Dear Supporter,

Today at 18.30 the European Parliament hearing of the European Commissioner designated for Cohesion and Reform, Elisa Ferreira, will be an important opportunity to make our voice heard and to make it clear that the EU can deliver on its promises only with a strong cohesion policy. ( Follow in webstreaming here ).

The Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU is working to find a compromise among Member States on the new long term EU budget but – according to diplomatic sources - the outcome might put cohesion policy 2021-2027 at risk by sharpening the 10% cut proposed by the European Commission in 2018.

A strong mobilisation is needed at national and at EU level to make sure that the Finnish Presidency's "negotiating box" on the new budget does not undermine our chances to deliver on the cohesion goals.

New Portfolio

In the new Commission mandate, cohesion policy has been coupled with reforms in the portfolio of Elisa Ferreira. This move might be an opportunity to harmonise and integrate EU regions' and cities' efforts to reduce disparities and boost inclusive and sustainable growth with national governments' reform plans. But it also implies a risk of centralisation and marginalisation of cohesion "core" objectives, in favour of centrally managed economic and financial policies. All partners are therefore invited to carefully follow the work to finalise the shaping of cohesion policy 2021-2027 and in particular the relations between the funds under cohesion policy, the coordination of macroeconomic policies under the European Semester and the shaping of national reform plans.

European Week of Regions and Cities

The 2019 European Week of Regions and Cities is kicking off on 7 October. Over 600 politicians from all across the EU, alongside 7000 participants, will take part to around 140 debates and events dedicated to regional development. The full programme is here . Many sessions will be web-streamed, heavy social media coverage is foreseen, providing a precious opportunity to promote our messages among practitioners and key decision makers. Let's keep #EUregionsweek in our tweets and spread the Alliance values!

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Six ways to take action!

1. Send us a video statement of max 1 minute explaining why we need a strong EU cohesion policy, what it means for your community and what you expect for the future. Videos can be sent to CohesionAlliance@cor.europa.eu

2. Share your projects: Tweet or publish on Facebook or Instagram a picture from a project supported by EU cohesion funds showing the impact. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #CohesionAlliance.

3. Hold an event in your community: contact us if you need support to organise an event on EU cohesion policy, if you need materials in your language, speakers etc.

4. Join the Petition: help us promote the online petition . It takes seconds to join and every signature counts

5. Let people know: we are developing material for partners which are being made available in this space (under "Materials for Partners"). Meanwhile:

• #CohesionAlliance web banner can be downloaded here
• #CohesionAlliance statement of principles is available in all languages on the alliance website homepage (you have just to select the relevant language on top right).

6. Share your view: many partners have already shared their positions on cohesion policy. Get in touch, share your ideas.

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Cohesion Policy: news and events

In the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities:

8 October: REGI-COTER meeting : Annual joint meeting of the EP REGI committee and the CoR COTER commission

8 October: REGIONerating Europe

8 October : Europe in 2030: towns and regions leaving no one behind

8 October: UDN - How will the EU support Sustainable Urban Development in 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy?

8 October: Strategic planning co-design and participatory agenda setting in R&I: Regions engaging in Horizon Europe

8 October: The SDG Voluntary Local Reviews. Methods, data, and experiences

8 October : Europe closer to citizens of islands, mountains and sparsely populated areas

9 October: Cities and regions towards sustainable solutions for energy transition

9 October: Medium-sized cities as drivers of a greener Europe

10 October: UDN - European Urban Initiative of Cohesion Policy 2021-2027- what is the way forward?

10 October: European Pillar of Social Rights as a framework for a sustainable economy

EU institutions:

8 October: Adoption of the CoR resolution on the Developments in the Interinstitutional negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 and the opinions on "Recommendations for the successful design of regional development strategies beyond 2020", "Better communication for Cohesion Policy" and "The CoR’s contribution to the renewed Territorial Agenda with special emphasis on Community-Led Local Development" at the Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions .

15 October: General Affairs Council will discuss the current state of play in negotiations on the long-term EU budget for 2021-2027 in view of the upcoming European council meeting

17 – 18 October: European Council meeting: Leaders will discuss the long-term EU budget for 2021-2027 on the basis of the work of Finland's presidency

23 October: CoR COTER commission meeting: Adoption of the opinion on "The challenges of metropolitan regions and their position in the future cohesion policy post 2020"

1 November: Expected start of the new Commission (tbc)

6 November: The informal meeting of the Structural Measures Working Party (SMWP) will discuss regulation proposals on cohesion policy for 2021–2027.

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Media

Also thanks to the Cohesion Alliance media actions, international media have broadly reported about possible cuts to cohesion policy in the new long term EU budget. A few days ago, El Pais and Publico reported on the negotiations among Member States mentioning to the link between a strong cohesion policy and the new Commission's priorities. In July Der Spiegel and Gazeta Wiborzca provided a similar point of view, quoting the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz.

Disclaimer

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