Calling for more dedicated, robust and agile mechanisms, Mr Heltimoinen highlights the need for a more citizen-centric approach, as it is "regular, local people who bear the costs of economic shocks".

Mr Heltimoinen, the recently appointed Committee of the Regions (CoR) rapporteur for the opinion on "Shock-proofing European regions: Strengthening local and regional economic resilience in the strategic evolution of the single market", presented his working document to the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON), noting that the past years have "challenged the Single Market like never before and underlined the importance of regional economic resilience".

While the whole EU is still coping with these shocks, their territorial impact has varied considerably. Some Member States have been hit harder than others, and regional impact within Member States has also been asymmetrical. The ability of regional economies to withstand and recover from shocks has been very different. In this regard, Mr Heltimoinen expressed his determination to emphasise the needs of cities and regions in strengthening their economic resilience, and to communicate the messages to the new European Commission and European Parliament, highlighting that "there is no competitiveness without resilience, or resilience without competitiveness."

On 14 May, Mr Heltimoinen also held a stakeholder consultation, bringing together around 40 attendees from various organisations, including representatives of regions, industry, and civil society groups.

The opinion will next be voted in the ECON commission meeting on 4 July, before going to the CoR plenary session in October 2024.