#CohesionAlliance - News bulletin – Nov 2020

​​​The current EU budget and recovery plan impasse, the ongoing trilogue negotiations on the cohesion policy package 2021-2027 and the need to establish cohesion as a fundamental value for rural areas are keeping the demands of the #CohesionAlliance relevant. It is time for another push!

Find relevant updates, events and a survey on the application of the partnership principle below:

#CohesionAlliance videoconference: "Heading towards the finish line: The final stretch of negotiations on the cohesion policy package for 2021-2027"

Shortly before the legislative process on the cohesion policy package comes to an end, it is time to look into the state of play of the final stretch of negotiations and assess the progress made from the point of view of the Cohesion Alliance partners. The event would also provide an opportunity to reiterate the key demands of the Cohesion Alliance, in particular with respect to the parts of the legislative package that are still being negotiated, and to provide an outlook to the future work of the Cohesion Alliance after the adoption of the new Regulations.

Cities and regions urge for EU budget and recovery plan adoption

On Tuesday 10 November, the European Parliament budget negotiators and the Council Presidency reached an agreement outlining the 2021-27 EU budget and the recovery fund. This compromise, which still needs to be formally endorsed by the Council and the EP plenary, is being blocked by the member states Hungary and Poland, in their dispute over linking EU funds to respect for the rule of law. Cities and regions are deeply concerned that this veto will slow down the implementation of the 1.8 trillion new long-term EU budget and the coronavirus recovery package. Funds which are urgently needed funds to address the negative impact of the corona in Europe’s cities and regions.

Webinar: "A European Rural Agenda is urgently needed for rural areas after COVID crisis"

Following the European Parliament resolution on addressing the specific needs of rural, mountainous and remote areas, the new Commission has been asked to develop a new long-term vision for rural areas. This webinar co-organised by the NAT commission of the European Committee of the Regions and the RUMRA and Smart Villages intergroup of the European Parliament, with the support of RED and Euromontana, will explore lessons learned by rural areas during the COVID-19 crisis and how the new long-term vision for rural areas should be translated into a concrete policy framework – the European rural agenda - that would enable and empower rural communities to turn challenges into opportunities.

Survey: application of the principles of partnership and multi-level governance

In order to provide the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the necessary evidence from the ground for assessing the application of the principles of partnership and multi-level governance in the preparation of the Partnership Agreements and programmes for 2021-2027, it has commissioned a study including a survey on this important matter. All representatives of local and regional authorities, economic and social partners as well as partners representing civil society who directly or indirectly involved in the preparation of 2021-27 Partnership Agreements and/or programmes for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund (ESF+), Cohesion Fund (CF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) are invited to participate until 21 December 2020.