Speech by Commissioner Šuica at the Committee of the Regions session of the European Public Diplomacy Week

European Commission -Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Šuica at the Committee of the Regions session of the European Public Diplomacy Week Brussels, 24 June 2025 Dear President, Dear Mayors, Councillors, and City Assembly Members, Dear representatives of cities and regions, Members of the Committee of the Regions, Dear Guests, It is both a great honour and pleasure to be with you again at the Committee of the Regions. You know that I have visited this house many times in the previous mandate as the Vice-President for Democracy and demography. I was also a Mayor of Dubrovnik, and I know very well that policies must always be multi-level. Because our citizens are at the heart of everything we do. And no one is closer to citizens than you are. To have an impact on the ground, the regional and local level play the most important role. This is also true for our international policies. And I say this as the Commissioner for both Demography and the Mediterranean. Today, Europe is facing many challenges related to demography. Many of our regions and cities are affected by: the demographic shift towards an ageing society that puts pressure on national pension systems and public services, the depopulation of rural areas, keeping citizens of all age groups in the labour markets, housing challenges, and the efforts for the successful integration of migrants. Two years ago, I presented the Demography Toolbox, which offered...