The European Parliament's plenary vote on the Common Provision Regulation – setting common rules for all EU funds managed in partnership with national actors – endorsed key demands by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), aiming at securing the role of local actors and the effectiveness of EU cohesion policy.

To reduce disparities and deliver more opportunities for all European citizens, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) wants cohesion policy to be easier, more flexible and not used as a sanction or incentive to achieve other goals, other than sustainable development. Improvements and legislative amendments to the European Commission proposals for cohesion policy 2021-2027 are included in four different opinions adopted by local and regional leaders during the CoR plenary session on 5 December.

On 6 December from 11am Michel Barnier, the European Union's Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the Union, will discuss Brexit and its impact on regions and cities with local leaders from all the EU's member states. His visit to the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels comes on the eve of UK parliaments crucial vote on the agreed Withdrawal Agreement

Between 2007 and 2014, 9.4 million Europeans gained employment and 8.7 million obtained a qualification thanks to the support of the European Social Fund (ESF) and the partnership between the EU and national and regional governments. The European Committee of the Regions is mobilising its efforts to ensure that these achievements are duly taken into account and the fund will not be cut in the forthcoming EU long-term budget, or diverted to incentivise heavily centralised measures.