The European ministers responsible for the Cohesion Policy will meet on Tuesday 22 November for a General Affairs Council (GAC) dedicated to cohesion. Chaired by Ivan Bartoš, Czech Deputy Prime Minister for Digital Transformation and Minister for Regional Development, the session will focus on the future of cohesion policy.
Ministers will be invited to discuss the basic principles of Cohesion Policy and its future adjustments. In its preparation note, based on the conclusions of the eighth Cohesion Report (see EUROPE 12887/2), the Czech Presidency reiterates that, while Cohesion Policy is a “key lever to promote long-term convergence”, it must take into account the challenges of “demographic and technological changes as well as the digital and green transitions”.
Ministers will also assess its complementarity with other measures. The Czech Republic believes that “Cohesion Policy alone cannot ensure that no territory and no person is left behind” and advocates that it should be seen as part of a “robust and effective policy mix of national and EU policies and instruments”.
Finally, the ministers are expected to adopt the Czech Presidency’s conclusions on Cohesion Policy. Endorsed by the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (‘Coreper’), they welcome the flexibilities introduced in the wake of the crises while stressing the need to preserve the long-term objectives of the structural funds (see EUROPE 13064/17). This position has already been defended in the conclusions of the last GAC on Cohesion organised under the French Presidency in June 2022 (see EUROPE 12964/30).
To read the background paper on the long-term consequences of Cohesion Policy: https://aeur.eu/f/45e
And the draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/45f (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)