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Delors: EU still needs ambitious cohesion policy

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Published 30 June 2006 - Updated 28 May 2012
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cohesion policy Lisbon Agenda Lisbon objectives Regional Policy structural funds
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Commissioner Danuta Hübner and Former Commission President Jacques Delors discussed the future challenges of the cohesion policy at a conference organised by the Socialist Group in the EP

Wary of preserving the solidarity component of the future cohesion policy, the PSE on 28 and 29 June invited EU and regional stakeholders to exchange views on the controversial reform that is going to shape structural funds' programmes as of January 2007.

The Cohesion policy as a "European plus value"

A founding father of the regional policy, Jacques Delors reminded the audience of its spirit – namely, to balance market liberalisation and competition policies by cooperation and redistribution. On top of economic benefits, he also stressed the contribution of the cohesion policy to the diffusion of European citizenship thanks to the "partnership" principle. According to the former Commission President (1985-1995), the EU more than ever needs an ambitious cohesion policy to take up today’s threefold challenge – demography, knowledge economy globalisation. Especially because of its leveraging effect onto other EU policies concerning infrastructure, mobility, environment, energy, research and education. Jacques Delors praised the cohesion policy as the main instrument for fighting against the intergovernmental revival in EU policy-making and inter-state competition.

New Community Strategic Priorities for Cohesion 2007-2013

Commissioner Danuta Hübner depicted the future cohesion policy as "a key delivery instrument" that for the first time "frames notions of competitiveness and cohesion in the same context." She insisted on the Lisbon goals, such as innovation, of which many factors are rooted at regional level.

Constanze Krehl MEP (PSE Coordinator for regional policy) presented the EP input in the new financial and policy package, though airing social-democrat concerns on the insufficiency of funds allocated to cohesion as well as on a series of unresolved issues such as: policy responses to firms’ delocalisations, the proposals for a globalisation adjustment fund and greater transparency of invested EU money.

Structural Funds for a European Social Model

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (PES Party President) echoed Jacques Delors on the need to combat social and fiscal competition between member states, the first casualty of which will be the regions. Cohesion policy is a powerful weapon in that fight, as are "strong welfare states," growth and job policies, education and "genuine social dialogue, also at local level."

Positions: 

Members of the PSE group questioned the "lisbonisation" of the cohesion policy, which they do not think is the most appropriate method to avoid a dual Europe in terms of socio-economic development. The question of already allocated and unused funds was also raised, with calls onto the Commission for a "recycling" option. Although such "recycling" has been definitely ruled out by the European Council, Commissioner Hübner emphasised the existence of flexibility tools in the future package, such as the "N+3" rule (according to which member states will still have three years after the expiration of the 2000-2006 period to use their current share of EU funds).

In a context of EU identity crisis, Sir Albert Bore (Vice President of the Committee of Regions) regretted that member states' governments do not sufficiently inform the citizens of the "added value" of the EU cohesion policy. He also urged stakeholders to already start preparing for 2009, as the compromise on the 2007-2013 financial perspectives will be brought back to the negotiations table.

The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) deplored that, in the future cohesion policy package, the concept of "territorial cohesion" got diluted in a broader "territorial dimension," which could prove detrimental to the most remote European regions. The representatives of montagnous regions (Association Nationale des Elus de la Montagne) expressed similar criticism.

Next steps: 
  • 3rd and 4th quarter of 2006: member states and regions to propose National Strategic Reference Frameworks and Operational Programmes to be accepted by the Commission before implementation
  • 2007: start of programmes
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Background: 

Since cohesion policy was enshrined in the Treaties with the adoption of the Single European Act (1986), it has been through major changes. The accession of ten new member states in 2004 exacerbated the economic and social disparities across the Union. To face this challenge the cohesion policy has been significantly overhauled.

Consequently, the fourth generation of structural funds programmes (2007-2013) will respond to three new objectives (Convergence, Competitiveness and Employment, Territorial co-operation), and will follow a more strategic approach to the “partnership” principle – that is, the articulation of European, national and local levels of governance - that leads the whole implementation procedure.

The 2007-2013 Financial Perspectives allocated €307.6 billion to the Cohesion policy. 81.7% of that amount will serve the Convergence objective (mostly the ten new member states), 15.8% will go to regions eligible under the Competitiveness objective, and 2.44% will remain for European Territorial Cooperation.

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The new EU cohesion policy (2007-2013) [Archived]
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