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The Committee of the Regions Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy (COTER) met jointly with the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development (REGI) to discuss problems and opportunities emerging from the implementation of the reform of EU regional policy adopted last year. Complexity of rules, persistent lack of urban focus and delays in launching 2014-2020 programmes were among the critical issues raised by local and regional leaders.
A joint REGI-COTER meeting held on 6 October saw a first exchange of views on the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for 2014-2020 whose new regulations were discussed over the last 3 years and eventually adopted at the end of 2013. The reform's delivery is raising mixed reactions among regional and local leaders who are in charge of their management. "We are now in the 'hot period' when the process of negotiation of partnership agreements and operational programmes is coming to an end" said COTER chair, Marek Wozniak (PL/EPP), Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region, who stressed that: "The time has come to ask questions such as how the new instruments will be implemented in Member States to ensure the optimal distribution of cohesion policy allocations as well as to help beneficiaries to use the available means more effectively." The overall judgment on the reform was positive. "Regional policy is generally well defined and the resources have been secured for its programmes”, pointed out the State Secretary and Delegate of Saxony-Anhalt for the German Federation, Michael Schneider (DE/EPP). Taking reference from the 2008 joint working group between the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament, he proposed to “re-establish the ad hoc group on cohesion policy in 2015 to elaborate practical proposals for more efficient programmes and to cut the impact of administrative burden".
The Mayor of Lisbon, António Costa (PT/PES), expressed his frustration over "the lack of correspondence between the official statements of the European Commission and the reality in Member States". According to Mr Costa "municipalities were not adequately involved in the shaping of Portugal's partnership agreement and now, out of the 800 million EURO of the Lisbon programme, only 10% are accessible for municipalities. This totally contradicts the principles of subsidiarity and multi-level governance". A call for the full implementation of the partnership principle came also from the Chairman of the municipality of Gdynia, Stanislaw Szwabski (EA/PL), CoR rapporteur on the EU Code of Conduct of Partnership: “The Code will ensure greater transparency and local ownership, thus better responding to the most pressing needs of the citizens on the ground”. The debate also highlighted the contrast among the announced relevance of the urban agenda and the reality of funds programming. This problem was raised by both Mr Costa and by the Mayor of Delft, Bas Verkerk (NL/ALDE). As regards timing issues, the prospect of delays in launching the new operational programmes is bearing growing concerns in regional and local leaders. The late adoption of the reform, as well as of the EU budget, and of the complexity of the new provisions could lead several regions and cities to start the new phase only in the second half of 2015. In this perspective, the Vice President of Rhône-Alpes regional Council, Bernard Soulage (FR/PES) insisted on the gap "between the reality on the ground and the announced success of the reform. For instance, the Integrated Territorial Investment instrument is so complicated that even big metropolitan areas such as Grand Lyon hesitate to get involved”. He also reiterated the call to promote regions and cities investment capacity: "Regional policy cannot be considered as extra expenditure; it is an investment for the future and an investment in Europe".
Finally, the idea that local government fragmentation poses an obstacle to economic growth, as suggested by OECD Regional Outlook 2014, was called in to question by the Member of Tandridge District Council, Gordon Keymer (UK/PES): "Economic efficiency is not dependent on size. The strength of local governments has to be fostered at all levels, which means also to strengthen democracy", he said.
Author: CoR
