February 20, 2025

The following is a press release:

President of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, becomes 1st Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions.

Her election, which came at the start of the 2025-2030 mandate of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), means that President Tüttő will be the leading voice of regions and cities in the European Union for the next two and a half years.

Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, (EPP/ES) president of the Spanish region of Andalusia, will join the new CoR Presidency as 1st Vice-President. As part of a political agreement, PES will cede the presidency to the EPP mid-way through the CoR's mandate, with Mr Moreno Bonilla currently expected to succeed Ms Tüttő.

Addressing CoR members on 20 February, President Tüttő said that she will focus on strengthening local democracy, advancing climate, cohesion and housing policies, as well as ensuring that cities and regions play a key role in shaping the EU’s future.

Members of the CoR also elected new chairs and deputy-chairs of the assembly's six policy commissions and its Commission for financial and administrative affairs.

Quotes:

President Kata Tüttő: "I am very humbled by the cross-party support for my election. The strength of the EU comes from being grounded in local realities. When Europe loses that connection, when people feel disconnected from decisions—we weaken. We, in the European Committee of the Regions, are the ones connecting European policies to the ground. We make complex policies real, bring common sense and local innovation into EU decision-making. We are a team of ground problem solvers who have the opportunity to connect, exchange experience, take distance from our own reality to see if the problems we face are local or systematic. In this way, we strengthen the fabric of our Europe and we become stabilizers in times of uncertainty. It is our duty, as local and regional leaders, to be the optimists of Europe, invest energy in city- to city, region- to -region connections, stay in touch with the ground, build on the trust we hold to shape our common future for the better ".

First Vice-President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla: "I appreciate the spirit of cooperation shown by the two major groups that have made it possible to reach the agreement on the Committee of the Regions new presidency. I take on this responsibility with enthusiasm and a strong sense of public service, the same vocation that led me to become President of Andalusia—the most populous region in Spain and the southernmost region of Europe—which I have been representing in the Committee of the Regions since 2019. To tackle the current challenges, we need a cohesive, stable Europe with well-defined objectives. A Europe that follows the path of moderation and consensus but also stands firm. An autonomous Europe with the resources to implement its policies. And a Europe that takes on the great challenges defined by the Council, the Parliament and the Commission for this legislative term: a free and democratic Europe, a strong and secure Europe, and a prosperous and competitive Europe."

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The European Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives from all 27 Member States. Created in 1994 following the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, its mission is to involve regional and local authorities in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. To sit on the European Committee of the Regions, all of its 329 members and 329 alternates must either hold an electoral mandate or be politically accountable to an elected assembly in their home regions and cities. Click here for more details on your national delegation.