The conference on Cohesion, our fundamental value for the future of Europe: regions and cities for a strong recovery and just transition, organised by the European Committee of the Regions and the Romanian Ministry of European Investments and Projects, with the support of Sibiu County Council, brought together in Sibiu high-level representatives from 27 Member States.
The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Adrian Câciu, addressed the participants in an online intervention.
The event gathered regional and local elected officials from the EU, representatives of the member states and officials from the European Commission, the President of the Sibiu County Council, Daniela Cîmpean, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Adrian Răulea, State Secretary in the Ministry of Investments and European Funds, as well as Emil Boc, the mayor of Cluj-Napoca and the President of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and the EU Budget of the Committee of the Regions.
"For the second time, Sibiu hosts a meeting with high European representatives, after the EU Leaders' Summit in 2019, which confirms the openness that our county has towards the European Union's values. Here, in Sibiu, topics of utmost importance for the future of our communities will be discussed, including cohesion policies, namely the ways in which the gap between developed regions and those less economically and socially favoured will be reduced. We are glad to have guests from all countries of the European Union, and the fact that alongside the members of the COTER Commission, there are ambassadors, ministers, and high officials in the fields of development and European funds, confirms the high interest in the topics on the agenda of the conference", said Daniela Cîmpean, the President of Sibiu County Council.
The participants had the opportunity to debate the role of cohesion policy in recovery and just transition processes and how the European Union policy and investment instruments can effectively support the long-term objectives of cohesion in the future. This debate will also contribute to the ongoing work of the European Committee of the Regions on its own-initiative opinion on the future of Cohesion Policy beyond 2027.
"The Cohesion Policy is the main investment policy for Romania through which we finance the country's most important development projects. The 16 Programs through which Romania will attract European money, approved by the European Commission at the end of last year, will strengthen the position of Romania's regions in the EU and harmonious territorial development, based on local priorities and global challenges. We are talking about challenges, but especially about adapted solutions because we believe in the ability of regions to recover from the negative effects of crises as well as in their ability to exploit development opportunities", said Adrian Răulea, State Secretary at the Ministry of Investments and European Projects.
The conference has an important role in the ongoing debates on a European development model based on sustainable economic growth, strengthening the EU's global competitiveness, and overcoming the challenges of modern society, but also for political stability and social welfare.
"While cohesion policy is the most tangible expression of European solidarity, offering equal opportunities and a better quality of life to people in all EU regions, it should not be treated as a gift but as an indispensable pillar of the Single Market linking diverse countries and regions with uneven levels of development. There are new drivers for disparities that will impact cohesion policy post 2027: demographic changes (aging population, lower number of active workers), deepening urban/rural divide, industrial transition as a response to climate change, increased digitalization, etc." highlighted Emil Boc, mayor of Cluj-Napoca.
The green and digital transition can strengthen the EU's overall performance but may create a risk of polarisation at regional level, with the objective of the transition being to leave no region behind. In this context, promoting a place-based approach that takes into consideration the local challenges is an important objective for reforming EU policies so that the transition can support regional development and vice versa.
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of West Pomerania Region (Poland) and President of the EPP-CoR Group underlined that Cohesion Policy should continue to be the foundation of the European project. "The Cohesion funds brought prosperity to the Polish regions. As President of West Pomerania, I can testify that thanks to the European funds our region's GDP went from 44% of the average EU GDP, when we joined the EU in 2004 to 79% of the EU average now. Undisputedly, the European funding, in particular the Cohesion Funds, are powerful instrument to showcase the advantages of the European project in our communities. We have now entered the new Cohesion funding cycle with ready to go projects based on regional and local needs."
The main topics of the conference focused on key issues concerning the role of cohesion policy in the recovery process, the promotion of a just transition and the implications of the revision of the multiannual financial framework for cohesion policy.
Cohesion policy has a key role to play in supporting both European priorities in the long term, in terms of recovery from successive crises, and just transition. Thus, cohesion investments representing around one third of the EU budget ensure harmonious development across the Union, based on the principle of partnership, multi-level governance and shared management of funds.
Sari Rautio, Chair of Hämeenlinna City Board said that regional and local governments are largely committed to pursue the overall European objective of the ambitious green and digital transition, which has to be done in just, fair and successful way by leaving no one behind. "As Committee of the Regions rapporteur on the Just Transition Mechanism I can confirm from many exchanges that the Just Transition Fund is useful instrument to address the specific needs of region in transition. We have also come to the conclusions that the existence of several parallel Funds and Regulations with different implementation deadlines makes the life difficult for many managing authorities. In view of the debates on the future of Cohesion Policy post 2027, we have also to discuss whether a future Just Transition Fund could be brought under the umbrella the Cohesion's Common Provisions Regulation."
Under these circumstances, cohesion policy will have to continue to play a significant role and the Multiannual Financial Framework will have to be flexible and adapted to the just transition and to reducing the effects caused by the multiple challenges the Union is currently facing.