This week Borboly Csaba, Vice-President of Hargita County Council and EPP-CoR Raporteur on AgoraEU opinion held three senior-level bilateral meetings with DG EAC, KEA European Affairs and DG CNECT
This week Borboly Csaba, Vice-President of Hargita County Council and EPP-CoR Raporteur on AgoraEU opinion held three senior-level bilateral meetings with DG EAC, KEA European Affairs and DG CNECT, advancing concrete solutions to ensure the programme reaches all territories, not only the strongest centres.
The report is the CoR draft opinion responding to the Commission proposal for a Regulation establishing the AgoraEU programme for 2028–2034, consolidating previous programmes (Creative Europe and CERV+) while preserving distinct strands such as Culture, Media, Citizens’ engagement and Equality & Rights.
It argues that local and regional authorities should be recognised as implementing partners in upholding EU values, promoting cultural diversity and strengthening democratic engagement, while also safeguarding artistic freedom and freedom of the press.
In line with EPP’s commitment to subsidiarity, multilevel governance and strong local democracy, the discussions secured traction around three deliverables:
Two-step applications and cascading small grants to lower entry barriers and bring in newcomers and smaller operators.
AgoraEU contact points/desks, potentially also at regional level, to provide hands-on guidance and strengthen geographical balance in participation.
A clearer focus on supporting small media organisations, including in rural and less developed regions, reinforcing local and regional information ecosystems and pluralism.
Crucially, the work also reinforced the need for measurable territorial participation and funding distribution indicators, so fairness is monitored and corrected over time.
This progress was enabled by strong cooperation with the EPP Group Secretariat and the SEDEC Secretariat’s organisation. Next milestone: SEDEC vote scheduled for 2 February 2026, ahead of the CoR plenary foreseen for 5–6 May 2026.
