The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has adopted an opinion on the future European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), including Interreg, and the Cohesion Fund during its plenary session. The opinion, drafted by María Guardiola Martín (ES/EPP), President of the Regional Government of Extremadura and rapporteur on the file, highlights the essential role of cohesion policy in supporting territorial development, competitiveness and social convergence across the European Union. It calls for clear and earmarked financial allocations for both the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund in the next multiannual financial framework, while advocating for a more flexible and simplified policy framework that preserves the principles of partnership, subsidiarity and multilevel governance. The opinion also rejects any hidden budget cuts that could undermine the continuity, predictability and long-term impact of cohesion policy, stressing that the policy must remain rooted in a place-based and bottom-up territorial approach tailored to the specific needs of Europe’s regions.
María Guardiola Martín (ES/EPP), rapporteur on the ERDF including European Territorial Cooperation and Cohesion Fund Regulation and President of the Regional Government of Extremadura said: “Cohesion Policy is not a cost — it is Europe’s investment in solidarity, competitiveness and territorial balance. In a time of accelerated change, we must reject the false choice between convergence and competitiveness: Europe needs both. These funds have already delivered tangible results for our regions, SMEs and citizens. But to remain effective, Cohesion Policy must be modernised, simplified and made more flexible, while preserving its core principles of partnership, shared management, subsidiarity and multilevel governance. We cannot accept cuts that would weaken its impact or put its continuity at risk.”
The opinion recognises the impact of ERDF and Cohesion Fund investments, noting that cohesion policy funding has supported more than 2.5 million SMEs, helped create over 370,000 jobs, and enabled major infrastructure and environmental projects throughout the EU. It also calls for the application of the N+2 decommitment rule for the 2028–2034 programming period, allowing greater flexibility and legal certainty for managing authorities implementing complex regional and infrastructure projects. In addition, the CoR stresses that cohesion policy funds should continue to support competitiveness, infrastructure, climate transition, digitalisation, connectivity, social services and housing, while ensuring simplified access to funding for smaller local and regional authorities and less developed regions.
In addition, the CoR advocates the reintroduction of specific provisions for small projects under Interreg, recognising their added value for cross-border cooperation, local actors and smaller regional authorities. The opinion also underlines that European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) remains one of the EU’s strongest instruments for strengthening competitiveness, territorial cohesion and the single market through cross-border and transnational cooperation. The opinion underlines the importance of maintaining a strong and place-based cohesion policy capable of responding to regional disparities and emerging challenges across Europe.
