On Monday 9 October during the first day of the European Week of the Regions and Cities, the main organisations representing the local and regional authorities (EAR, CPMR, CEMR, Eurocities, AEBR and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) officially launched the Cohesion Alliance.
This alliance has been long awaited and was announced ahead on the 7th cohesion forum (see EUROPE 11793). The main objective, as pointed out by the President of the Committee of Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz (S&D, Belgium), is to request that a third of the next EU budget focuses on cohesion policy, so that it will be possible to pursue a “strong” cohesion policy, despite indications that the contex is likely to be marked by budgetary cuts. This was suggested in the reflection document on the future of the EU finances presented by the Commissioner for the Budget, Günther Oettinger and the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu (see EUROPE 11818).
Mayors, President of the regions, MEPs, civil society and the regional authorities are invited on this occasion to sign the Cohesion Alliance declaration. This declaration contains nine crucial points for the future of cohesion policy.
First of all, signatories are requesting that cohesion policy remains a long-term investment policy for all regions so that it is able to respond, above all, to the challenges relating to climate change, energy transition, social inclusion and cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation.
They point out this policy is now "more necessary than never” if economic, social and regional fractures are to be overcome and that, in this regard, it should be the subject of a more effective communication with sufficient resources that correspond to “at least” a third of the future Union budget, primarily by promoting subsidies and using financial instruments “if necessary”.
In this context, signatories are insisting that future cohesion policy should be based on existing structural and investment funds, with a common raft of provisions. This request appears to correspond to the vision expressed by the Commissioner for Regional Policy (see EUROPE 11872). The declaration is calling for the partnership principle and regionalised approach to be strengthened by giving more control to the local and regional authorities.
"No" to conditionalities. The declaration introduces the principle of a level playing field in cohesion policy by taking into account local specificities and calls for simplification and putting trust back at the heart of governance. It also, above all, demands that cohesion policy is not subject to European level conditions “that cannot be influenced by local and regional authorities” and final beneficiaries.
The Alliance has the European Commission’s proposal for the next post-2020 cohesion policy budget in its line of fire, which is planned for May 2018. The launch of this alliance on Monday is no coincidence and falls on the same day as the 7th cohesion policy report (see other article). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)