The future of cohesion policies and the need for a central role of the Regions in the definition of European funds are at the centre of Alessio Mammi's first mission to Brussels, in his capacity as Councillor for Relations with the EU for the Emilia-Romagna Region. A busy two days that saw a meeting with the European Commissioner for the Budget, Piotr Serafin, and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission with responsibility for cohesion and reforms, Raffaele Fitto. Together with Alain Rousset, president of the French region Nouvelle Aquitaine, twinned with Emilia-Romagna since 1999 - and with which it also shares the seat in Brussels - Mammi led a delegation of presidents and regional ministers of the EURegions4Cohesion network. The governors of Lazio Francesco Rocca and Basilicata Vito Bardi were also members. Created on the eve of the European elections, the EURegions4Cohesion network aims to protect the management of the European cohesion policy from the risks of a re-centralisation at national level. To date, a total of 144 European regions have joined the network, asking the European Commission to maintain the current model of shared management of cohesion policy with the regions even after 2027. ‘We reiterated to Serafin and Fitto the importance of maintaining a strong role for the regions in the programming and implementation process of the cohesion policy of the future,’ Mammi commented.