Working for the European Regions of 2030

Every five years, the Bureau of the Assembly of European Regions sets the political voice underpinning the AER’s priorities as a pan-European and independent network.

At the Spring Bureau meeting that took place in Maribor, Slovenia, on 18 June 2025, members agreed on the direction of the AER for the upcoming five years.

The AER’s Political Priorities 2025-2030 were drafted by the appointed Task Force which gathered together five regional governments from Sweden (Norrbotten, Västra Götaland, Värmland), and The Netherlands (Flevoland, Gelderland). The Task Force kick-started from the Spring 2024 Bureau Meeting and identified the challenges that AER should address over the next five years.

The final draft was open for consultation with the overall membership, which led to a discussion and a final adoption during the Spring 2025 Bureau Meeting that took place alongside the General Assembly and the 40th Anniversary of the AER in Maribor, Eastern Slovenia.

The AER Political Priorities 2025-2030 in brief

The Political Priorities for the 2025-2030 period aim at providing a strategic orientation to the network’s efforts to connect regions and influence the European and global decision-making processes.

These priorities have been drafted in a contextual moment where we operate in a world and continent confronted with unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Geopolitical conflicts are increasing in scale, with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine causing political and economic instability, heightened security concerns, and military tensions across the continent are on the rise.

However, if the challenges facing Europe are great, so are the opportunities. The potential for social, economic, and environmental transformation is greater than ever. 

The upcoming five years will be decisive for the delivery of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Over the last forty years, the AER members have addressed challenges and seized new opportunities. Going forward, we will navigate Europe’s green, digital and demographic transition. Together, we will create a unified and strong voice for regional authorities in shaping Europe’s future.

For the upcoming five years, members have identified the following three main pillars as key focus areas:

1. Our Democratic Regions – Promoting Citizens’ Participation & European Values in a Wider Europe

European democracy is under growing pressure, as core European values such as human rights, the rule of law, equality, and gender equality are increasingly at risk

Amid the fragmentation of European cooperation and the rise of geopolitical instability, Europe faces new threats, such as hybrid warfare, disinformation, and foreign interference in local elections, making regional cooperation more important than ever.

The AER’s most important mission is to confront these challenges and reinforce the resilience and responsiveness of our democracies, to form new democratic partnerships with regions and their citizens.

This involves strengthening subsidiarity, good governance and democracy at the regional level, enhancing citizen engagement, countering disinformation, ensuring fair and free elections, and rebuilding European democracy around subsidiarity to protect our European values and prosperity.

2. Our Prosperous Regions – Where Innovation, Sustainability & Competitiveness Takes Place

As climate change and biodiversity loss accelerate, bringing us closer to overshooting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal, the transition to renewable energy and a circular economy becomes both an environmental necessity and an opportunity to transform our economy and communities. 

The AER will support a place-based and well-resourced common agricultural policy post-2027, designed to effectively transform and transform our agricultural landscape while sustaining thriving rural communities that lead the way in Europe’s sustainability, competitiveness and prosperity.

As centralisation tendencies gain traction, regionalisation offers the opportunity for more targeted investments and a closer alignment with the unique needs of local communities. 

A regional approach must be implemented for ensuring a Cohesion Policy that remains a transformative tool for inclusive and sustainable development across the EU, advancing economic and social challenges, and embracing the right to stay for all citizens in their territories.

3. Our Inclusive Regions – Drivers of Social Cohesion & Guarantors of Equal Opportunities

Inequalities within and among countries are growing across Europe. Disparities in income, health, employment, education and housing, shaped by factors such as socioeconomic status, geography, gender, age, disability and background, and exacerbated by discrimination, are limiting citizens’ full participation in society.

Also central to our vision of inclusion is mental health and well-being. Mental health presents a significant challenge in Europe, further intensified by socioeconomic pressures, the digital divide, and climate change. 

Creating a productive, sustainable and inclusive Europe requires a firm commitment to equal opportunities for all, in every region. The AER will support regions in tackling the inequalities and discrimination which prevent specific groups of society and individuals from fulfilling their potential.