On Monday 24 June, 120 regions from 15 Member States announced that they had sent a letter at the end of May to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting a meeting to discuss the future of cohesion policy.
Ahead of the European Commission’s new mandate and the negotiations on the EU’s multiannual financial framework after 2027, the regions in question are stressing the importance of cohesion policy as a tangible, grassroots solution to the EU’s challenges.
The regions recognise that cohesion policy needs to be reformed, but warn against “increased centralisation”. In addition, the regions stress that the future cohesion policy budget should reflect a long-term approach.
Faced with the risks of transposing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) model to cohesion policy and diluting the mandate of the Cohesion Commissioner in a broader portfolio dedicated to investment, the 120 regions are calling for certain principles to be respected.
Link to the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/csk (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)