On Tuesday 7 October, Finnish EPP member Sari Rautio, member of Hämeenlinna City Council and rapporteur for the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on the proposal for the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2024-2034, said that the transfer of regional programmes to central national plans risked “undermining European cohesion, multi-level governance and the confidence of our fellow citizens”.
The European Committee of the Regions’ (CoR) Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget held a debate on the next MFF, in the presence of European Commission representatives (presentation: https://aeur.eu/f/itf ) and the Danish Presidency of the EU Council (see EUROPE 13717/21).
“The debate on the MFF is not simply a question of funding, it is a question of democracy and European unity”, insisted Sari Rautio. Her opinion will be adopted by the CoR’s COTER Commission in December, then by the plenary session in March 2026.
According to Ms Rautio, it is important to ensure local partners’ involvement throughout the management cycle of European funds and to maintain the three categories of regions in the regulation on National and Regional Partnership Plans (€865 billion proposed). Ms Rautio felt that “significantly reducing cohesion policy funds would be a historic mistake“.
Cohesion policy “is going to pay a heavy price”, lamented Ivan Žagar (Slovenian, EPP). “We cannot accept this proposal”, said Pascal Smet (Belgian, PES), denouncing a “catch-all fund”. “You lied to us”, Vasco Alves Cordeiro (Portuguese, PES) accused the Commission, referring to the Single National Plans.
The committee also appointed Emil Boc (Romanian, EPP) and Mr Cordeiro as co-rapporteurs on the National and Regional Partnership Plans, following a debate on the need for two co-rapporteurs.
María Guardiola Martín (Spanish, EPP) has been appointed opinion rapporteur on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), including European territorial cooperation and the Cohesion Fund regulation.
Luca Menisini (Italian, PES) has been appointed opinion rapporteur on the performance framework regulation. And Juraj Droba (Slovakian, ECR), chairman of the Bratislava self-governing Region, is rapporteur on the regulation establishing the Connecting Europe Facility. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)