Some 188 regions (NUTS 2) of the European Union signed a statement on the occasion of the summit of the regions on Wednesday 28 September calling for a “strong renewed” European regional policy post-2020.
The goal of this initiative is to highlight the benefits of regional and cohesion policies at the start of the negotiations on the future of cohesion policy which are due to be concluded by 2018 – a very thorny issue, as Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu acknowledged (see EUROPE 11626).
The regions are calling firstly for cohesion policy to work for “all regions post 2020”. Many regions are fearful that, in future, with financial pressure likely to bear on the future European budget, funding will be funnelled exclusively towards the less developed regions. While recognising that most of the funding should continue to be allocated to these regions, they feel that it is vital to support the transition and more developed regions, the drivers of the European economy. Merging the envelopes of the structural and investment funds is a possibility that is being seriously considered by some politicians, such as Jean Arthuis (ALDE, France), the chair of the European Parliament's budgets committee (see EUROPE 11494). This is not an option that seems, for the moment, to be favoured by Cretu (see EUROPE 11633).
A further bone of contention is the increased use of financial instruments, which is also a matter of concern to the signatories. They want grants to remain the principal funding instrument for all regions. Regions should, however, be able to use financial instruments where appropriate. The Commission would seem to want substantially to increase the part played by financial instruments in the mix of financial support to the regions, as Cretu recently indicated to EUROPE (see EUROPE 11633).
Lastly, the regions call for greater flexibility in implementation of ESI funding to ensure greater effectiveness and efficiency by taking account of the differing regional conditions and needs. The regions are looking for much simplification, a foretaste of which was brought by the Commission on Tuesday 27 September (see EUROPE 11633). They call for a new type of partnership “built on trust” between regions, member states and the EU institutions. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)