Murcia Región Europea The regional government is strengthening coordination to identify the European priorities of the Region of Murcia

Last week, the Directorate General for the European Union held a working meeting with representatives from the other regional ministries to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and increase the region's capacity to influence European Union policies and programs.

The meeting marks the starting point of a strategy that seeks to more effectively integrate all areas of the regional government in defining and monitoring the European agenda, consolidating a more cross-cutting, proactive, and aligned foreign policy that reflects the priorities of the Region of Murcia.

During the meeting, the Director General for the European Union, María Cruz Ferreira, highlighted the strategic role of the Focal Contact Points. These points are comprised of the staff members from each department responsible for coordinating European issues within their respective ministries and act as liaisons between these ministries and European institutions. In this way, they help facilitate the early identification of EU initiatives with regional impact and contribute to defending the Region's interests.

“Our ability to influence Brussels and secure European funding depends not only on subsequent management, but also on our ability to participate from the outset in the debate on directives, regulations, and financial frameworks,” she asserted. For this reason, “we want each regional ministry to feel like a co-author of the Region’s European agenda, identifying from the technical phase which initiatives directly impact their area of ​​responsibility,” Ferreira noted.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to convey to the regional ministries the need to strengthen their monitoring and participation in the main EU initiatives that will shape the second half of 2026, coinciding with the beginning of a new institutional phase in the European Union and the progress of negotiations on the future EU budget.

European Priorities

One of the issues addressed in the working session was the analysis of the updated package of legislative fact sheets, with the aim of identifying opportunities for influence and funding for the Region.

Among the issues of interest to the Region highlighted during the meeting were the negotiations related to the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 and the future Cohesion Policy, which are fundamental to ensuring the continuity of resources allocated to regional development, competitiveness, and territorial cohesion.

The meetings also addressed dossiers related to the transformation of the agri-food and fisheries sector, including the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, the European Union's Livestock Strategy, the Fertilizer Action Plan, and the 2040 Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

In the area of ​​industrial competitiveness and innovation, initiatives such as the Law on Accelerating Industrial Decarbonization, the future European Chips 2.0 Law, the 10th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and the regulatory simplification packages promoted by the European Commission were analyzed.

Furthermore, the regional ministries will work on monitoring proposals related to resilience, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion, paying particular attention to the circular economy, water scarcity management, and new European strategies on skills, employment, and training.

Towards more participatory European governance

The meeting now opens a phase of technical work in each department to identify and prioritize those European issues with the greatest impact on their respective areas of responsibility.

With this coordination model, the Regional Government is strengthening an internal governance structure that fosters the participation of all departments in shaping the regional position before the European Union, improves the ability to anticipate future legislative initiatives, and reinforces the strategy for attracting European funding.