The EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions (EPP-CoR) is calling for additional, stable and long-term EU funding for Europe’s eastern regions, recognising that Russia’s war against Ukraine and growing geopolitical threats have fundamentally changed their development conditions. New security priorities must not come at the expense of cohesion policy or the investments that cities and regions need for their long-term economic and social development.
The call is at the heart of the opinion on “EU’s eastern regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine”, prepared by Adam Struzik (PL/EPP), President of Mazovia Region, and adopted by the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) in Cáceres, Spain. The opinion argues that supporting eastern regions is not simply an act of solidarity, but a strategic investment in the security, resilience, competitiveness and territorial cohesion of the European Union as a whole.
“We are presenting the opinion during critical European budget negotiations. The upcoming EU budget must deliver concrete financial solutions for these vulnerable territories. This funding is essential to secure their future and stabilise the entire Union,” said Adam Struzik (PL/EPP).
The opinion stresses that the impact of the war does not stop at the EU’s external border. Regions face lost markets and cross-border links, disrupted transport and trade routes, demographic pressure, lower investment attractiveness and additional costs for protecting critical infrastructure and maintaining public services. For this reason, the opinion calls for a function-based approach to determine which regions require support, rather than limiting assistance only to territories directly bordering Russia, Belarus or Ukraine.
For cities and regions, security and development must go hand in hand. Investment in resilient transport, energy and digital networks, hospitals, emergency services, water systems, crisis-management infrastructure and other dual-use infrastructure should strengthen both Europe's security and people's everyday lives. Crucially, the opinion insists that these new priorities require additional funding rather than diverting resources from cohesion policy and long-term regional development.
The opinion also puts people's right to stay at the centre of Europe's response. Eastern regions need good jobs, education, healthcare, housing, transport, childcare, social services and digital infrastructure so that people can choose to build their future in their home region rather than being forced to leave because opportunities and essential services are lacking.
Finally, the opinion calls for cities and regions to be full partners in designing and delivering EU support. Local and regional authorities should be involved in identifying needs, planning and selecting investments, implementation and monitoring. A genuine territorial dimension should also be built into the future national and regional partnership plans.
The COTER opinion will now proceed towards adoption by the European Committee of the Regions’ plenary.