Ahead of the ‘General Affairs’ Council on cohesion policy on Thursday 26 February, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU prepared a note on Thursday 12 February to frame the debate on the lessons to be learned for the future following the mid-term review of cohesion policy 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 13782/14).
The Presidency notes that 2026 will be crucial for implementation of the changes made to the 2021-2027 programme as amended (see EUROPE 13712/5). The mid-term review broadened the scope of cohesion policy investments, particularly in areas such as defence and affordable and sustainable housing, and included new players in the implementation structures.
It also points out that “emerging experience indicates that flexibility is most effective when paired with clear incentives and sound governance”. “Adaptable and resilient administrative capacity is a precondition for a policy that can rapidly adjust to changing circumstances”, it added.
It has therefore drawn up three questions for the ministers to answer. Firstly, they will need to indicate how incentives and flexibilities could be designed for the 2028-2034 period to further strengthen the alignment of cohesion policy with the EU’s strategic priorities, including competitiveness.
Secondly, they will have to express their views on how the future programming framework can strike the right balance between the time needed for strategic reflection and the speed of implementation, particularly in times of economic or geopolitical change.
Thirdly, given the broader scope of investment and the involvement of new actors, they will need to explain what lessons they have been able to draw from the mid-term review on strengthening administrative and implementation capacity to ensure that all Member States and regions can benefit effectively from cohesion policy in the future.
Read the Presidency note: https://aeur.eu/f/kq8 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)