Faktablad om yttrandet 

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



- underlines the importance of cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union and a cross-cutting objective;

- proposes a wide interpretation of the "Do no harm to cohesion" (DNHC) principle, covering all European policies with spatial impact as well as relevant national policies, and encompassing a requirement to respect the cohesion principles of partnership and multi-level governance;

- stresses the need for a systematic ex-ante assessment of potential differentiated territorial impacts on all types of regions of all new EU policies with a territorial dimension in their design phase as the most effective tool to put the DNHC principle into practice;

- […]recommends reinforcing the assessment of potential differentiated territorial impacts and negative effects on cohesion in the EC Better Regulation toolbox […]:

• in BR Tool # 34, by making the use of the TIA Necessity Check mandatory to determine the need for a Territorial Impact Assessment […];

• by including a specific mandatory section in the explanatory memorandum explaining how the initiative upholds the "do no harm to cohesion" principle based on a "comply or explain" rule […]

- encourages national governments to conduct systematic ex ante territorial impact assessment so that no national policy is "spatially blind"; […]

reiterates its call on Member States and the Commission to ensure that the RRF and any successor directly incorporates the cohesion policy approach based on strategic evidence-based programming, multilevel governance and partnership.