Opinion Piece – By Sari Rautio, President of the EPP-CoR, and Nikos Chardalias, Governor of Attica & First Vice-President of the EPP-CoR
 
European funds are often discussed in terms of figures, regulations, and negotiations. But European funds associated often with Cohesion Policy funding are, above all, about how Europe improves the daily lives of its people. In Attica, this truth is visible on the ground.
 
Take the ambitious AENAON project, a €370 million EU-funded transformation that will turn 74 hectares of coastal land into a vast green and cultural hub by 2028. This is not a financial line in a spreadsheet — it is a generational investment in quality of life. AENAON will create open public space, promote culture, enhance climate resilience, and give millions of citizens access to a green, vibrant coastline.
 
Or consider another example of Cohesion Policy powering Europe’s future: the upgrade of the Attica supercomputer, co-funded through the Regional Operational Programme. This state-of-the-art high-performance system boosts the region’s research and innovation capacity, supports SMEs, accelerates technological competitiveness, and anchors Greece more firmly in Europe’s digital transition. Investments like these show how cohesion funds strengthen both people’s daily lives and Europe’s scientific strength, and competitiveness. 
 
Decentralisation and Local Leadership Are Key to Effective Investment
 
The success of these initiatives demonstrates why continuing decentralisation efforts is essential for how EU funds are allocated and developed. When regions are empowered to shape investments according to real territorial needs, outcomes improve significantly and serve better the real needs on the ground.
 
Absorption rates and the quality of spending will only increase if regions are fully involved in monitoring committees and can effectively oversee their Member States in performing a comprehensive regional check of their National Reform and Programme Plans (NRPPs). Local and regional authorities (LRAs) — as the institutions closest to citizens and to territorial realities — must be central in these processes.
 
Cohesion Policy: The Cornerstone of Fair Development
 
Cohesion Policy remains the EU’s most powerful tool for promoting socio-economic progress, sustainable development, and social inclusion. It is built on what we often describe as its golden principles: shared management; multi-level governance; the partnership principle and a strong place-based approach. These principles are not bureaucratic concepts — they ensure that EU investments respond to real needs, reduce inequalities, and generate fair opportunities in every region.
 
To keep these principles alive, the next MFF must guarantee a defined, stand-alone budget for Cohesion Policy, built on socio-economic data provided by LRAs. At the same time, we must reduce the administrative burden that too often prevents local authorities — especially smaller ones — from accessing the funds they need.
 
It is equally important to underline that cohesion and competitiveness reinforce one another. Europe cannot be globally competitive unless every region is resilient, connected, and able to contribute to growth. Cohesion Policy is not an emergency instrument; it is Europe’s long-term investment in balanced development, innovation, and democratic stability.
 
Positive Steps, But More Is Needed
 
We welcome the positive swing introduced in the European Commission’s revised proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and we thank in particular our partners the EPP Group in the European Parliament for its strong role in securing these improvements. However, challenges remain. The revised proposal does not include a ring-fenced budget for all categories of regions, nor a clear commitment to maintain Cohesion Policy as a stand-alone instrument. The new requirement obliging Member States to justify the impact on cohesion if they allocate less than 25% of current funding to their more developed and transition regions is a step in the right direction — but not yet sufficient to guarantee fairness for all territories. The EPP-CoR also welcomes the progress made in other policy areas, notably in the Common Agricultural Policy and in fisheries, including the ring-fencing of €2 billion for fisheries, and the new 10% rural development target, both of which strengthen territorial balance. Still, more clarity is needed on how regions will be involved and how the regional check will function in practice.
 
A Crucial Moment for Europe’s Future
 
This week the EPP-CoR presented its opinion on the MFF at the COTER commission meeting of the European Committee of the Regions. This opinion reaffirms that Cohesion Policy must not be dismantled or absorbed into centrally or nationally managed instruments. Europe needs a strong, autonomous Cohesion Policy more than ever.
 
As negotiations are only just beginning, we commit — as the EPP-CoR — to work closely with the European Parliament, the Council, and the Member States to improve the proposal further. Cohesion Policy is more than a budget line: it is a pillar of European democracy, a long-term investment in competitiveness, and the means by which Europe becomes real in people’s everyday lives. The European Committee of the Regions will remain fully engaged throughout the entire negotiation process to ensure that ultimately all regions benefit from a strong Cohesion Policy. This is essential if Europe is to meet its major objectives: strengthening competitiveness, reinforcing defence, and ensuring a fair transition for all.

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