New open letter: Ensuring transparency in the drafting of the National and Regional Partnership Plans

FEDARENE signed a joint letter together with more than 50 European organisations calling on the European Commission and Member States to ensure full transparency and meaningful stakeholder involvement in the preparation of the upcoming National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). The signatories stress that these plans, linked to the next EU budget cycle, will shape how EU funds are invested and therefore must be developed through genuine multilevel governance involving regions, cities, civil society, energy agencies and social partners.

In the letter, the organisations warn that insufficient consultation and weak application of the partnership principle risk undermining the effectiveness and legitimacy of EU funding programmes. They urge governments to establish structured dialogue, use existing participatory frameworks, and ensure that local and regional actors are involved from the earliest stages of planning through implementation and monitoring. According to the signatories, stronger transparency and inclusive governance are essential to ensure that EU investments respond to real territorial needs, support the energy and climate transition, and reinforce public trust in European policies.

Open letter

Dear Minister of Finance, 
Dear Minister of Energy, Climate and Environment, 
Dear Minister of Employment and Social Affairs, 
Dear Permanent Representatives,

While negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework are ongoing, Member States are already beginning preparatory work on their National and Regional Partnership Plans at the national level. This early phase offers an important opportunity to embed the partnership principle and genuine multilevel governance from the outset, through timely and meaningful engagement of local and regional authorities, civil society, energy communities, energy agencies, trade unions, social and economic partners.

The 55 undersigned organisations call on the European Commission and Member States to ensure transparent, structured, and inclusive National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). Strong implementation of the partnership principle and genuine multi-level governance can maximise the added value of EU funds through enabling more targeted, place-based investments and wider dissemination of impacts. It can also ensure social buy-in of national reforms, contributing to overall EU objectives. Crucially, integrating citizens’ needs into the long-term financial decision-making process can restore trust in European values at a time of multiple and overlapping crises. 

Lessons learned from previous budgeting cycles have shown that meaningful partnerships have resulted in better planning quality and higher trust among all parties. Member States should thus already today make the best use of existing tools and procedures to foster public participation in the NRPPs. At the same time, the signatories point out that the ongoing Multiannual Financial Framework (“MFF”) negotiations present an opportunity to further embed multilevel governance in European policymaking. 

The undersigned organisations: