Στοιχεία της γνωμοδότησης 

The discussions on the future of cohesion policy are concluding that cohesion policy after 2020 should be much more results-oriented and should be open to all the regions of the EU, to support them in coping with their territorial challenges. ITIs seem to be the right approach to help the regions and cities to address the challenges they are facing.
Against this background, the own-initiative opinion aims at contributing to the drawing up of a strategy and guidelines for ITIs before drafting of the new post 2020 regulation, partnership agreements and operational programmes.
In this respect, the opinion would help raise more awareness and call for greater account to be taken of the ITI approach at an earlier stage in the process of defining cohesion policy after 2020 and also for regulations, structure and future negotiations to be prepared in order to ensure optimal use and function of this instrument.

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

- stresses that EU Cohesion policy must adopt a place-based approach to reflect the actual conditions and requirements of each specific territory if it is to contribute more effectively to achieving the EU's objectives, improve social and economic conditions and requirements for EU citizens and help eliminate inequality;

- points out that the important potential for integrated investment could be optimised in future by building on existing examples of good practice and by further adapting the place-based approach;

- considers that it should be mandatory for all Member States to facilitate the implementation of ITI in the next programming period, to enable ITI to fulfil its potential of becoming a key tool for implementing Cohesion policy and for tangible European added value for EU citizens;

- points out that ITI is an underused instrument in addressing the challenges of increasing subregional disparities highlighted in the Seventh Cohesion Report; calls for the ITI approach to be more fully exploited beyond urban areas and implemented more widely in rural and functional areas;

- recommends further simplification through the concentration of all resources dedicated to ITI in one multi-fund operational programme if possible and avoiding complicated links to individual sectoral operational programmes; the CoR also recommends that the management and financing must take place on the basis of a global grant that clearly defines the objectives, indicators, resources and responsibility for implementation;

- emphasises that specific indicators for this programming tool are essential and that regional authorities must have the possibility of providing their own indicators for assessment by the Commission during the design phase of the operational programmes.