In an own initiative report adopted by a crushing majority (34 votes in favour, one against with one abstention) on Thursday 23 November, MEPs from the regional development (REGI) committee said it was important to strengthen the participation of local and regional authorities, as well as of private and public actors, as part of the multilevel governance of macroregional strategies.
"Post-2020 cohesion policy will have to address the new challenges with which Europe is already confronted", rapporteur Andrea Cozzolino (S&D, Italy) stated, mentioning the issue of migration flows. In Cozzolino's view, cross-border problems can be better managed through transnational and transregional platforms. And the macroregional strategies must be better defined in their field of action and as regards the budget allocated to them, he said. For Cozzolino things are clear: macroregional strategies are a "paradigm for the future".
The REGI committee MEPs believe it is important to improve coordination between the different levels, as well as between partnerships, by allocating enough human and administrative resources at the national and regional levels. Furthermore, the MEPs underline that the flexibility of the strategies must be strengthened in order to address unforeseen events or needs (such as large waves of migration).
The MEPs also highlight the need to have a long-term perspective in the future, and they underline the importance of having effective mechanisms for public communication in order to make these macroregional strategies known among local and regional communities, and thus strengthen the strategies' acceptance among these communities.
The REGI MEPs furthermore underline that the participating member states should formulate clear commitments as regards the financing and human resources allocated to implement these macroregional strategies. In the MEPs' view, the objectives of the macroregional strategies must be in line with the European Union flagship initiatives, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and blue growth.
There are currently four macroregional strategies (the Baltic strategy, the Danube strategy, the Adriatic-Ionian strategy and the Alpine strategy) that bring together 19 member states. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)