Med over 11 millioner smittede og mere end 270.000 døde i Europa har pandemien understreget, at alle myndigheder på regionalt, lokalt og andre mellemliggende niveauer spiller en helt afgørende rolle i leveringen af offentlige tjenester så tæt som muligt på borgerne. De administrerer alle de nødvendige sundhedsmæssige tiltag på lokalt niveau som f.eks. karantæneforanstaltninger og kontaktopsporing.

Local and regional politicians from Serbia on 17 October told members of the European Committee of the Regions that they are working hard to ensure that their administrations are fully prepared to meet European Union standards by the time their country joins the EU. They were speaking at a meeting in Niš at which the EU side voiced continuing concerns about the quality of the rule of law and degree of media freedom in Serbia.

Access to money and how much power should be given to give to local government were the central themes when local leaders from the European Union and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met in Skopje on 11 September, against the backdrop of a renewed drive by the country to join the European Union.

Portugals premierminister António Costa og Kommissionens første næstformand Frans Timmermans vil dele deres synspunkter om Den Europæiske Unions fremtid med regionale og lokale ledere i separate debatter den 31. januar. Deres indlæg bliver den politiske