Local and regional leaders debated the findings of the new report, which shows cohesion policy's strengths but also increasing risks linked to stagnating regional economies
Promoting digital cohesion among regions, boosting investments in
innovations, coping with demographic challenges, converting brain drain at
territorial level into brain gain and keeping cohesion as a fundamental
value of all EU policies. These are the main concerns and requests
highlighted by members of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy
and EU Budget (
COTER) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) during a debate on the new
8th Cohesion Report.
Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy at the European
Commission, illustrated to local and regional leaders the main finding of
the document, two days after its
official presentation
by Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira. The report assesses
progress in reducing economic, social and regional disparities in the EU
and how national and EU policies have helped to achieve this. It shows
cohesion policy's real capacity to support weaker areas but also increasing
risks linked to innovation gaps and stagnating regional economies.
Local and regional leaders welcomed the
announcement
that the European Commission, as requested by the CoR, will propose an
extension until June 2022 of the possibility to benefit from a 100% EU
co-financing rate for cohesion funds.
"
The CoR was one of the first institutions that called for the urgent
nature of this request stemming from the results of a survey conducted
by the COTER Commission to local and regional authorities, which are
still most affected by the impact of the pandemic. Together with
President Tzitzikostas, we sent a letter to the President of the
Commission asking clearly for the flexibility measures introduced two
years ago to be maintained in order to mobilise EU structural funds in
the fight against COVID-19. The Commission's proposal is very important
for hundreds of local and regional authorities
", underlined
Nathalie Sarrabezolles
(FR/PES), Chair of the COTER Commission, rapporteur on the 8th Cohesion
Report and Councillor of the Finistère Departmental Council.
The exceptional flexibility measure, which exempts Member States from the
obligation to add a national co-financing, was introduced to use cohesion
policy funds 2014-2020 to finance measures related to the COVID-19
outbreak, such as investments in the healthcare sector, support for SMEs
and the labour market. It expired in June 2021.
During his intervention, DG Lemaître highlighted that cohesion policy has
been fully mobilised to fight social and economic consequences of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the emergency
REACT-EU
programme and the exceptional flexibility, a total amount of €75 billion
has been mobilised so far under cohesion policy, mainly to support the
health sector.
During the today's meeting, members of the COTER Commission also appointed
three new rapporteurs:
-
Isabelle Boudineau
(FR/PES), member of the Regional Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and
former Chair of the COTER Commission, on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)
-
Linda Gaasch
(LU/Greens), Member of Luxembourg City municipal council, on the new EU Urban Mobility Framework
-
Nathalie Sarrabezolles
(FR/PES), Chair of the COTER Commission, on the next generation of own resources for the EU budget
And suggested
Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis
(FR/AE), president of the Corsican regional assembly, as rapporteur on "
Enhancing Cohesion Policy support for regions with geographic and
demographic handicaps
".
Background
:
Cities and regions have been at the forefront of COVID-19 crisis management
over the last year. The two Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRII
and
CRII+) introduced exceptional and useful flexibility measures to use cohesion
policy funds 2014-2020 to finance measures related to the COVID-19
outbreak, such as investments in the healthcare sector, support for SMEs
and the labour market.
In May 2021, the CoR launched a survey on the implementation of the CRII
and CRII+. The results (available
here) showed the clear demand coming from local and regional authorities to
extend the flexibility measures. This request was included in
a letter
co-signed by the CoR President Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the chair of the
CoR's COTER commission Isabelle Boudineau, addressed in July 2021 to the
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the
commissioners responsible for the relevant policies. The press release is
available
here.
A CoR-European Commission
Joint Action Plan
"for a strong recovery and a just transition" was signed on 25 January. The
press release can be consulted
here.
Together with the leading European associations of cities and regions, the
CoR is a founding partner of the #CohesionAlliance, to affirm cohesion as a
fundamental value of the European Union and a key objective for all its
policies and investment. More information
here.
More information on the CoR's work on cohesion policy can be found on the
COTER commission webpage
and on the CoR
webpage "Cohesion, our fundamental value"
.