4th industrial revolution, growing urbanisation, climate change, disasters and the influx of migrants and refugees are all felt locally and resonate globally. Cities and regions are not only responsible for the about two thirds of public investment in the EU aimed to help our localities with smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and job creation, but they are also at the forefront of responding and developing solutions to these global developments. This Localism Summit brought together leading thinkers, movers and shakers from government and business to shape the agenda of the future and advocate a more localism based reform of the European Union.

The summit took place in a context of ongoing reflection on the future of Europe and how its governance could be improved. It took place after the report of the Commission's Task force on subsidiarity, proportionality and doing less more efficiently has been published calling for more active subsidiarity in the EU and ahead of the State of the Union speech of the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker where the Commission President sets the agenda of the Commission for 2019 outlining the kind of legislative work that can be expected. It also took place a ahead of the campaigning period for the 2019 European elections when citizens will go to the ballot box to elect their members of the European Parliament and ahead of the decisions on the leadership of the European Commission and European Council.

"Our Group believes that empowering communities and developing bottom-up solutions is the best way to prepare for and respond to global trends," said Rob Jonkman, President of the ECR Group in the CoR. He added, "localism is about civil empowerment. Understood as taking decisions at the most practicable level, by the individual where possible and by local or national authorities in preference to supranational bodies, it can help us achieve an improved and better-functioning EU. We need better governance, not bigger government. In light of the UKs departure from the EU and the internal reflection we have gone through on our future, the time is right for us to pursue genuine reform of the EU."

Matteo Bianchi (Member of the Italian Parliament and Mayor of Morazzone and and leader of the Italian delegation in the ECR Group in the CoR), underlined that "the citizens of Lombardy recently voted with a majority of over 90% in favour of greater decentralisation of powers. They want to be empowered to decide for themselves how to manage their localities. They do not want big national or EU government."

The Summit took place in a founding member state of the European Union that has seen its citizens increasing opt for a change to the status-quo. In the October 2017 referendum in the two Northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto, citizens of these regions voted with a majority of more than 90% voted in favour of greater autonomy from the national government. The national elections of March this year also saw citizens opt for parties presenting a new and alternative vision for a reformed EU.

Opening the Summit, President of Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana said: “we need more localism and more regionalism. From Lombardy we are calling on the European Commission for greater simplification at the EU level". Deputy President of the Lombardy Regional Council Francesca Brianza welcomed the Summit's participants in the region and expressed the desire "to build together a new direction at the EU level listening more to regions and local communities."

The Summit was attended, among many others, by Marcin Ociepa (Polish Deputy Minister for Entrepreneurship and Technology and Deputy Spokesperson of the ECR Group on Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs), Dario Galli (Italian Undersecretary for economic development), Attilio Fontana (President of Lombardy Region in Italy) as well as regional ministers for autonomy and culture & immigration and security.

Offering some concluding remarks, Carlo Fidanza (Member of the Italian Parliament and Member of Rosazza Municipal Council and a member of the Bureau of the ECR Group in the CoR) said that he has seen "first-hand the importance of reforming the EU. Events such as this Summit play an important role in enabling collective thinking on genuine reform so that the EU is better able to serve its citizens. In light of the upcoming European elections, I can think of no better time than the current to be discussing Europe's future and how we deliver a reformed EU."

The main conclusions of the event were:

• The future EU mandate should be characterised by a more bottom-up decision-making process. In particular, the EU institutions should envisage a stronger role for the European Committee of the Regions and ensure greater participation of local and regional authorities in defining the strategic priorities of European policies;
• The European Commission should respect the principle of subsidiarity and refrain from establishing a "European welfare state". Enhancing competition, boosting productivity and reducing red tape are key steps in reducing inequality and creating jobs. These should be priorities for the European Commission.
• The speed with which private companies operate is usually different from the speed to which politicians are accustomed. It is fundamental that the political leaders and policy makers at all levels of government and administration take the necessary steps to ensure that their programmes and actions provide the right platform for businesses to develop;
• Migration is one of the few areas where conservative politicians do not believe in a free market. Conservative politicians do not believe in the free movement of people as they believe in the free movement of capital. The Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme in the United Kingdom is a model example of a properly managed integration scheme for refugees;
• The EU has one of the most ambitious frameworks in the world to address climate change. This is positive from an environmental perspective but industry and consumers tend to criticise the cost of compliance and therefore more needs to be done to lower the cost of the transition to clean energy. Energy transition needs to be advanced through free market and bottom-up solutions;
• Examples in Italian and Polish regions have shown that even if EU help through the Solidarity Fund, triggered in the case of regional disasters, is not as significant compared with help from national governments, it helps to boost acceptance of the EU among citizens and is highly appreciated by them;
• The cost of producing resources is on an upward trend – therefore there is an underlying notion that we have to do better with the resources that we have. Plastics should be recycled. If that is not possible, they can be burnt so that some energy is recovered from them. Landfill is the least desirable option.