The EU announced three new partnerships at the 2025 edition of the Forum of Cities and Regions for International Partnerships, highlighting how local and regional authorities are increasingly shaping Global Gateway investments. The Forum underlined the pivotal role that cities and regions and decentralized cooperation play in advancing sustainable development, strengthening territorial governance, and ensuring that the Global Gateway strategy delivers real impact for local communities on the ground.
European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela said:
“These new partnerships show how Global Gateway delivers real impact together with the local actors. They know their communities and understand the development priorities; they are key to ensuring that large-scale investments translate into lasting, inclusive growth.
In Mexico, we are supporting the Port of Guaymas to decarbonise its operations and create new jobs in sustainable industry. In Ecuador, our cooperation is helping to unlock the country’s first-ever green bond, enabling local governments to invest in cleaner transport, resilient infrastructure, or sustainable public services. And through the new pilot on decentralised cooperation, we will strengthen the capacity of local and regional authorities to shape Global Gateway investments from the design phase to delivery on the ground.
Mexico – Supporting the Port of Guaymas’ green transformation
At the Forum, the EU announced it will support with €250,000 the State of Sonora in the decarbonisation and green-logistics transformation of the Port of Guaymas. The aim is to strengthen the port’s net-zero pathway, improve trade connectivity, generate green jobs, and promote regional economic growth. Local authorities are at the heart of the project, working directly with community stakeholders to guide the port’s transformation.
The State of Sonora leads the development of the port’s Master Plan, ensuring alignment with local priorities and long-term territorial development strategies. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges will provide support through technical expertise, building a foundation for future decentralised cooperation in port management, urban development, and sustainable logistics.
This will be the first time the EU works directly with local authorities through the Financing Not Linked to Cost (FNLC) modality, meaning a direct grant following a results-based approach.
Ecuador – First green bond issuance by a public development bank
The EU announced its support for Ecuador’s first-ever green bond expected to be issued in 2026 by Banco de Desarrollo de Ecuador (BDE), with a planned value of USD 50–100 million. This milestone will mark a significant step in expanding the country’s sustainable finance market and in strengthening the capacity of subnational governments to invest in green public infrastructure.
BDE, Ecuador’s primary public development bank for territorial investment, has developed the green bond with technical assistance from the EU and UNDP in the context of the Global Green Bond Initiative (GGBI), a flagship Global Gateway initiative for mobilising private capital for sustainable development. The proceeds will finance renewable energy, energy efficiency, water and sanitation, low-emission transport, resilient infrastructure, environmental management, and green buildings.
The issuance of this bond will offer tremendous opportunities for high-quality, sustainable investments in Ecuadorian cities and municipalities and showcases how EU support can be instrumental to leverage access to green finance at the local level.
Decentralised cooperation and Global Gateway – A new pilot initiative for 2026
At the closing session of the Forum, the EU announced its intention to launch next year a €4 million pilot dedicated to strengthening the link between decentralised cooperation and Global Gateway.
This initiative, which will be co-financed with the Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain), is being developed in collaboration with PLATFORMA – the pan-European coalition of towns and regions and their national, EU and global associations – and its members from Sweden and the Netherlands. The project aims to deepen cooperation between European local and regional authorities and their counterparts in partner countries, building on this Forum’s recommendations as well as the wealth of lessons learnt and good practices from previous city-to-city experiences.
The pilot will analyse the conditions under which decentralised cooperation adds the greatest value to Global Gateway investments, testing these in several geographical contexts. It will provide concrete recommendations on how EU support can better engage local authorities in the preparation, design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Global Gateway initiatives. Finally, operational pilots will be launched to explore in practice the benefits of direct local-level involvement, particularly in fostering local economic development and ensuring sustainability.
Forum conclusions – Localising Global Gateway through stronger local participation
The Forum underscored the essential role of local and regional authorities in the implementation of Global Gateway. With their proximity to citizens and understanding of territorial needs, they are central to designing effective public services, preparing investment pipelines, and ensuring inclusive, people-centred governance.
Participants agreed that a multi-stakeholder approach is crucial to further localise Global Gateway. EU Delegations can engage more systematically with local authorities; local and regional authorities in partner countries can strengthen dialogue with national governments and financial institutions; and European cities and regions can contribute their sectoral expertise and networks. Associations of local and regional authorities also play a vital role through advocacy, information sharing, and capacity-building.
The Forum concluded with the adoption of the Committee of the Regions’ Opinion on localising Global Gateway, which reflects the discussions and underscores the importance of decentralised cooperation—including city-to-city and region-to-region partnerships—in fostering balanced and sustainable partnerships.
Overall, the three-day Forum demonstrated the EU’s commitment to scaling up the participation of local and regional authorities in Global Gateway, ensuring that global investments generate tangible, lasting impact at the local level.
Co-organised with the Committee of the Regions, the Forum brought together 300 participants, including around 100 representatives of local and regional authorities in EU partner countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific, and representatives of EU Member States, International Financial Institutions, and networks and associations of local and regional authorities. The closing session of the Forum was held in the hemicycle of the European Parliament alongside the plenary of the European Committee of the Regions.
