Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, en particular para la cooperación territorial europea (Interreg), y Fondo de Cohesión
Opinion factsheet
En esta página
- Política de cohesión
- Reforma de la política de cohesión
- Fondos Estructurales y de Inversión Europeos
- Cooperación transfronteriza y territorial
Opinion number:
CDR-3468-2025
Status:
Aprobados
Objective
The draft Opinion aims to safeguard the distinct role, visibility and long-term impact of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) within the post-2027 EU budget, while ensuring strong territorial governance and continuity of European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg).
Essential points
• Clear recognition of ERDF and CF as distinct funds, ensuring that both funds remain explicitly earmarked, legally distinct and visible within the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), with predictable allocations and eligibility for all regions, in line with Articles 174–177 TFEU
• A reinforced place-based and integrated territorial approach, maintaining strong legal provisions for integrated territorial development, sustainable urban and rural strategies, functional areas and urban–rural linkages, and preventing the dilution of territorial instruments under a more centralised NRPP logic
• Stronger support for competitiveness, innovation and just transition, reaffirming ERDF and CF contributions to smart specialisation, regional innovation ecosystems, infrastructure, connectivity, housing, social services and climate-neutral transition,
• Robust multilevel governance and administrative capacity, preserving shared management, the partnership principle and the role of local and regional authorities, while warning against hidden budget cuts, excessive centralisation or flexibility mechanisms that weaken predictability and long-term territorial transformation
• Continuity, legal certainty and simplification for Interreg, recognising European Territorial Cooperation as a flagship EU added-value instrument, advocating for stable legal provisions from the start of the programming period, limiting reliance on delayed implementing acts, and safeguarding programme continuity beyond 2027
• Enhanced cross-border governance and delivery, promoting the full use of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) as managing authorities or beneficiaries, ensuring cooperation with non-EU neighbouring countries, maintaining all four Interreg strands, and reintroducing specific provisions for small projects and small-project funds
• Proportionate performance and financial rules, supporting adaptable indicators tailored to Interreg’s specific nature, calling for the application of the N+2 decommitment rule for 2028–2034, and seeking clarity on the impact of horizontal conditionalities (e.g. rule of law) on multi-country Interreg operations
Essential points
• Clear recognition of ERDF and CF as distinct funds, ensuring that both funds remain explicitly earmarked, legally distinct and visible within the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs), with predictable allocations and eligibility for all regions, in line with Articles 174–177 TFEU
• A reinforced place-based and integrated territorial approach, maintaining strong legal provisions for integrated territorial development, sustainable urban and rural strategies, functional areas and urban–rural linkages, and preventing the dilution of territorial instruments under a more centralised NRPP logic
• Stronger support for competitiveness, innovation and just transition, reaffirming ERDF and CF contributions to smart specialisation, regional innovation ecosystems, infrastructure, connectivity, housing, social services and climate-neutral transition,
• Robust multilevel governance and administrative capacity, preserving shared management, the partnership principle and the role of local and regional authorities, while warning against hidden budget cuts, excessive centralisation or flexibility mechanisms that weaken predictability and long-term territorial transformation
• Continuity, legal certainty and simplification for Interreg, recognising European Territorial Cooperation as a flagship EU added-value instrument, advocating for stable legal provisions from the start of the programming period, limiting reliance on delayed implementing acts, and safeguarding programme continuity beyond 2027
• Enhanced cross-border governance and delivery, promoting the full use of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) as managing authorities or beneficiaries, ensuring cooperation with non-EU neighbouring countries, maintaining all four Interreg strands, and reintroducing specific provisions for small projects and small-project funds
• Proportionate performance and financial rules, supporting adaptable indicators tailored to Interreg’s specific nature, calling for the application of the N+2 decommitment rule for 2028–2034, and seeking clarity on the impact of horizontal conditionalities (e.g. rule of law) on multi-country Interreg operations
Essential points
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (CoR)
- highlights the impact of ERDF and Cohesion Fund investments, which exceeded EUR 250 billion in 2014-2020 […] and recognises their irreplaceable value for the territorial development;
- supports the need to adapt, modernise and simplify cohesion policy […] and make it more flexible […] as well as safeguard the role of local and regional authorities in shared management, the partnership principle and multi-level governance;
- calls for cohesion policy funds to provide appropriate and sufficient support for competitiveness, infrastructure, just transition, the demographic challenge, sustainability, climate change, digitalisation, connectivity and services of general interest, including social services and housing;
- calls for clear amounts to be earmarked in future for both the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund so that the EU’s objectives can be achieved;
- stresses that European territorial cooperation (ETC), together with cohesion policy, is the epitome of EU added value and one of the bloc’s most important tools for strengthening competitiveness and the single market;
- welcomes the continuation of Interreg, with its four strands, and the allocation of a dedicated budget for ETC;
- emphasises the importance of continuity in the planning and implementation of Interreg Plan chapters; therefore deems it necessary to include the necessary legal provisions to ensure timely and predictable budget availability from 2028;
- is concerned about the proposed scope of the implementing act, which seems to go beyond the intended use of this legal instrument, and believes that including more detailed provisions in the Regulation itself will speed up its implementation;
- advocates taking full advantage of the cross-border, transnational and interregional nature of European groupings of territorial cooperation (EGTCs) when designing and implementing Interreg chapters and other projects