Cohesion policy must not be centralised, warned the members of the European Committee of the Regions on Thursday 20 February, who fear that in future there will be a programme by country and a lesser role for the regions in the implementation of this policy during the period 2028-2034 (see other news).
Cohesion policy must continue to be a driving force for reform, according to European Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, who is responsible for this policy. “We're already doing it. But we need to go further”, he told local and regional elected representatives (see EUROPE 13544/7).
He spoke of the need to explore “tailor-made solutions for each country”, ensuring that programming is simplified and better adapted to their specific needs. According to the Commission, it is also necessary to “improve coordination between EU and national instruments, integrating funding to maximise impact”.
Other priorities for the future, according to Mr Fitto: a more performance-based implementation model, stronger governance, accelerated implementation, and capacity building.
According to Raffaele Fitto, the forthcoming mid-term review of the current programmes offers a golden opportunity to speed up the implementation of funds and better align cohesion policy with EU priorities.
In response to the concerns of local and regional elected representatives, Vice-President Fitto assured them that partnerships, multi-level governance, shared management and a territorial approach were crucial. However, he concluded that it was crucial to respond to the challenges of maintaining cohesion policy and including new priorities in this policy. To see the draft communication, go to https://aeur.eu/f/fhh (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)