Regions and cities set out building blocks for a reformed Cohesion Policy post-2027

Local and regional leaders put forward their key requests on how to make EU's regional policy more flexible, robust and for all territories in the coming decade.

On the eve of the adoption by Member States of their conclusions on the future of Cohesion Policy, regions and cities have urged EU governments and the European Commission to recognise the paramount importance of this policy to tackle territorial disparities, promote the digital and green transition, and defend European democratic values in all regions. Proposals to reform Cohesion Policy after 2027 are included in an opinion  adopted by unanimity on 29 November at the plenary of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). The opinion was drafted by the president of the assembly, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, and by Emil Boc, chair of the CoR's Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget.​

The debate on how Cohesion Policy should be reformed after the current EU budgetary period 2021-27 is taking off. EU institutions are assessing the impact and the performance of Cohesion Policy in dealing with recent crises and boosting the green and digital transition. The CoR, which represents over 1 million elected local and regional politicians, puts forward crucial requests to reshape a policy that represents one-third of the EU budget and should continue to be prioritised as a cornerstone of economic, social, and territorial development in all European territories.

In order to tackle exceptional crises and climate disasters, such as floods and wildfires, local and regional leaders propose the creation of a mechanism that can be activated at territorial level. On the one hand, this would allow the flexible use of funds in such circumstances. On the other hand, the new mechanism would avoid constant revisions of operational programmes, as occurred several times during the 2014-20 period, therefore safeguarding long-term investments.

Regions and cities call also for a "European Partnership Pact", which would define a single set of rules and goals for all shared management funds, while ensuring consistency and simplification. The Pact would include also the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) as well as new instruments under hybrid forms of management, such as the – yet to be launched – Social Climate Fund.

Other key political requests

• all European regions should remain eligible for funding in the future;
• the shared-management model, multi-level governance and the partnership principle should be kept as guiding principles of Cohesion Policy post-2027;
• the suspension of Cohesion Policy funds as a consequence of national governments' breaches of the EU fiscal rules (macroeconomic conditionality) should be eliminated. Long-term investments cannot be held hostage to national decisions;
• national and regional investments required for EU Cohesion Policy co-funded projects should be excluded from the spending – and therefore from the debt - calculation within EU fiscal rules;
• the objective of territorial cohesion must be binding for all European policies ('do no harm to cohesion' principle);
• the overall funding architecture should be simplified to avoid a proliferation of investment tools directly or indirectly intended for cohesion.

Quotes

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro (PT/PES), and co-rapporteur of the opinion said: "Cohesion Policy as we know it is at risk. Today, the Committee of the Regions, as the voice of local and regional representatives, puts forward a clear proposal to renovate the policy to make it stronger and better equipped to address new challenges and growing disparities. There are many out there who are sceptic towards Cohesion Policy. To them we say that the European Union cannot survive without it. With a bold reform, flexibility, partnership and simplification, Cohesion Policy can continue to play its role as a long term, transformational and structural policy."

Emil Boc (RO/EPP) Chair of the CoR commission responsible for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER), Major of Cluj-Napoca, former Prime Minister of Romania and co-rapporteur of the opinion, stated: "Regions and cities are the barometer of people needs, and our citizens want a new way of living that is cleaner, inclusive, served by technology advancements and, most important of all, happy and fulfilled. The future of Cohesion Policy is the key for a better Europe. The success of the future of Cohesion Policy relies on a multi-level governance and shared management, the strengthening of the partnership principle and the need to implement the 'do no harm to cohesion' principle across the entire EU budget and policies."

Next steps

The opinion will now be published on the Official Journal of the European Union and sent to members of the European Parliament, relevant European Commissioners and representative from the 27 Member States.

On 4 December, the European Parliament's committee responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) is expected to vote a draft report which, if backed by MEPs, will be aligned with the CoR's request to exclude the investments in Cohesion Policy co-funded projects from spending calculations within the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact.

More information

The opinion was adopted by CoR members after a debate with: Elisa Ferreira, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms;  Mercedes Caballero Fernández, Secretary General for European Funds of Spain, which holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU; Younous Omarjee, Chair of the committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament; and Elio Di Rupo (BE/PES), Minister-President of the Wallonia Region and former Prime Minister of Belgium who will chair the meetings of ministers responsible for cohesion during the upcoming Belgian Presidency of the Council, in the first half of 2024.

Together with the leading European associations of cities and regions, the CoR is a founding partner of the #CohesionAlliance, whose mission is to affirm cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union and a key objective for all its policies and investments.

Factsheet on the content of the opinion

Text of the opinion

Re-watch the Plenary debate

Video on Cohesion Policy with examples of good regional practices from France (Corsica), Italy (Novara), Poland (Łódź), Hungary (Budapest), Finland (Turku) and Belgium (Mechelen)

Contacts:

Monica Tiberi – Spokesperson of the President

Tel: +32 479 51 74 43

monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu

Matteo Miglietta

Tel: +32 470 89 53 82

matteo.miglietta@cor.europa.eu