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AER Task Force on Cohesion Policy

Poland and Romania implementing the cohesion policy: A comparative study

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Anita Sobják, analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs and former AER intern, wrote her MA Thesis about the implementation of EU cohesion policy in Romania and in Poland, focusing on comparative aspects.

Her thesis puts the emphasis on the processes of europeanisation and on the concept of multilevel governance, stressing then the way cohesion policy functions in Poland and Romania, and the concrete obstacles encoutered by the countries under study at the political and conjunctural levels among others.

Read the full thesis (edit this)

 

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Europe fails to meet its obligations

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Regions deeply regret the severe cuts in cohesion policy funding

Strasbourg (F), 12 February 2013

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) regrets the historical reduction in the European Union budget, following the agreement reached between European leaders on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020.

In these times of crisis, we need more from Europe

The EU should come together to overcome the crisis: limiting its own means of action, which remain a mere drop in the budgets of the Member States, is the mark of a lack of confidence in the future of Europe.

“The Regions of Europe deeply regret the severe cut (-8.5%) made to the cohesion policy”, emphasised Michèle SABBAN, AER President. This cut will have a direct impact on the territories to which European funds bring a breath of fresh air, allowing them to successfully carry out economic and social actions that could not have been implemented otherwise.

  • Structural Funds are an investment in regions and the future: their leverage effect is undeniable. They help boost employment over the long term, thanks to the European Social Fund measures.
  • Structural funds provide critical support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to innovation and research infrastructures.
  • Structural Funds are the most visible sign of benefits of EU action on citizens and economic and social development of regions.

Cohesion Policy is, first and foremost, a solidarity instrument, not only between countries but most importantly between European regions – solidarity that is now being seriously compromised through this budget.
“Cohesion policy is the armed wing of growth policy at European level. However, the European Council has chosen through this agreement not to strengthen, but to remove it!” Said the President of the Assembly of European Regions.

“The regions will know how to compensate for the lack of ambition of the European Union, however, it will be increasingly difficult for Europe to implement the Europe 2020 strategy if it does not provide itself with the means to do so,” concluded Michèle Sabban, AER President.

AER supports the European Parliament in assuming its responsibilities and giving the EU a budget in line with the challenges that lie ahead.

Michèle Sabban will hold discussions with Mr Hahn, Commissioner for Regional Policy, on Wednesday and with several MEPs in the coming weeks so that budget priorities will be rechanneled towards regions.

The Assembly of European Regions (AER – aer.eu) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together more than 250 regions from 35 countries and 16 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.

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Committee of the Regions on Regional State Aid

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The Committee of the Regions (CoR) has just adopted an own-initiative opinion on the revision of Regional State Aid guidelines. Jean-Paul Denanot, President of the Regional Council of Limousin (F) and member of the Committee of the Region was the rapporteur on this issue. The paper is calling for a regional state aid policy that matches better cohesion policy 2014. All regions and associations are invited to also contribute to the consultation on the EC draft guidelines on Regional State aid for 2014-2020. Consultation open until 11/03/2013.

CoR opinion on the Regional State Aid guidelines for 2014-2020

European Commission consultation page

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Future Cohesion Policy & Health

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AER is informing member regions about the opportunities for investing in health under the future EU Cohesion Policy. Health as such is not an explicit priority of the future Cohesion Policy, but there are numerous opportunities to invest in health, by investing in innovation, ICT, training health staff or improving access to services. The AER information campaign “Future Cohesion Policy & Health” educates regional politicians and officers on how to think outside the box, develop project ideas that are labelled innovation and in fact benefit health and, most importantly, start putting forward their ideas for projects. EU Cohesion Policy 2014+ is still being debated at EU level, but in the regions the work of setting priorities has already started so regions needs to act now.

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EP invites regional and local associations to speak on EU funding 2014 – 2020

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Brussels, 8 May 2012

In the frame of the EP Committee on Regional Development (REGI), representatives of the EU major regional organisations were invited on 8 May 2012 for an exchange of views with MEPS on the post 2013 EU Cohesion Policy.

The extraordinary meeting chaired by Danuta Hübner, President of the REGI Committee, focused on the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy Legislative Package proposed by the European Commission last year, that will be adopted by the REGI Committee in July 2012.

The objective of the meeting was to provide members of the REGI Committee with practical proposals to the reports on the future of cohesion, notably the “Krehl-Van Nistelrooij Report”, on the Common Provisions Regulation, the “Olbrycht Report”on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the “Irigoyen Perez Report” on the European Social Found (ESF) and the “Manner Report” on the Territorial cooperation.

The positions of the major regional organisations are remarkably close to those of the European Parliament, particularly on key issues such as partnership arrangements, thematic concentration, ex ante conditionality, the simplification of procedures and the territorial dimension and cooperation.

Moreover, the three organisations call for an agreement on the financial framework before the end of the year and support an ambitious budget in order to create a real economic growth in Europe. “The European Commission has proposed to link the Common Strategic Framework (CSF) to the new EU economic governance, which means linking the cohesion policy to the country specific recommendations issued annually. It seems to me that this would constitute an additional layer of conditionality and goes against the very principles of partnership and multi level governance, since decisions would be taken at Member States level with no involvement of regions and their managing authorities. It would also severely put into question pluriannual programming, which is one of the fundamentals of Cohesion Policy.” Declared Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and President of Brittany (FR).

“We fully concur with the principle of concentrating European funds on a reduced number of themes linked to the Europe 2020 Strategy. Already today, many regions focus on a limited number of political priorities. We do however insist on the need of making decisions on these priorities in close cooperation with the beneficiary regions. It is essential to implement bottom-up actions, so as to ensure that the themes fully match the regions’ needs and the potential of their territories. They should not, in any case, be imposed by Europe or by the Member States.” Added Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Vice-President of the Ile de France (FR).

“We wish to see local and regional authorities treated as partners of the Member states, and not as stakeholders. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls for the full involvement of local and regional governments in the preparation of the partnership contracts and are very pleased to see that the rapporteurs have tabled amendments to the European Commission’s draft regulation that reflect our view to a large extent.” Concluded Carola Gunnarsson, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) rapporteur on territorial and cohesion policy, 1st Vice-President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.

The Assembly of European Regions (AER – aer.eu) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together more than 250 regions from 35 countries and 16 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.

  


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AER urges Member States to Get the Cohesion Policy Moving

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Strasbourg (F), 17 November 2011

A week ahead of the Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for EU cohesion policy, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) calls all Member states to take stock of the particularly critical importance of cohesion policy in the current context of economic crisis.

For AER, the proposed legislative package is a first step and a good basis for negotiation. Nevertheless, there are many contentious elements that will require further thinking, in particular macro-economic conditionality and combining thematic focus with territorial priorities. It is now time for all Member states to take their responsibilities.

The AER therefore calls the ministers who will gather next week to:

  • Firmly commit to implement partnership and multi-level governance at all policy stages;
  • Strongly insist on further simplifying the implementation rules and procedures of structural funds;
  • Take decisive steps towards full implementation of an integrated territorial approach to EU policies, beyond Cohesion policy only.

AER encourages all European regions to go to their national governments, share their ground experience and express their concerns, regarding budget in particular. This is to make sure that their knowledge, expertise and will to contribute to this future policy are fully integrated in all decision-making and implementation processes. This way only can cohesion policy fully impact European territorial development and help the EU emerge stronger from the crisis.

For more information: [email protected]

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European regions, cities and organisations signed the “St. Pölten Manifesto” for a better cohesion policy

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St. Pölten, Niederösterreich (A), 21st October 2011

Welcoming the draft cohesion regulations, regions, cities and their representative organisations agreed that there is still a lot to do to ensure that the full impact of cohesion policy is felt on the ground. They emphasised the importance of maintaining an adequate level of funding, a strong integrated approach to territorial development, and stressed the importance of partnerships directly involving local and regional authorities in the decision-making process.

This came in response to the publication of the legislative proposals for the future cohesion policy by the European Commission and to the current budget proposals, following a summit of European territories held on 21 October in St. Pölten – Niederösterreich (A). Speaking for the first time ever with one voice, they adopted the “St. Pölten Manifesto”, a declaration urging the Council of the EU and the European Parliament to support regional and local interests in cohesion policy.

What they said:

– “A very impressive symbol has been set with the unique EU lobbying initiative initiated by Lower Austria for the objective 2 regions in October 2010. The declaration signed by 143 regions with the demand that all regions in Europe, independent of their economic power, should benefit from structural funds after 2014 has made impact. Following this, a common manifesto of 11 interregional organisations with central demands for Cohesion Policy has been signed in St Pölten on 21st October 2011 and handed over to the competent EU Commissioner Hahn as well as to the representative of the EU Council presidency Bienkowska. In the centre of it is the positive development of regions as these are the motor of the European Union”. Governor Erwin Pröll, region Lower Austria.

– “The budget proposed by the European Commission for the future Cohesion Policy must absolutely be maintained and the economic and social achievements of cohesion policy should not be damaged! Moreover, AER believes that the best way to obtain the best results with the structural funds is to integrate them into coherent strategies for territorial development, and this can only be achieved through a closer partnership with the regions”. Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions.

– “The territorial cohesion objective can only be achieved with a substantially increased involvement of local and regional authorities at all stages. This must include direct involvement through their political leadership. As the level of political representation closest to the citizens, city leaders know best how to manage and coordinate actions to deliver results”. Paul Bevan, EUROCITIES Secretary General.

– “Local development strategies must be recognised as a key priority in the operational programmes so that urban, rural and functional areas all receive equal support, ensuring that no territories are left behind. Besides, involving all spheres of governments in the partnership contracts will ensure a successful preparation, implementation and evaluation of these programmes”. Carola Gunnarsson, Council of European Municipalities and Regions’ rapporteur on cohesion and territorial policy.

– “Subsidiarity has also its place in the debate on cohesion policy. The heightening of the awareness of all the levels of power – from the citizen to the European institutions through the Member States – is a prerequisite to make Europe a space where the citizen is respected and to make the European project one realized for and by the citizens”. Jean-Luc Vanraes, President of the Conference of European Regions with Legislative Power.

– “The importance of interregional cooperation in all existing forms is uncontested. The rapidity of the creation of macro-regional strategies demonstrates an innovative and necessary EU activity field of territorial cooperation, which is further expandable in the future and which brings additional opportunities and values for the whole of Europe”. Willi Haag, President of the Working Community of Alpine regions.

– “The European Territorial Co-operation objective is one of the most efficient policies in order to reach citizens’ expectations in terms of social and territorial cohesion, sustainable development and economic growth. The CTP that gathered Regions from the two sides of Pyrenees, requests from the EU an increasing financial support to cross-border cooperation programmes in order to ensure the Europe 2020 Strategy’s successful implementation in cross border areas”.Martin Malvy, President of the Working Community of the Pyrenees.

– “Now that the European Union is facing various challenges, it is of utmost urgency to strengthen the confidence of all European citizens in the Institutions. A cohesion policy, provided it is efficiently funded and the initiatives are coherent and sustainable, can be an important tool in fulfilling this task. Because only at the local and regional level European identity can be experienced by all citizens”. Wolfgang Platzer, Secretary General of the Working Community of Adriatic Alps.

– “We send a clear message to the EU and Member States: we want to take part in all debates affecting future Cohesion. Multi-level and transparent governance is the best framework to discuss some thorny issues, such as conditionality. We are closer to the citizens, so we should be listened and taken into account when discussing main decisions affecting us in the coming years”. Gabriele Lackner-Strauss, Vice-president of the Association of European Border Regions.

– “We should avoid transforming the European budget the adjustment variable of national budgets! In addition to not being legitimate, it would have severe consequences for Europe, its territories, businesses and citizens. We oppose any form of macro-economic conditionality: it opposes the programming dimension of cohesion policy and adversely affects the re-establishment of satisfactory macro-economic stability in Member States and regions concerned”. Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions of Europe.

– “The Working Community of the Danube area – an association of 42 regions along the 2880 km of Danube – has worked together extensively on the development of the strategy of the European Union for the region of Danube and brought their plans and ideas. The 1st of July 2011 marks the beginning of the implementation phase. However, the strategy can only be successfully realized if the regions continue to receive funding for their projects. This initiative represents an important step in the implementation of enhanced cooperation in the region of Danube. For this reason, starting in 2012 the Niederösterreich will assure the presidency of the Working Community of the Countries of Danube at the level of its President, Mr. Erwin Pröll, in order to deepen this cooperation”. Peter De Martin, Secretary General of the Working Community of the Danube area.

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Regions support regions by using AER Peer Review methodology

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Banja Luka, Republika Srpska (BiH), 16 September 2011

Members of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) discussed on 15 and 16 September ways on how regions can support each other to develop ways out of the crisis. The most qualified knowledge on regional development lies within regions.

Organizing cooperation between politicians and specialists of regions from different countries leads to fast changes and developments”“ stated Håkan Sandgren, President of AER Committee on ‘Economy and Regional development’ and County Councillor of Jönköping (S). This was the common result of the working sessions that looked at several initiatives which had been carried out in recent month, using the AER Peer Review methodology. They had covered sectors like entrepreneurship, energy or tourism development.

Participants also discussed the new financial instruments that EU institutions promote for the coming years to support regional development. Regional politicians gave a clear message that those instruments have to be developed and carried out in line with the initiatives taken by the regions, if they want to make a difference.

“30% of AER member regions do not belong to the EU. They therefore have a limited access to EU funding. This is the case for my region, Republika Srpska. Hosting this conference allowed us to share experiences with our counterparts from other regions and opened new perspectives for funding our projects” underlined Željka Cvijanovic, Minister of Economic relations and Regional Cooperation of Republika Srpska’s Government.

The meeting took place in Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srpska region in Bosnia Herzegovina. In 2009, AER had carried out with its members a Peer review on energy in Republika Srpska, which was featured by the Central European Initiative as an exemplary project.

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From “Subsidiarity is a word” to Cyber-subsidiarity

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Almere, Flevoland (NL), 26 August 2011

[Subsidiarity]: “Principle according to which decisions should be taken as closely to citizens as possible.” For the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the defence of the principle of subsidiarity remains a core value within the vision of a “Europe of regions”, respectful of the idea of bottom-up governance and which allows regional authorities to make decisions consistent with the citizens’ real needs. It is in this context that the AER Youth Regional Network (YRN) called on regional representatives from across Europe to further use social networks in an attempt to reduce the gap between policy makers and citizens. Today, it is precisely through these social networks that young people can actively, immediately, and dynamically participate in and provide solutions to the everyday problems of our regions. Young people have thus the means to keep track of the activities of their elected representatives, who, in turn, can make decisions in line with requests of their voters.

The democratisation of social networks

  • Social networks are decentralised, free, open to all citizens, and immediate sources of information.
  • Facebook has over 500 million users; people spend over 700 billion minutes online per month; access from mobile phones means the flow of information is constant.
  • Twitter has over 200 million users; there are more than 95 million tweets per day.
  • LinkedIn has over 100 million users and has become the main search engine for employers.
  • Every minute, 35 hours worth of video are posted on Youtube.

”In my area, all politicians use social networks. We are very aware that young people do not speak the same language as adults, and, as such it is a highly effective way of being close to our citizens.” Said Rune Fredriksen, Regional Advisor of Østfold (N). “Social networks are nevertheless a particular phenomenon: It is young people who know best about the opportunities and dangers of this new world, so it is really up to us to learn from them,” he explained.

The most emblematic example, which has been discussed throughout the various workshops, is that of the tragedy of the 22nd of July in Oslo, where it was in fact, through tweets from victims, that the Norwegian authorities learnt about the facts.

The commitment of AER and YRN

Elected officials and the members of the YRN present at the Summer School were given the opportunity to use social networks, including the AER’s Twitter profile #aerss. Many of them are now part of this network and monitor each others activities.

For AER, Cyber-subsidiarity has clearly become a new tool to encourage young Europeans to participate in the political life of their regions.

For more information: [email protected]

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Cohesion Policy: The AER strongly welcomes the commitment of the European Parliament

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Strasbourg (F), 5 July 2011

The Assembly of European Regions (AER) welcomes the support of the European Parliament (EP) to Cohesion policy. By adopting the key reports proposed by the REGI Committee, in particular that of Markus Pieper on the conclusions of the European Commission’s 5th report on economic, social, and territorial cohesion in Europe, MEPs have clearly shown their commitment to a strong future-oriented Europe, anchored in its regions and close to its citizens.

A strong Europe…
The European Union can only become stronger by constantly pursuing and improving its Community policies. Cohesion policy should be allocated specific objectives, allowing for an evaluation based on results and a significant simplification of its management. The EP has clearly positioned itself inline with this vision, a decision that AER strongly applauds.

… anchored in its regions
European governance must continue to work towards increasing subsidiarity, a clear and efficient distribution of competences and the establishment of a true partnership between the different levels of public authorities. An effective Cohesion policy can only function with significant involvement of local and regional authorities from its very inception. Furthermore, the focus on a limited number of objectives in order to optimise the allocation of resources should be combined with an adaptation of these objectives to the reality of the regions. AER therefore fully recognizes itself in the recommendations made in this regard by the Parliament.

… and close to its citizens
Cohesion policy aims to provide the same development opportunities to all EU citizens, no matter where they live. It represents the essence of the very existence of the EU in the territories, and is one of the main positive elements citizens can perceive in their daily lives. Since it is unthinkable to deny certain citizens of this link with Europe, all regions must be concerned by Cohesion policy. The EP has fully grasped the importance of ensuring a Cohesion policy for all, and AER welcomes this position. The support granted to transition regions fulfils this same objective: to ensure the equity to all European citizens. AER is also pleased to note that the European Commission integrated the proposal for the recognition of this group of regions in the financial perspectives 2014-2020 issued last week.

In this context, despite the constant and diverse attempts to question or undermine the fundamental character of the policy, which is included in the Treaties and whose positive effects have been repeatedly proven, European regions are confident that the Cohesion policy will persevere. The European Structural Funds, insofar as they meet clear objectives and remain compatible with regional development strategies, are key to resolving the economic crisis, achieving the goals of Europe 2020, and even to finally reconnecting the European citizens with their Europe!

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Local and regional leaders urge Barroso to draw up ambitious EU budget and to consider their role in Europe 2020 strategy

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Brussels, 16 June 2011

European local and regional leaders called on European Commission President Barroso to put forward “ambitious EU budget proposals” in order to stimulate the economy and asked that municipalities and regions be given an active role in the design and implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.

This call was made two weeks prior to the unveiling of the post-2013 EU financial framework during a meeting held today in Brussels between the presidents of associations representing local and regional authorities, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso.

The local and regional leaders stressed that the new EU budget must be “substantial” if it is to respond to the challenges ahead and to support economic recovery. A fair share of the upcoming budget should be dedicated to cohesion policy and could, if needed, be based on own resources.

Local and regional leaders also underlined that the Europe 2020 strategy must create a sense of “ownership” among all levels of government, as a large number of the strategy priorities concern local and regional authorities.

Finally, local and regional leaders stressed that political developments at the EU’s external borders are a historical challenge that requires new and effective solutions.

Committee of the Regions President Mercedes Bresso said: “The Commission must now send a clear signal to economic policymakers and citizens. The future budget has to reflect the EU’s new ambitions and the irreplaceable role of cohesion policy in supporting public and private investment. It must empower local and regional authorities, and must support their efforts to deliver the Europe 2020 targets.” Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions and President of the Murcia region (Spain), added: “We also need a more flexible EU budget. My home region, Murcia in Spain, was recently hit by a devastating earthquake. Recovery efforts will require large amounts of money and will have a great impact on our regional development priorities and spending. However, our EU regional aid programme was agreed in 2006 and runs until 2013. In the future, we should be able to quickly realign available EU funding to respond to such situations. In general, more flexibility will be desirable.”

Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and President of the Bretagne region (France), underlined: “Solidarity is the root of Political Europe. Without solidarity, Europe would have been no more than an economic free trade area. This solidarity is currently being undermined by issues related to financial stability and the overall amount of the EU budget. I am very concerned once again to see the Europe of tomorrow being shaped within the confines of the Member States, with no involvement on the part of the regions and no strong and clear goal. For this reason, we are asking for a coherent budget capable of meeting the goals of the tomorrow’s Europe and giving prominence to a cohesion policy for all regions and all citizens.”

Partnership makes a difference

Jean-Luc Vanraes, President of the Conference of European Regions with legislative powers (REGLEG) and Minister of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Finance, the Budget and the External Relations, emphasised: “Giving a central position to subsidiarity is to defend our democratic values. The heightening of the awareness of all the levels of power – from the citizen to the European institutions through the Member States – is a prerequisite to make Europe a space where the citizen is respected and to make the European project one realized for and by the citizens.”

Annemarie Jorritsma, Co-President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Mayor of Almere (Netherlands), called on “the European Commission President to bring the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to life by supporting a system of governance in partnership. European, national, regional and local authorities must cooperate in a spirit of partnership if we hope to successfully address the challenges Europe is currently facing. We need to notably mobilise citizens, industries, academics and NGOs, and invite them to join us in achieving true territorial development and cohesion in Europe.”

Reform of cohesion policy

Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and First Minister of the German-speaking Community in Belgium, stated: “European territorial cohesion has a fundamental meaning in border regions. They are areas where Europe grows together, but they also face important obstacles and challenges, even 20 years after the completion of the internal market. A strong cohesion policy is an essential instrument for these areas.”

Nazario Pagano, President of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) and President of Abruzzo Regional Council (Italy), said: “In support of the position expressed by the European Parliament on 8 June, the European Commission should introduce a category of “intermediate Regions” whose level of per capita GDP is between 75% and 90% of the EU average, for the future planning period of European structural funds. In the light of the recent Mediterranean crisis, recognition of a “common European border” and an appropriate revision of the Schengen provisions would be desirable. On behalf of the many CALRE Regions having to deal with migratory flows, I call on the European Commission to continue its dialogue with the Southern Mediterranean countries on the themes of migration, mobility and security.”

Strong European neighbourhood policy

Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Vice-President of the Ile-de-France region, underlined “We welcome with satisfaction the recent EU communication on the reform of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which will help to ensure the political stability of certain eastern European states. As regional democracy is a key element of any progress towards democratisation, the regions should become true partners, and not merely beneficiaries, of the ENP. These voluntary politics should also be extended beyond the borders of Europe, particularly in light of the recent developments in North Africa, to support the people. Together, strengthened by our experiences, we should help these new democracies carry out their decentralisation process.”

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The AER calls for the European Parliament to endorse the SURE report on the next Multi-annual Financial Framework

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Strasbourg (F), 7th June 2011

The report of the Special Committee on Policy Challenges and Budgetary Resources for a Sustainable European Union after 2013 (SURE) to be presented tomorrow during the plenary session of the European parliament addresses the following key issues, which are necessary to ensure the sustainable and cohesive development of the European territory:

• Simplifying and better controlling the implementation of structural funds by applying the principle of proportionality;
• Increasing support to SMEs and addressing the difficulties they face when coping with the red-tape often associated with EU support schemes;
• Ensuring continuous support to all European regions, including intermediary regions, in order to provide them with a clearer status and a more equitable situation.

The AER firmly supports the report’s recommendation to earmark a budget envelope for cohesion policy at least equal to that of the current period.

The AER will follow tomorrow’s debate attentively and hopes that it will lead to the adoption of the SURE report by a large majority of MEPs.

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Position of the Political Bureau of the AER: Transition regions must be taken into consideration

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‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL), 29 April 2011

On the occasion of its spring Bureau meeting, members of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) went over the conclusions of the 5th report on economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Commission again, in particular the reference to the possible creation of a new intermediate category of regions that can receive financial support under Cohesion Policy. It is within this context that a position on the future of “intermediate” and “transition” regions was adopted by the AER.

The AER calls for adequate, transparent and fair solutions for all regions, including those who find themselves just above the threshold of the convergence objective (less than 75% of GDP per capita average in Europe) but retain a GDP of less than 90% of the mean. The AER believes that there will be no problem in financing this new category of aid, as the funds allocated to the two other objectives will be automatically reduced when the regions come out of these categories.

Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions, welcomed this stance, stressing that “cohesion policy should remain a policy for all Europeans, and therefore continue to support all regions for the sake of competitiveness, innovation and employment. “

There are in fact between 40 and 50 billion Euros, which could be distributed to European regions who have exceeded the level of convergence but have not fully reached the stage of competitiveness. This intermediate category – from 75% to 90% of EU GDP per capita – would cover some 50 regions of 12 EU member states (Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, United Kingdom, Portugal, Malta, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland and Finland).

Lambert Van Nistelrooij, Member of European Parliament, joined the AER debate on the future of Europe. He addressed the following message to Europe’s regions: “The Europe 2020 strategy is in fact a contract between the European Union and the Member States; the sub-national level must also form contracts with States, contracts that clearly stipulate the role of each party, lest the budgets shrink and the domination of the national level increases. This would mark a retreat from the progress made to date in terms of cohesion policy. Now is the time for you to act and become true partners in shaping the future of Europe and its citizens. I propose to negotiate for a territorial pact in every member state”.

The AER members have already anticipated this advice through their White Paper on the future of cohesion policy, which was communicated to respective states and the European institutions.

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Cohesion in Europe: Regions Take up the Challenge

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With its White Paper on Cohesion Policy, AER provides accurate and informed responses to questions arising from the conclusions of the European Commission’s 5th report on economic, social and territorial cohesion

AER White Paper on Cohesion Policy is out!

Brussels (B), 7 December 2010.

Although broadly satisfied with the conclusions of the fifth report of the European Commission on economic, social and territorial cohesion, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) deeply regrets the failure to include regions as full partners alongside the European Union and its Member States. In view of the forthcoming reform, AER and the Brussels Capital Region (B) brought together over 250 actors and experts involved in European cohesion policy. The discussions were enriched by the presence of the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn.

If the regions welcome the objective of maintaining competitiveness and innovation open to every region, some of the modalities of implementation proposed are still not satisfactory. “We are concerned about the EC proposals that would seek to penalize regions by depriving them of their structural funds if states do not implement structural reforms unrelated to cohesion policy. “ said Mr. Jean-Claude Gayssot, a member of the AER Bureau and Vice-Chairman of the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon (F).

True multi-level governance essential

The AER White Paper on cohesion policy in particular highlights the importance of safeguarding the convergence objective. For AER, the convergence objective, the symbol of European solidarity, cannot see its budget reduced. Taking into account the long term, the EU can learn about other memberships and therefore it would be foolish to follow such a policy should be reviewed if new membership.

Thomas Andersson, Chairman of the AER Cohesion Policy and Regional Councillor of Jämtland (S) said that “Only true multi-level governance and effective cohesion policy involving all regions can contribute the best use of territories as assets. We must focus on the potential of each of them, including those who suffer from structural disadvantages, be they geographical, climatic or social. “

The AER White Paper on Cohesion Policy also proposes:
– Streamlining of rules governing the granting and operation of funds.
– The GDP per capita is not the only criterion for measuring the status and needs of a territory. Criteria such as the degree of innovation, the region’s attractiveness and well being of the population can also be taken into account.
– A substantial revision of the preparatory phase of territorial cooperation projects to improve strategic integration within regional policies.

The AER White Paper on Cohesion Policy is available here:

For more information: [email protected]

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Regions marching for cohesion and solidarity: AER defends access to all European regions to employment and regional competitiveness

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Brussels, 7 October 2010

Today, 300 regional representatives and regional networks responded to the call of the Austrian Land Niederösterreich, supported by the German Freistaat Bayern that hosted the event, for the Prolongation of the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (RCE) post 2013. Among them Mrs Michèle Sabban, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), was present to represent the 270 regions of AER networks.

In total, 143 regions (objective 2) signed the “Declaration of the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Regions on the future of EU Cohesion Policy post-2013”. AER supported the movement by co-signing this declaration. “This movement is not only symbolic, but indeed really important, as cohesion policy is crucial for Europe, its regions and its citizens”, President Sabban said. “I will bring today’s declaration to the high-ranking conference on cohesion which AER will organise on 7 December, and I invite all the engaged people to join us. All together, we will be stronger to show our commitment to an enhanced cohesion policy“.

After the official signings, all representatives marched to the EU Institutions, and met there the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, the European deputy and President of the Committee for Regional Development of the European Parliament, Danuta Hübner and the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso. A handing-over ceremony of the signature-books to these high representatives closed the event.

Background
Cohesion Policy is the main support instrument for Regions in Europe : is fundamental to reducing territorial disparities, which is an essential condition for European economic, social and environmental well-being. It provides for the development of all Regions and encourages territorial co-operation. Cohesion policy has built its legitimacy over the past years and is a key tool in deal with territorial specificities of each European region.

For more information: [email protected]

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