Report on the future of Cohesion policy
The Commission established a Group of high-level specialists to reflect on how to maximize the effectiveness of cohesion policy with a view to tackling the multiple challenges identified in the 8th Cohesion Report.
The group met in Brussels nine times throughout 2023, and brought together representatives of academia, national, regional and local politicians, socio-economic partners and representatives of civil society. The Group presented its Final Report on 20 February 2024 .
Read the final report of the Group of high-level specialists on the future of cohesion policy.
The recordings of the presentation are available online.
Andrés Rodríguez-Pose - Chair
László Andor
John Bachtler
Pervenche Berès
Riccardo Crescenzi
Aleksandra Maria Dulkiewicz
Alva Finn
Jasna Gabrič
Rodi Kratsa
Constanze Krehl
Karl Heinz Lambertz
Joaquim Oliveira Martins
Petr Osvald
Sari Rautio
Enrico Rossi
Zornitsa Roussinova
Andreea-Alexandra Scrioșteanu
Helga Trupel
Karl Heinz Lambertz
Date: 31 January 2023
The first meeting focused on how cohesion policy supports balanced economic development and correction of internal disparities through investments in general public goods, innovation, digitalisation, human capital, the environment and climate, social integration and transport. These investments can unblock and accelerate regional development, while contributing to overall sustainable growth across Europe, focussing particularly on less developed regions.
Date: 9 March 2023
The 8th Cohesion Report identified a set of challenges including demographic change and increased (skills) shortages in the labour market, climate transition, technological change and globalisation. These will unevenly impact regions and territories; economic, social and territorial disparities are likely to remain and might accelerate the development of new disparities between and within Member States. The second meeting focused on enhancing the resilience of regions against emerging challenges.
Public and web-streamed sessionDate: 27 April 2023
Cohesion Policy offers tailored support to places and people with a range of instruments and local strategies. The third meeting focused on discussing how Cohesion Policy can be further enhanced to tailor support to specific development needs, taking into account the diversity of starting positions and the uneven impact of ongoing transitions, and current and future external shocks.
Public and web-streamed session
Date: 23 May 2023
The fourth meeting focused on the role of place-based policies and development strategies. Beyond the territorial angle, the place-based approach involves local engagement, ownership and inclusive partnerships, which are key to the policy. It represents the added value of cohesion policy interventions. Coping with asymmetric development challenges needs a differentiated approach and place-based policies, complementing national structural policies. Effective partnerships and place-based strategies engaging local stakeholders also help address pressure on democracy by increasing ownership of European policies. They may also lead to the positive and active engagement of local, regional or national public authorities.
Public and web-streamed session
Date: 19 June 2023
Public and web-streamed session
Date: 4 July 2023
The fifth meeting focused on reinforcing territorial cooperation and addressing challenges on European integration. Ensuring sustainable territorial development and cohesion is key to the success of the policy and the development of regions. Territorial cooperation creates new communities of common interest across borders and a larger number of Member States – showcasing a different mode for the delivery of public goods. Addressing structural bottlenecks and obstacles to territorial cooperation will require new solutions.
Date: 14 September 2023
The sixth meeting focuses on anchoring financial support from the policy in reforms, in the context of the European Semester and synergy with other EU policies. It is important to reflect on lessons learned from the European Semester exercise and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), to develop stronger and more country-specific linkages between investments under cohesion policy programmes and relevant reforms, in complementarity with other policies and instruments.
Key takeaways from World Bank experience
Date: 10 October 2023
A broad range of conditionalities has been introduced to cohesion policy along with investment guidelines in the context of the European Semester and linkages with reforms. An appropriate regulatory and institutional environment is a necessary precondition for the effective delivery of investment through cohesion policy programmes. The seventh meeting focuses on increasing the policy effectiveness through renewed conditionality mechanisms.
(*) Web streaming
The session will be published the day of the event.
Date: 14 November 2023
The eighth meeting revisits the delivery modes and mechanisms, taking priorities into account. The structure and the delivery of cohesion policy funds will be examined by reviewing the thematic priorities and geographical scope, the shared management considerations, further simplification, enhanced administrative capacity etc. Different modes of disbursing support (underlying deliverable, payment based on results, simplified cost options etc.) will also be discussed.
(*) Web streaming
The session will be published the day of the event.
Date: 14 December 2023
Learning from simplifications and flexibility already introduced in the 2021–2027 programming period, under both cohesion policy and other relevant investment-related funds, additional beneficiary-friendly improvements in the delivery of the policy will be explored. After discussion of delivery modes and implementation timelines, consideration must also be given to the right balance between policy flexibility and reactivity and its long-term objectives. The ninth meeting focuses on enhancing the policy capacity to respond to sudden shocks and crises.
(*) Web streaming
The session will be published the day of the event.
Date: 22-23 January 2024