The Commissioner for Cohesion Policy and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, indicated her intention to update the Partnership Code of Conduct, during an exchange on Thursday 14 October on the occasion of a joint annual debate with the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) and the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy (Coter).
During her speech, the Commissioner stressed the importance of respecting the partnership principle, including the code of conduct. Mrs Ferreira, citing the many good regional and national practices, acknowledged that some Member States could still “improve” their action in this area. “We are watching out for breeches of the Code and will require action where such breeches are identified”, she said.
Therefore, she said she wanted to build a new European Community of Practice on Partnership on the thematic network for the 2014-2020 cycle to facilitate exchanges between actors and ultimately the functioning of the code of conduct so that it can be updated.
Several MEPs and members of the Committee of the Regions reiterated the insufficient involvement of local and regional authorities (see EUROPE 12811/13) in the preparation of the national recovery plans in relation to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
The Commissioner recalled in her speech that the Facility is primarily a national tool whereas cohesion policy is an instrument anchored at the regional level. However, she said she had asked Member States to pay particular attention to the territorial dimension in their national recovery plans.
Pressed by some stakeholders, the Commissioner indicated that there was little chance of an extension of 100% co-financing, as introduced in the CRII and CRII+ initiatives (see EUROPE 12680/5), in response to the coronavirus. The financial pressure on the EU budget is already high and, in addition, many EU funds are now being set in motion to address the needs of regions and cities, she explained. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)