With just a few days to go before proposals for the EU’s 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) are presented, on Wednesday 2 July the EPP Group in the European Parliament adopted a firm position on regional policy’s future, reaffirming its opposition to creating a single fund combining several policies (see other news).
The distribution of cohesion policy funds should be based on transparent and objective criteria, such as regional GDP per capita, “with the aim to pursue economic, social and territorial convergence goals”, says the document.
The EPP Group calls on the European Commission to simplify administrative procedures in order to ensure “better absorption rates and effective use of the available funding”. “We will not accept any centralisation in the distribution of resources”, it insists.
The Group demands that cohesion policy remains a distinct and solidly funded pillar in the next MFF.
“We call for strategic, locally driven programming, better synergy between funds, and clear demarcation from other EU instruments. It is essential that this policy is not considered to be a pot of last resort money”, stresses Andrey Novakov from Bulgaria.
The EPP Group also insists on the need for “stronger” cohesion policy support for EU regions along the eastern external border with Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, which are facing severe socio-economic pressures as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
EPP Group position: https://aeur.eu/f/hnv (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)