The ministers responsible for cohesion policy will be invited by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, behind closed doors, to give their views on the contribution of cohesion policy to the post-pandemic recovery and the long-term objectives of the green and digital transition.
In this respect, the Presidency expects the ministers to give their vision on the potential synergies between cohesion policy and other European instruments in order to strengthen European “resilience” in the medium and long term. It also intends to survey them on the most appropriate way to meet the needs of the regions and territories.
The Slovenian Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy, Zvonko Černač, will speak on the contribution of cohesion policy to the pandemic. He intends to highlight the territorial disparities in the recovery, especially for rural areas. The latter should be subject to “tailor-made” measures, he said.
The combination of cohesion policy with other EU programmes, namely the REACT-EU initiative and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, is generating strong concerns among regional and local authorities and MEPs. Member States tend to focus on the implementation of the European Recovery Plan at the expense of the programming of European structural and investment funds (see EUROPE 12833/10).
Integration of San Marino in the EUSAIR strategy
The meeting will start with the approval of the EU Council conclusions on the integration of San Marino into the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). This strategy, approved by the European Council in 2014, is the only macro-regional strategy that has accepted new states in recent years, says the Presidency.
The meeting is expected to end in the late morning. No working lunch is planned. This will be the first physical meeting in two years, a diplomatic source tells us.
To consult the EU Council Presidency’s framework note: https://bit.ly/3Fo5Vam (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)