Partenalia held its Political Council meeting in Torrent and adopted the Torrent Declaration on the future of Cohesion Policy
Torrent, February 18, 2026 – Partenalia held its Political Council (General Assembly) meeting on February 18 at the Museu de l’Horta Sud in Torrent (Valencia). The event brought together representatives of intermediate governments from Spain, Germany, and Italy.
Participating institutions included several Spanish provincial councils—among them those of Valencia, Castellón, Almería, Badajoz, Cáceres, Jaén, and Tarragona—as well as the provincial governments of Hanover (Germany) and Lucca (Italy), and the Turin Metropolitan Area (Italy).
Adoption of the Torrent Declaration
During the Political Council meeting, members adopted the Torrent Declaration on the future of Cohesion Policy, in the context of the ongoing negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework. The Declaration positioned Intermediate Local Authorities as key stakeholders within the European institutional framework and as an essential level of multi-level governance.
New Presidency and Organizational Decisions
The Provincial Council of Valencia (Diputación de Valencia), represented by its Provincial Deputy for European Funds and Innovation, Mr. Juan Ramón Adsuara, was elected President of Partenalia. The Province of Lucca, represented by its Vice-President, Mr. Luca Menesini, was re-elected Vice-President.
Members approved the network’s action plan and ratified the memberhsip of two new partners to the network: Region Hannover (NUTS 3) and Città Metropolitana di Torino (NUTS 3).
The Political Council also agreed to create three new Working Groups focused on Civil Protection, Youth, and Waste Management and Circular Economy, thus reinforcing the network’s strategic priorities.
ProVote and the European Agenda
The participation of members and their respective territories in the European ProVote project, coordinated by Partenalia, was extensively discussed. Members reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening youth, rural, women and marginalised communities’ democratic participation at the local and intermediate levels.
The network’s participation in key European Union events, such as the European Sustainable Energy Week and the European Week of Regions and Cities, was also addressed. These are strategic forums for enhancing the visibility of local intermediate authorities.
In the afternoon, members participated in the first local workshop of the ProVote project, focusing on the theme “Mobilizing Youth to Increase Voter Participation,” with presentations prepared by the Partenalia technical team.
Visit to municipalities affected by the DANA storm
As part of the program, members had the opportunity to visit areas affected by the 2024 DANA flashflood, specifically the municipalities of Picanya, Sedaví, and Llocnou, to learn firsthand about the recovery efforts and the role played by local authorities in crisis management and territorial resilience.
With this Political Council meeting, Partenalia reinforced its role as the European voice of local authorities and as a committed actor in shaping future European Union policies.
