On Thursday 29 July, the European Commission adopted the first cohesion policy partnership for the period 2021-2027.
It is a partnership agreement with Greece, which involves a total of 21 billion euros of investment under the Cohesion Policy and the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFF), the European institution said in its press release. The partnership agreement with Greece includes a total of 22 programmes (13 regional and 9 national).
In line with the new climate ambitions of the European Union and the European Green Deal, the partnership agreement focuses on the greening of Greek projects. For example, some 30% of the European Regional Development Fund and 55% of the Cohesion Fund are earmarked for energy efficiency and carbon reduction, as well as for improving waste and water management. The funds will also be used to improve public transport in Attica and Thessaloniki.
Greece has also made a political commitment to close all coal-fired power plants by 2028, thereby contributing to European and national climate neutrality targets.
Finally, the partnership agreement marks a shift away from road investments towards multimodal and more sustainable modes of transport.
Signing the partnership agreements for 2021-2027 is one of the major steps in the implementation of cohesion policy and enables a series of investment priorities in line with the thematic concentrations set out in the European regulatory framework to be secured (see EUROPE 12614/11). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)