About: cohesion funds
REACT-EU to fund Czech healthcare instead of dressing rooms after criticism
After criticism from regional leaders, the Czech government overturned its decision to support local sports clubs with money from the REACT-EU emergency instrument. Instead, a large majority of the funds will go to the healthcare system, EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
With loosened cohesion rules, EU money channelled away from climate action
EU countries have reallocated €3.8 billion of EU structural funds away from climate action while increasing "generic support" for small and medium-sized firms as well as health measures. This was made possible by loosened rules to enable a rapid response to the crisis but the European Commission hopes that the incoming fresh cash will reverse that trend.
Venturing into cohesion: EU structural funds help create Croatian start-up ecosystem
Equity projects remain an under-explored form of EU financing to jump-start innovation in developing capital markets, but Fil Rouge Capital, a Croatian project, shows they can be a fruitful avenue to stimulate the domestic business ecosystem while raising the country's profile internationally.
Belgian MEP criticises ‘xenophobic sauce’ in discourse over coronavirus crisis
As the debate over distribution of EU funds continues in Belgium, nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) and Vlaams Belang parties are consciously spreading disinformation about the coronavirus crisis and spicing it up with 'xenophobic sauce', Belgian MEP Parliament Kathleen Van Brempt (SP.A/S&D) criticised in a statement.
EU’s big budget battle
Leaders of the EU27 hold a special summit to debate the bloc's 2021-27 budget, in an effort to meet the tightening deadlines, fill the financial gap left by Brexit and reconcile vastly different positions of the member states.
Study: Cohesion’s impact on local audiences still remains limited
Social outcomes in Cohesion policy remain relatively obscure for the general public compared to economic developments, a recent project study has found. In addition to that, the process of reaching local audiences remains a challenge for policymakers and organisations across the European regions.
Romania glosses over presidency preparedness concerns
As Romania formally launched its six-month-long presidency of the EU, its foreign affairs chief insisted that the country was prepared to helm the Council ship for the very first time.
Regions remain puzzled on future Cohesion and Brexit implications
There is no room for double standards in the future Cohesion policy but there is a need for cooperation between funds and programmes, key partners and civil society, the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy told a Committee of the Regions (CoR) plenary session in Brussels on Wednesday (December 5).
European funds: What next for the Polish economy?
European funds were one of the factors that helped Poland avoid the serious effects of the financial crisis. Negotiations on the new seven-year financial framework have already begun in the European Parliament. The outcome could have a major effect on how Poles vote in next May's elections.
MEPs hope to reduce EU budget cuts for Portugal
The financial package outlined for Portugal in the next EU budget could still be improved, Portuguese MEPs José Manuel Fernandes and Pedro Silva Pereira have said, noting the urgency of concluding negotiations before next May's European Elections.
Cohesion funds absorption should not become an end in itself, EU Auditors say
Delays in the formulation of legal frameworks and spending plans create severe obstacles to an effective use of Cohesion funding, shifting the focus on quick use of money rather than on performance and results, a new Court of Auditors report published Thursday (13 September) underlined.
Cohesion – the big ‘absent’ from Juncker’s SOTEU speech
European regions and cities were left wondering about the noticeable absence of Cohesion policy in Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday (12 September). They were particularly irked by his failure to highlight the positive role of regions in handling migration.
Cohesion file must be closed before 2019 elections, stakeholders say
Prolonging the Cohesion debate and postponing the final agreement will have a negative impact on the policy’s essence and content, but will also further affect the European idea, participants underlined during a hearing at the European Economic and Social Committee on Thursday (6 September).
New cohesion policy is ‘as good as it gets’, Commission insists
The EU's new regional policy is a “balanced, simpler and ambitious” proposal, the best that could have ever been achieved under the current conditions, Commissioner Corina Crețu told Members of the European Parliament on Thursday (May 31).
No changes on minimum national co-financing rate for Cohesion, says Croatia
Croatia is one of the best users of the EU's Cohesion funds and is ready to raise its national contribution to the EU budget but wants other member states to do the same, Croatian officials said on Tuesday (15 May). But they also warned against raising the rate of national co-financing of Cohesion programmes.
Hungary blasts Commission over EU funding ‘blackmail’ plan
Hungary said Thursday (3 May) that a European Union plan to link the bloc's funding payouts to respect for the rule of law amounted to "blackmail", a day after Brussels unveiled its first post-Brexit multi-year budget plan.
Regions back bigger EU budget, with ‘cohesion for all’
European regions support the idea of an ambitious EU budget with new own recourses and increase of the member states’ contribution, in line with a recent European Parliament report on the future of the EU finances.
France and Germany seek to reform cohesion funds
Germany wants to tie cohesion funds to the recipient countries’ respect for the rule of law. Emmanuel Macron would like the countries to respect a minimum tax rate before disbursing aid to regions. Is it time to change the criteria for accessing cohesion funds? EURACTIV France reports.
‘Evil’ Brussels vs. ‘good’ Prague: Czech MEPs want to change EU’s image
Only 1/3rd of the European Union’s population knows the positive effect that Union funds have on them. For example, Czechs have received hundreds of billions of crowns since the country joined the EU, but only 33% view EU membership as positive. Aktuálně reports.
Germany to propose cutting funds to EU members that violate rule of law
European Union members that fail to meet EU standards on the rule of law could lose access to its financing under German proposals for the reform of the cohesion fund system seen by Reuters yesterday (30 May).
‘Brexit’ and ‘future of Europe’ muddle EU’s budget decision-making
Günther Oettinger today (30 May) presented the draft EU budget for 2018, acknowledging decision-making difficulties. He said the next long-term budget should be tabled by next summer, to take into account the Brexit context and the decisions on the future of the Union.
Finland: Make EU funding conditional for members turning away refugees
The European Union should attach more conditions to cohesion funds earmarked for some member states in its next budget framework, Finland's finance minister said today (11 May), saying they should do more to share the cost of taking in migrants.
Visegrád Group spells out its vision of EU’s future
The leaders of the Visegrád Group (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) adopted yesterday (2 March) a joint statement on their input to the Rome Declaration, which will be adopted at the summit in the Italian capital on 25 March.