On 9 October 2018, the President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Karl-Heinz Lambertz, delivered his address on the "State of the European Union: the View of its Regions and Cities". It coincided with the 16th European Week of Regions and Cities and the adoption of the CoR opinion on the future of Europe. Among others, the President addressed the question on how regional and local leaders can help to make the European Union democratically more accountable and regain citizens' trust in its institutions.