As one of the EU’s Framework Partners, CLGF was delighted to be invited to attend the Global Gateway Forum 2025.

As many of our members are aware, the Global Gateway is the European Union's strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors; and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world, aiming to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion in investments.

Shift in EU support

It signals a significant shift in approach to the way in which the EU will be supporting partner states; and CLGF, alongside the other FPA partner organisations, is working hard to ensure that support for the work of local government is integrated into the 360 degree approach to Global Gateway envisaged by the EU going forward.

The meeting brought together heads of state, European business leaders, civil society and other actors and was structured around plenary sessions and small discussion sessions, aimed at unpacking Global Gateway and demonstrating a new approach to international cooperation.

New initiatives

A number of major initiatives were signed in Brussels, where the EU announced that they had already met their original 300 billion Euros of commitments, in advance of the target date of 2025, and that the target had been increased to 400 billion. This included, for example, a package of EUR 12bn with South Africa, to support just energy transition, sustainable infrastructure, digital connectivity and pharmaceutical value chains; and EUR 57m in grants, just this year, to support economic diversification, key agricultural value chains, and logistics platforms in Angola along the Lobito Corridor, a transport corridor investment which will run from Zambia, through DRC to the coast in Angola. Jamaica also highlighted their partnership around digitalisation and efforts to digitalise service delivery across the country to improve public service efficiency. 

Partnership and investment

Clearly, investment is at the heart of the new strategy, and the focus on infrastructure, as well as the partnership approach, was broadly welcomed in the high-level discussions and presentations. Among the local government and civil society community, however, there remain significant concerns around how the stated commitment to supporting local government will be integrated into what the EU is calling the 360 degree approach. Local government should be at the heart of many of the planned investments – as planning authorities; as the representative voice of local communities; and as key service delivery partners, however the process for access is very varied, and in many cases we are seeing local government being overlooked.

Potential of local government

CLGF is committed to ensuring that its members and partners are empowered as a strategic partner in the delivery of Global Gateway. There is huge potential for local government to actively support new value chains and to strengthen local economic development; to take advantage of investment in digital infrastructure to improve service delivery and local revenue collection; and to enhance and embrace a just local energy transition in informal settlement development and through local job creation and enhanced local economic opportunities. At the moment this is only happening in an ad hoc way.

Securing EU commitment for local government

In December CLGF and a delegation of members, including CLGF Chairperson Mayor Bernard Wagner, will be attending the Forum of Cities and Regions for International Partnership in Brussels to continue its efforts to secure greater commitment to engagement with local government. CLGF will also be working towards the renewal of its Framework Partnership Agreement with the EU to ensure that this dialogue and negotiation continues, and CLGF is enabled to continue to support members and partners at the local level to position themselves as partners in the Global Gateway process.

For further information, visit the Global Gateway Forum website.