At a high-level debate with MEP Andrey Novakov hosted today at the European Committee of the Regions, EPP local and regional representatives, delivered a united message: Europe’s strength lies in its regions and cities, and the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must reflect this reality.
Speakers warned against centralisation trends in the Commission’s proposal and underscored that cohesion policy must remain the cornerstone of European solidarity and balanced development.
Opening the debate, Sari Rautio, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions referred to her opinion on the next MFF which was adopted by the COTER Commission. She stressed the need to work together to ensure the EU budget reflects the needs on the ground.
Andrey Novakov, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, Bulgaria) and EPP Group Coordinator in the EP REGI Committee spoke on the relatively low EU’s average absorption rate of structural funds in the sixth year while absorption rate of RRF is higher since it is simpler and faster. But that does not mean we need no cohesion policy. "The founding fathers of this Union created cohesion policy to correct the imbalances of the single market. They knew that we had different levels of development, and that some regions risked being preserved only as markets. Cohesion policy exists to strengthen those regions so they can participate fully in the European economy."
Ivan Žagar, Mayor of Slovenska Bistrica (Slovenia) and EPP-CoR Coordinator for COTER stressed the need of simplification "One major problem we face is the lack of simplification — and the debureaucratisation of procedures. In Slovenia, we have already spent five years negotiating the implementation of the current financial perspective, and we are still largely stuck at the starting line, because we are still creating procedures."
Comparing to simple procedures with the RRF, Dimitrios Kafantaris Municipal Councillor of Pylos–Nestoros (Greece) and EPP-CoR Member spoke on the need of simplification to address absorption rates. He added that while defence was a priority cohesion policy also symbolised Europe's defence.
Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo (Bulgaria) said that when decentralisation is weak, it is unrealistic to expect that procedures and reforms will genuinely support local and regional authorities. She called for the introduction of legal safeguards to ensure real regional checks. "These are needed to guarantee that local and regional authorities are part of the entire cycle: preparation, implementation, monitoring, and drafting of national and regional plans. Because we know—in Bulgaria particularly—that the Recovery and Resilience Plans have not been very successful, despite the fact that they rely heavily on the work of local authorities."
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the West Pomerania Region (Poland) critiicised concentrated RRF allocations:
“In many Member States, most RRF funds were concentrate in few regions. This contradicts the mission of cohesion. We need an EU-level analysis of regional distribution.” He warned this will lead to nationalism "We need to continue working on mechanisms that guarantee that regions and cities remain genuine partners for the Commission. Because otherwise, in many countries where the government is not ready to distribute funding regionally or support cohesion, what we will see—very clearly—is centralization, and this goes hand in hand with increasing nationalism."
Pehr Granfalk, Councillor of Solna Municipality (Sweden) said that COVID-19 funds did not trickle down to regions and municipalities which really needed. He warned of proposals shifting competences away from regions "Our strength today through cohesion policy—is precisely that we can demonstrate that the European Union is built from the bottom up. Not from the top down. It grows from the local level, through the regions, through the states. This is the model that works, and this is what gives legitimacy to the Union.
Marek Woźniak, President of Wielkopolska and EPP-CoR Member concluded the debate by highlighting that “Cohesion policy is the EU’s success story—let’s not undermine it.”
A United Message: Keep Cohesion at the Heart of Europe
Across the debate, all speakers shared a consistent message:
• Cohesion policy must remain a central pillar of the next MFF.
• Regions and municipalities must not be sidelined by centralised funding models.
• Balanced territorial development is essential to countering nationalism.
• Stable administration and strong multilevel governance are prerequisites for effective EU investment.
As the European Parliament prepares its negotiating position, local and regional leaders urged institutions to ensure that Europe continues to be built from the bottom up.