The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is recognized by the EU Institutions as the representative voice of regional and local authorities in EU policy development and EU legislation.

The EU Treaties oblige the Commission, Parliament and Council to consult the Committee of the Regions whenever new proposals are made in areas that affect the regional or local level.

Therefore the Committee of the Regions closely cooperates on a daily basis not only with the EU Institutions but also with many other stakeholders representing the regional and local level, as well as civil society.

European Commission

The Committee of the Regions, the voice of regions and cities in Europe, is closely monitoring the work of the European Commission. 

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the only supranational institution whose members are democratically elected by direct universal suffrage. It represents the citizens of the EU Member States. The European Parliament is firmly established as a co-legislator, has budgetary powers and exercises democratic controls over all the European institutions.

The Committee of the Regions works in close relationship with the European Parliament on common issues of concerns for the EU citizens of the Regions and Cities of Europe.

The CIVEX Commission closely cooperates with the MEPs in the following Parliamentary Committees:

• Legal affairs
• Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs
• Constitutional Affairs
• Foreign Affairs
• Development 

Council of the European Union

The Council of the European Union is, together with the European Parliament, the decision making body of the European Union.

To voice the concerns of the Regions and Cities of Europe in the field of Economic and Social issues, the CIVEX Commission closely follows the work of the Member States Ministers in three areas:

• General affairs
• Justice and Home Affairs
• Foreign Affairs
• Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Statements

In addition to the EU Institutions, the EU has a number of specialised bodies with a know-how that is valuable to the work of the Committee of the Regions.

• European Union External Action Service (EEAS)
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• European Investment Bank (EIB)

• Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) section
• External Relations (REX) section

• European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), particularly for Annual dialogues CoR-FRA and the joined-up governance tool-kit
• European Training Foundation (ETF)
• EURONEST

• Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLREA)
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODHIR)
• UNICEF, particularly its Brussels EU office
• OECD, particularly in relation to regional development and Fiscal Federalism
• Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
• Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
• Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
• EUROCITIES
• Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
• Assembly of European Regions (ARE)
• Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA)
• Covenant of Mayors  
• Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS)