Successful political launch of the Network of Regional Hubs at the 8th European Summit of Regions and Cities in Bucharest on 15 March 2019, attended by CoR president Karl-Heinz Lambertz and CoR first vice-president Markku Markkula as well as political representatives of the hubs.

To reduce disparities and deliver more opportunities for all European citizens, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) wants cohesion policy to be easier, more flexible and not used as a sanction or incentive to achieve other goals, other than sustainable development. Improvements and legislative amendments to the European Commission proposals for cohesion policy 2021-2027 are included in four different opinions adopted by local and regional leaders during the CoR plenary session on 5 December.

On 6 December from 11am Michel Barnier, the European Union's Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the Union, will discuss Brexit and its impact on regions and cities with local leaders from all the EU's member states. His visit to the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels comes on the eve of UK parliaments crucial vote on the agreed Withdrawal Agreement

EU local and regional leaders gathered in Sofia on 7 June calling for averting the 10% cuts to cohesion policy planned by the European Commission in its proposal for the EU budget 2021-2027. Together with the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, they called for securing sufficient resources and improving rules in order to ensure that reducing disparities by involving local actors remains the key objective and function of the future European structural and investment funds.