February 6, 2026

The following is a press release:

COTER commission greenlights a four-draft opinion package calling for a modernised Cohesion Policy developed and carried out with regional and local authorities.

Improving the current proposal for the EU's long-term budget 2028-34 through genuine involvement of regions and cities in the modernisation and simplification of Cohesion Policy. This is the aim of the package of draft opinions adopted today, 5 February, by members of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and the EU Budget (COTER). Among other requests, local and regional leaders called to be empowered to ask the European Commission to reject National and Regional Plans if regional authorities are sidelined.

Members of the COTER commission supported the need to renew Cohesion Policy but strongly opposed budget cuts and the attempt to exclude regions and cities from the decision-making process in favour of national governments. The four draft opinions address different aspects of the European Commission’s proposal on the next EU long-term budget, in particular the creation of a single large fund merging cohesion, agricultural, fisheries, and other policies, which would be managed through single National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs).

Proposal for a ‘subsidiarity clause’

Local and regional leaders underlined the need to safeguard the core principles that make Cohesion Policy effective through the involvement of subnational authorities: the partnership principle, multi-level governance and its long-term approach. Building on the European Commission President’s recent proposal for 'regional checks', they proposed a user manual, the multilevel governance assessment, to oblige Member States to involve subnational authorities in the design of the NRPPs, whilst respecting countries’ individual constitutional setups.

They also called for the introduction of a 'subsidiarity clause', which empowers regions to ask the European Commission to reject plans when they are overly nationalised.

By adopting the package of draft opinions – all scheduled for final adoption at the May plenary session – COTER members opposed the idea that the NRPP should become a 'single pot of money' at the disposal of Member States. They propose referring to the different funds, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund, which have their own specificities and – to be effective – should benefit from clearly allocated amounts of resources.

Ensuring a transparent use of resources

To enhance transparency and accountability, local and regional leaders also supported the simplification to monitor the efficiency of EU spending but called for it to be accompanied by strong safeguards to ensure that improving territorial cohesion remains a key priority. Regarding Cohesion Policy, the achievement of milestones and targets is set to replace the existing system based on reimbursement of expenses, which may lead to complexity with a risk of increasing red tape and controls. Consequently, COTER members have urged the Commission to provide EU-wide training and technical assistance for public officials who will be required to implement the new performance framework.

Dual-use military mobility investments must also boost civilian infrastructure

Local and regional leaders also welcomed the proposed continuation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme beyond 2027 and encouraged a structured involvement of regions and cities in CEF governance, monitoring, and evaluation. COTER members also welcomed the substantial increase in funding for military mobility and its designation as a dedicated CEF priority but stressed that dual-use investments in military mobility must deliver civilian co-benefits, particularly for regional connectivity and resilience, in full complementarity with Cohesion Policy investments.

The four adopted draft opinions are the following:

NRPP Fund Regulation  - co-rapporteurs Vasco Alves Cordeiro (PT/PES), COTER commission Chair, and Emil Boc (RO/EPP), Mayor of Cluj-Napoca.

ERDF including European Territorial Cooperation and Cohesion Fund Regulation - rapporteur: María Guardiola Martín (ES/EPP), President of the Regional Government of Extremadura.

Performance Framework Regulation - rapporteur: Luca Menesini (IT/PES), Provincial councilor of Lucca and President of the PES group at the Committee of the Regions.

Connecting Europe Facility Regulation - rapporteur: Juraj Droba (SK/ECR), Chairman of the Bratislava self-governing region.

Background

Video and pictures of the meeting

During the meeting, COTER members appointed Ander Caballero Barturen (ES/Renew E.), General Secretary for External Action and Global of the Basque Country, on the opinion on the future Atlantic EU Macro-Regional Strategy.

Contact

Matteo Miglietta

Tel. +32 470895382

matteo.miglietta@cor.europa.eu

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The European Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives from all 27 Member States. Created in 1994 following the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, its mission is to involve regional and local authorities in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. To sit on the European Committee of the Regions, all of its 329 members and 329 alternates must either hold an electoral mandate or be politically accountable to an elected assembly in their home regions and cities. Click here for more details on your national delegation.