The 228th external Bureau meeting of the CoR today took place in Balatonfüred (Hungary) in the context of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The external meeting of the Bureau aims to establish a continuous dialogue with the Presidency, in particular regarding the specific local and regional challenges and best practices. 

Representing the ECR Group were Bureau members Marco Marsilio, Roberto Ciambetti, Paweł Grzybowski as well as Ádám Karácsony and Anna Magyar who chaired the two panel debates. The Mayor of Balatonfüred and ECR Member István Bóka had the honour of being keynote speaker as part of the opening remarks.

In the debate on cohesion policy, ECR members highlighted the importance of incorporating demographic continuity to main cohesion policy priorities, alongside the green and digital transitions. This would enable the areas that are most impacted by demographic decline to make themselves attractive for people and businesses, providing them with the freedom to remain – a key priority for the ECR Group in the CoR. Our Bureau members also made reference to the just transition becoming an essential part of a reformed cohesion policy echoing calls in Mr Marsilio's opinion on a just transition recently adopted by the CoR plenary.

In the second panel dedicated to the topic of sustainable tourism in regions with natural heritage, our members stressed that promoting tourism in rural and less frequented areas can help to preserve our identity and cultural heritage while balancing the influx of visitors to popular destinations. The ECR Group aligns with the Hungarian Presidency aim, which is to promote practices that benefit both the environment and local communities. This objective ties in with broader goals of fostering economic growth while protecting cultural and natural heritage.