— Rueda warns about the risk of recentralizing the management of EU funds and advocates maintaining cohesion policies that have helped “improve the regions.”

— He also stresses that the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) best represents the European spirit, connecting peoples and cultures through exchange, knowledge, and mutual understanding.

— The summit will conclude with the approval of the Galicia Declaration, in which Spanish regions and municipalities call for a balanced and fair EU budget that supports the regions.

Santiago de Compostela, 21 October 2025. The President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, accompanied by the Regional Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Sports, Diego Calvo, and the Regional Minister for Finance and Public Administration, Miguel Corgos, highlighted today in Santiago de Compostela the importance of strengthening the role of regions and municipalities in building the European project. “We want to continue contributing, as we have until now, to building a stronger, more cohesive European Union that is, above all, closer to its citizens in its decision-making — something guaranteed by regions, provinces, and municipalities,” he stated.

During his address at the meeting of the Spanish delegation to the European Committee of the Regions, Rueda emphasized the symbolic value of holding this event in Galicia, underlining the region’s deep-rooted European spirit. In this regard, he stressed that the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) best embodies the European ideal. A network that for centuries has united peoples and cultures through exchange, knowledge, and mutual understanding. “Europeans have understood for centuries that what unites us is far greater than what divides us,” he added.

Rueda recalled that the essence of the European project lies precisely in cooperation, a principle the Committee of the Regions upholds by defending subsidiarity and ensuring that Europe remains a project for people, not just institutions.

He also expressed Galicia’s pride in currently chairing the Spanish delegation to the Committee. A responsibility that, he said, is assumed with the aim of helping Spain speak in Europe with a plural, solid, and united voice, committed to shared values and common development.

Alfonso Rueda: “We want to continue contributing to building a strong, cohesive Europe that is closer to citizens in its decisions”

Referring to the debate on the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, Rueda expressed concern about the risk of centralization posed by the European Commission’s proposal to merge 14 existing funds into a single framework. He stressed the importance of maintaining the effective participation of regional and local governments in the design and management of European policies, recalling that territorial cohesion is the heart of the EU and must not be replaced or diluted. For Rueda, it is essential to preserve the cohesion policies “that have done so much to improve our regions.”

In this context, Rueda announced that the Galicia Declaration, approved during the meeting, will serve as a key document reaffirming the commitment to a Europe of regions and calling for an ambitious, balanced, and fair EU budget that recognizes the crucial role of regional and local administrations in implementing EU policies.

Download the Galicia Declaration here (in Spanish).

More info: Xunta de Galicia