Lessons learned from cohesion implementation between 2014 and 2020 should be reflected in the new cohesion policy after the current programming period, insist MEPs.
Although in the 2014-2020 period the EU cohesion funds have been used to finance measures and initiatives to fight consecutive crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the Russian aggression of Ukraine, its positive impacts were felt across the EU contributing to support for SMEs and businesses, to climate and digital transition, research and innovation as well as employment and social inclusion.
Shared management and crisis flexibility
MEPs insist cohesion should remain the EU’s main investment instrument for reducing disparities and ensuring economic, social and territorial development. They believe that the overall cohesion budget should be increased, the principle of shared management strengthened and cohesion structure simplified to ensure more efficient implementation in the new programming period. MEPs support built-in crisis flexibility in the cohesion budget, but insist that it should be up to managing authorities to repurpose cohesion funding without Commission´s involvement and legislative initiatives. They reiterated their call to divide cohesion after 2027 to content-part, which should be finalised first to avoid implementation delay, and financial part to be concluded later. MEPs insist that cohesion implementation must be performance-based and have tangible milestones and they want to strengthen “do no harm to cohesion” principle, meaning that no policy action should contribute to regional disparities.
Particular support for disadvantaged regions
MEPs insists that all EU regions should be eligible for cohesion funding and ask the Commission to consider other aspects, besides GDP, when determining the level of support. They put particular emphasis on disadvantaged regions, including cross-border regions, islands and sparsely populated areas. They believe border regions should have a special allocation in the cohesion budget from 2028 on, national allocations under the European Regional Development Fund for urban development should be increased and a new mechanism should be introduced to assess the impact of EU legislative initiatives on rural areas. MEPs also insist that the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) should be managed at the regional level and suggest 100 % EU financing for administrative, technical and financial capacity-building for local and regional authorities.
Just transition, enlargement and rule of law
According to the approved text, cohesion policy must continue responding to challenges of green, digital and industrial transitions, support sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and disaster resilience. Just transition should be endowed with adequate resources, pay particular attention to regions affected by industrial transition, tackle social exclusion and support integration of disadvantaged communities, such as Roma.
MEPs want the Commission to assess the impact of enlargement on cohesion policy before the new programming period to ensure cohesion will remain available to support all regions in need. They also stress that Ukraine reconstruction should not be financed from cohesion budget, but via other means such as budgetary contributions from member states. They want to strengthen the cohesion policy link and rule of law conditionality and ask the Commission to take rule of law aspects into account when approving partnership agreements and cohesion policy programmes in member states.
Quote
Following the plenary vote, lead MEP Andrey Novakov (EPP, BG) said:
„The European Parliament confirmed – there are no net payers and net beneficiaries in cohesion policy. All member states are net winners – a clear message to the Commission and to the Council. Our report lays down 85 priorities for the next generation cohesion policy. This is the legacy of the Committee on Regional Development at the closure of the term.”
Next steps
An own-initiative report on the implementation of the cohesion policy in 2014-2020 in member states was approved with 433 votes for, 36 against and 51 abstentions.
Background
The cohesion policy in the previous period helped to create new jobs for 6.8 million people, provide support to 2.2 million businesses, improved energy efficiency in 550 000 households, increased the number of people benefiting from better water supply to 8.3 million, made 29 million people less exposed to flooding through its anti-disaster investments and its support enabled introduction of 37 000 new products to the market.
Source – EU Parliament