Fifteen Member States, identified as the “Friends of Cohesion”, adopted a new declaration on Saturday 1 February in Beja, Portugal, with a view to defending the budget for said policy within the negotiating box on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. They are also calling to limit changes in cofinancing rates and maintaining flexibility in respect of thematic concentrations and transfers between structural and investment funds.
Regarding the budget, the signatories—Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain—reject the proposals of the Finnish Presidency of the EU Council made in December and are calling for the Cohesion Policy budget to be maintained in real terms at the level of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework. In this context, they insist that there is no need for any Member State to see its Cohesion Fund drastically reduced (the overall Cohesion Fund envelope has been reduced by 46% for the new budget cycle).
Likewise, the co-signatory states are concerned about the reductions in European cofinancing rates, such as that from 85% to 70% for the least developed regions (see EUROPE 12046/11), and always with the notion of not putting too much pressure on national budgets. They are also calling for greater flexibility, particularly regarding thematic concentrations, especially for the European Regional Development Fund, as well as on the level of transfers between funds under shared management.
Finally, they expressed concern about the impact of new initiatives such as the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness, the convergence and reform instrument and the Just Transition Fund (see EUROPE 12403/2) pertaining to Cohesion Policy or the common agricultural policy. Moreover, in general, they require “simplified and fairer” own resources and an end to rebates.
It should be noted that Italy, although not a signatory to the document, was also present at the Summit. This is the third declaration made by the “Friends of Cohesion”. In the past, there has already been the Bratislava Declaration (November 2018) and the Prague Declaration (November 2019 – see EUROPE 12363/1).
EU European affairs ministers will discuss a new proposal for the new negotiating box for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (see EUROPE 12416/2) in the General Affairs Council on 17 February. In preparation for an extraordinary meeting on the next European budget, which is scheduled for 20 February (see EUROPE 12415/17), the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is touring Europe from 3 to 7 February to begin the preliminary work.
To view the statement, see: http://bit.ly/2Sdzkx1 (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens and Lionel Changeur)