The Cohesion Alliance (#CohesionAlliance) is renewing its political engagement in Europe following the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes that cohesion is a fundamental value of the European Union and a key objective of all its policies and investments.

The crisis caused by the COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted the need for solidarity, accountability and cohesion to ensure that no one and no region is neglected.

European regions, cities and municipalities, regardless of their size, already provide citizens with a number of basic services such as health and social care, which is key to overcoming the effects of the COVID pandemic 19, but the cost is enormous. Regional and local investment capacities are now significantly reduced.

Our goal is to ensure that strong EU financial support is provided to Member States, regions, cities and municipalities. They are most exposed to the crisis caused by the COVID pandemic 19 and must be protected in the EU budget for 2021-2027 and the post-pandemic recovery plan to protect citizens, support local economies, strengthen local resilience to crises and create sustainable of the future. As there is a danger of widening disparities between and within Member States, the lack of coordinated and timely EU action will widen the gap between more developed and less developed areas.

With regard to the adoption of the EU Recovery Plan and the post-2020 multiannual financial framework, we reiterate the key principles of the Cohesion Alliance and call on all leaders at European, national, regional and local levels, from businesses to civil society, to support this Declaration.

On behalf of the Cohesion Alliance:

1. The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is a key tool for promoting cohesion, convergence and competitiveness for all citizens of the European Union, wherever they live; The recovery plan should be bottom-up, using grants and the leverage effect of financial instruments, and respecting the principles of partnership;

2. A strong, visible and effective cohesion policy, accessible to all regions, cities and municipalities, regardless of their size, is key to reducing disparities in levels of development to help them recover from the crisis caused by COVID 19 and to cope with challenges and the realization of major policies such as the European Green Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Digital Transformation; attention should be paid to urban areas as drivers of green and digital transformation and to regions exposed to serious and permanent natural or demographic difficulties;

3. The goal of cohesion needs to be supported by all EU policies to strengthen the resilience of our regions, cities and municipalities, regardless of their size, in order to rebuild the economy, foster sustainability and strengthen the territorial and social fabric of our Union; the success of the proposed recovery plan depends on their full involvement as most of the responsibilities for health services, social welfare and resilience belong to the local and / or regional level;

4. The temporary nature of some of the proposed strengthening of cohesion policy should not jeopardize its long-term approach - it must continue to be an investment policy based on additional resources that meet the needs of all regions throughout the programming period;

5. The principles of partnership, multilevel governance and localized access, as well as the involvement of social and economic partners in the formulation and implementation of cohesion policy, are crucial not only for achieving cohesion policy objectives but also for developing national recovery and resilience plans; local and regional authorities are in the best position to assess investment needs at territorial level and must be fully involved in decision-making on (re) programming investments under REACT-EU and the implementation of the Instrument for Recovery and Resilience;

6. Recent measures to increase flexibility and further simplify cohesion policy should be maintained as part of the crisis mechanism and reactivated during the next programming period only in the event of a new crisis. Minimum allocations for sustainable urban development must be maintained as a key investment in more resilient cities in the future. Simplification of cohesion policy with the new “Next Generation EU” plan will also be crucial for recovery, and will not lead to greater centralization;

7. It is crucial that recovery instruments to address the economic and social consequences of the COVID pandemic crisis 19 strengthen cohesion policy and be complementary and well coordinated with the Structural Funds, EU competition policy and other EU funding programs, while in doing so, they do not lead to a reduction in the cohesion support originally envisaged for all Member States and regions;

8. Stronger European territorial cooperation must help individuals, communities and businesses to achieve cross-border cooperation and to overcome the harmful effects of the crisis and to accelerate economic recovery. Existing and n

these EU programs, such as the new instrument for investing in interregional innovation, will be key to supporting the development of European industrial and innovation value chains based on smart specialization strategies; in this regard, the European cross-border mechanism must be revitalized;

9. The timely start of the 2021-2027 cohesion policy program and the expanded phasing-out system for the 2014-2020 program are needed to respond to the current crisis and prepare long-term development strategies; in the event of delays, transitional arrangements with additional resources must be provided for in order to avoid a shortfall in funding between the two programming periods;

10. Calls on EU and Member State leaders to take responsibility for citizens and agree on the next multiannual financial framework and recovery strategy to ensure the timely start of the cohesion policy program from 1 January 2021.

Source: #CohesionAlliance Declaration or a cohesive, sustainable and resilient Europe 2.0 (europa.eu)