MEPs call for cohesion policy to uphold the ‘right to stay’ in EU cities

Give cities easier access to funding and a stronger role in setting investment priorities

Use cohesion funding to strengthen climate resilience, urban security and housing affordability

Security-related investment must not replace funding for cities’ socio-economic development

Regional Development MEPs say the ‘right to stay’ must be central to EU cohesion policy, enabling people to live, work and build futures in the places they call home.

In a report adopted unanimously on Thursday, the Committee on Regional Development calls for a cohesion policy that can help cities address rising housing costs, security challenges, unequal access to essential services and natural disasters.

Putting cities at the centre of cohesion policy

The MEPs urge the Commission to build the ‘right to stay’ principle into the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF), with cohesion funding to support affordable and sustainable housing, quality jobs, essential public services, transport, healthcare and connectivity, particularly in cities and territories facing demographic decline and depopulation.

Local and regional authorities should be fully involved in defining investment priorities and designing cohesion-funded programmes and the national and regional partnership plans (NRPPs). MEPs also favour simpler access to EU funding for cities, supported by technical assistance, capacity-building and reduced administrative burdens, particularly for small and medium-sized cities, as well as stronger dialogue between EU institutions and cities to identify implementation barriers and adapt EU policies to local needs.

Strengthening urban climate resilience and security

To help cities respond to increasingly frequent extreme weather events and rising temperatures, MEPs call for greater cohesion investment in nature-based solutions, resilient infrastructure and climate adaptation.

They also propose using cohesion funds to support urban civil preparedness and resilience, including infrastructure and systems needed to respond to crises, while ensuring that security-related investment does not replace funding for the socio-economic development of cities and regions.

Balancing housing affordability and sustainable tourism

The text highlights the role that cohesion policy can have in helping cities address the housing crisis by supporting affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient housing, including social and public housing, renovation, urban regeneration and the reuse of vacant or abandoned buildings.

The MEPs also support a sustainable approach to tourism, helping local tourism ecosystems while protecting residents’ quality of life, taking local circumstances and the competences of national, regional and local authorities fully into account.

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Rapporteur Denis Nesci (ECR, IT), said: “Cities must offer people strong roots and real opportunities to build their future. The ‘right to stay’ means ensuring that students, young professionals and families can find affordable housing, reliable transport and essential public services where they choose to live. With predictable cohesion funding beyond 2027 and simpler access to EU support, we can help build cities that are more connected, safe and resilient, while creating the conditions for young people to stay, contribute and seize opportunities in their communities.”

Next steps

The report will be tabled for a vote during Parliament’s November plenary session.