The ECR Group in the Committee of the Regions (CoR) held today its annual Summit of Conservative and Reformist regional and local leaders in Bratislava, Slovakia, to outline the solutions needed to make the next EU budget (MFF) fit for today's crises while keeping regions firmly at its centre, and how to promote the right to stay ensuring decent economic conditions for younger generations to stay, work and thrive in their home regions.

Hosted by the President of the Bratislava Region, Juraj Droba, the event featured several high-level speakers, including ECR CoR Group President Marco Marsilio, the Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Mikloš, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Antonella Sberna and the Vice-President of the ECR Party, Carlo Fidanza. The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, addressed the participants via a video message, reaffirming the central role that European regions will play in shaping the new European budget by keeping a strong cohesion policy at its core. 

President of the ECR Group and of the Abruzzo Region Marco Marsilio was clear on the future EU budget (MFF) stating that no cuts should be made to Heading 1. He also stated that cohesion policy and competitiveness are not opposing choices – "they must go hand in hand". Describing regions as "engines of development, growth and innovation", Marsilio underlined the need "for a Europe that is more decentralised, safer, and based on common sense and pragmatism, in defence of the identities of our regions also in the context of the next MFF".

ECR Party Vice-President Carlo Fidanza, MEP stated that "families make decisions over decades, not electoral cycles. They choose to have children only when they trust that the framework around them will remain stable and supportive. That means access to childcare, healthcare, housing, education and functioning local services. These are the real, everyday conditions that make starting a family possible."

Host and President of the Bratislava Region Juraj Droba underlined the importance of regions remaining at the centre of the future budget and policies of the European Union, because "it is in regions where European policies become reality". "Regions are where European investments turn into roads, schools, research, and new opportunities for our citizens. And regions are where people ultimately judge whether Europe delivers". He then reaffirmed his strong belief in a Europe of strong regions. "A Europe where regions are not merely implementers of policies designed elsewhere, but a Europe where regions are partners, innovators, and co-creators of Europe’s future".

Other speakers included First Vice-President of the ECR CoR Group and President of the Podkarpackie Region, Władysław Ortyl, Denis Nesci MEP, ECR REGI Coordinator, Roberta Angelilli, Vice-President of the Lazio Region, and ECR CoR members Matteo Bianchi, Pierluigi Biondi, Ádám Karácsony, Martin Příborský and Branislav Zacharides.