Policy briefs: Urban Interest Representation in the EU & Local and Regional governments representation in the EP

Two policy briefs were published in May 2026 on the EU-level advocacy of cities, authored by Dr Balázs Brucker, Research Fellow at ELTE CERS Institute for Regional Studies, Pécs (HU). The executive summaries of the briefs are presented below with links to the full documents.

Urban Interest Representation in the EU: Opportunities, Channels, and Constraints – Evidence from Hungary

Local and regional authorities are key implementers of EU policies, yet their capacity to influence decision-making at the European level remains uneven and largely indirect. This policy brief analyses the main institutional and informal channels of urban interest representation within the European Union.

The analysis demonstrates that effective influence is primarily determined by early-stage engagement in the policy cycle, embeddedness in European multi-level governance networks, and sustained interaction with key institutional actors, rather than formal decision-making authority. Despite the existence of multiple access points, significant disparities persist between well-resourced cities and smaller municipalities in their capacity to effectively articulate
and channel their interests at EU level.

The findings are grounded in empirical evidence from Hungarian cities of varying size and administrative capacity, highlighting both structural constraints and emerging strategies of engagement at the EU level.

How are the interests of local and regional governments represented in the European Parliament?

A significant share of European Union policies are implemented by local and regional governments, making it crucial to understand how subnational interests are represented in EU decision-making. This policy brief examines the role of the European Parliament in this process.

The analysis shows that, due to its direct democratic legitimacy and open institutional structure, the European Parliament serves as one of the most important channels for the representation of local and regional interests at EU level. MEP activity, committee work, as well as semiformal and informal forums all contribute to the incorporation of subnational interests into EU policymaking.

The findings suggest that the European Parliament plays a particularly important role in situations where tensions arise between national and subnational levels, as it provides one of the most accessible institutional forums for local and regional actors within the EU system.