- Objectives and challenges – the contribution and added value of Cohesion policy for competitiveness and cohesion; and its role in addressing new or growing challenges (such as, for instance, energy security or migration); and optimal policy approaches for low-income and low-growth region;
- Policy architecture and financial allocations – the role of Cohesion policy especially its continuation in richer regions;
- Financial instruments – the forms of support best suited for stimulating investment in Europe;
- Thematic and geographical focus – the balance between contributing to overarching European priorities and territorial development challenges and needs
- Urban dimension – the role of the policy in urban areas;
- Governance and simplification – the role of the policy in supporting better governance; the scope for simplification; and the future of the shared management model;
- Economic governance and structural reform – the contribution / integration of cohesion policy to the EU’s economic governance and structural reform agenda.
Permanent Revolution in Cohesion Policy: Restarting the reform debate
Over the past year, all of the Partnership Agreements for the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds and the vast majority of operational programmes have been finalised and adopted by the Commission. While the priority is now firmly on the launch and implementation of the new round of 2014-20 OPs, there remains substantial funding to spend under the 2007-13 OPs in some countries and programme closure still has to be achieved. However, the attention of EU and national policymakers is increasingly looking to the long-term.
The context for reform is shaped by the continuing effects of the financial and economic crisis, questions of future economic governance and (increasingly) the challenge of migration. Slow and uneven recovery has prompted the Commission President to launch an Investment Plan for Europe, including a European Fund for Strategic Investments to stimulate investment in infrastructure and firms. The destabilising threat from a Greek exit from the euro has been contained through a third bailout, and a long-term vision for completing EMU has been tabled by the Presidents of the EU institutions, including proposals for a stabilisation function. In the short-term, there are reviews of the EU’s budget and Europe 2020 strategy underway, all of which have implications for discussions on the future shape of EU Cohesion policy post-2020.
The European Commission, European Parliament and Committee of the Regions have all begun, in different ways, the process of taking stock of lessons from 2007-13 and the first experiences from implementing the recent reforms in the 2014-2020 period, which will contribute to defining the agenda for post 2020. Member States have also started some organisational planning and brainstorming on the options for post-2020.