Economic and social cohesion
This resolution discusses the EU's cohesion policy, its role in fostering economic, social, and territorial development across all regions, and its contribution to key EU objectives like the Green Deal. It emphasizes the policy's importance for reducing disparities and promoting sustainable growth. The policy primarily affects EU Member States and their regions, particularly less developed ones, rural areas, and those facing specific challenges like remoteness or demographic decline. It aims to support businesses, create jobs, and improve infrastructure and services for citizens. The resolution calls for continued and robust funding for cohesion policy post-2027, advocating for simplification of rules, increased flexibility, and better coordination with other EU instruments. It stresses the need to maintain a regional focus and ensure funds reach smaller projects and beneficiaries. Key changes include a call for greater decentralisation of decision-making to local and regional levels, enhanced involvement of civil society, and a clearer demarcation between cohesion policy and emergency funds. The resolution also highlights the need to adapt the policy to address challenges like climate change, digital transitions, and demographic shifts.
Analysis
Cohesion policy is the EU's primary investment tool for sustainable development, aiming to reduce disparities and promote growth across all regions.
What changes
- The proposal calls for a clear demarcation between cohesion policy and other EU instruments to avoid overlaps and ensure complementarity.
- It advocates for greater decentralisation of decision-making to local and regional levels in EU shared management programmes.
- The report stresses the need for robust and accessible funding for future cohesion policy, particularly for the post-2027 period.
Expected impact
- Cohesion policy has fostered economic convergence, increasing GDP in central and eastern EU Member States significantly since 1995.
- Cohesion policy supported over 4.4 million businesses and created more than 370,000 jobs by the end of 2022.
- There is a call to simplify and streamline the regulatory framework governing cohesion policy instruments and funds to reduce administrative burden.
Limitations
- The document is a European Parliament resolution and does not contain specific legislative text that would allow for detailed analysis of new legal provisions or amendments.
- Specific financial figures for future programming periods beyond 2027 are not detailed, only general calls for robust funding are made.
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