The first reactions to the new flexibility measures in cohesion policy, introduced on Thursday 2 April by the European Commission, are generally positive, whether from MEPs, the Committee of the Regions and associations representing local and regional authorities, although they raise certain questions and fears for the future of this policy.
"The Commission has shown responsiveness to the requests made by the Council and the REGI Committee", said the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI), Frenchman Younous Omarjee, who welcomed the fact that the institution "has been able to go beyond the usual overly rigid frameworks" to provide concrete answers and facilitate the use of unspent funds (see EUROPE 12460/3).
The MEP hopes that these measures will demonstrate the central role of cohesion policy in bridging territorial divides, supporting investment and employment in "a European Union disfigured by the impact of the coronavirus" in view of the forthcoming negotiations on the next EU budget.
Solidarity from poor to rich regions
On the other hand, the proposal to introduce a transfer between categories of regions, especially from the poorest to the richest, is already bringing about some teeth-grinding.
"The European solution to the Covid-19 emergency cannot be at the expense of cohesion policy, i.e. the resources needed to bridge the gap between the richest and poorest regions", said Italian MEP Rosa D'Amato (non-attached), fearing that the South could suffer financial losses to the richest regions. According to the MEP, it is up to the European Central Bank to inject liquidity, not cohesion policy.
Maintain partnership agreements
The measures have also been welcomed by regional actors, although some concerns have been raised. The President of the Committee of the Regions, Greek MEP Apostolos Tzitzikostas (EPP), insisted on not yielding to centralised decision-making and on maintaining the key role of the regions in the planning and implementation of future cohesion policy.
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions also welcomed the new measures, while also underlining the role of associations of local and regional authorities in the implementation of the 'CRII' and 'CRII plus' initiatives. Similarly, the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions has certainly expressed its satisfaction in a tweet, but has also insisted on respect for the principle of partnership.
The fact that these measures could be a source of inspiration for the proposals being prepared by the Commission to amend post-2020 cohesion policy is indeed worrying some observers, who, like Rosa D'Amato, fear that cohesion policy will become a mere "ATM" or financial "stopgap".
The Member States discussed the proposals in the Permanent Representatives Committee II (Coreper II) on Friday 3 April, in the afternoon. The coordinators of the REGI Committee will meet on Monday 6 April to discuss the new measures. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)