The EU ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, outlined on Tuesday 6 February in Mons, initial areas for discussion on post-2027 cohesion policy.
Speaking to the press, the Minister-President of the Walloon Region, Elio Di Rupo, who chaired the informal meeting, said that there was a very broad consensus among the ministers that the realities of each region should be taken into account for the post-2027 period. As far as financial resources are concerned, Mr Di Rupo stated that European policies should be promoted. He also stressed that administrative formalities should be reduced as much as possible (see EUROPE 13343/4).
Elisa Ferreira, the Commissioner for Cohesion, said, after the ministers’ debate, that the focus should be on locations, “adapting our intervention to each region or city, recognising that there is no single solution”. “But we also agreed that certain things needed to change. For example, we need a broader vision of regional development”, she added.
Investment in cohesion alone is not enough. According to the Commission, the influence of other policies, both European and national, must be recognised. “From research and innovation policies to sustainable development policies. These policies must take account of the different impacts on the various locations”, according to Ms Ferreira.
And for any regional development, investment is a necessary but not sufficient condition, it must be combined with reforms and the strengthening of public administration capacities.
Enrico Letta, who has been asked by the European Council to draw up a report on the future of the internal market, also took part in the meeting, demonstrating the inseparable nature of cohesion policy and the internal market.
The Member States have confirmed the need to adapt cohesion policy to take account of the specific realities of each region of the European Union. The successive reforms of cohesion policy and the mobilisation of funds under this policy to respond urgently to successive crises “have gradually distanced cohesion policy from its founding objectives and its raison d’être”, according to the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Belgian Presidency will take account of the results of this meeting to draw up guidelines for post-2027 cohesion policy. The 9th cohesion report is expected in the first quarter of 2024. “It will serve as a basis for the public debate on the future of cohesion policy at the Cohesion Forum in April”, the Commission said.
On the question of EU enlargement to include Ukraine and its impact on cohesion policy, Elio Di Rupo claimed that “without changes to its internal management, the EU risks imploding”. If we are to improve the way the EU is governed, we need to find a solution based on solidarity: we need to find solutions that enable regions in difficulty to develop, while at the same time ensuring that the regions of today’s Europe can continue to develop, he concluded. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)