Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
European section of United Cities and Local Governments


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Local and Regional Dialogues on Cohesion Policy

Local and regional dialogues - 02.04.2018

Cohesion policy is the cement of the European project and young generations need to know that
The series of local and regional dialogues on the added value of cohesion policy continues its journey around Europe.
 
We had great participation to the events in the cities of Goteborg (2 March 2018, Sweden, Västsverige Region), Växjö (7 March 2018, Sweden, Småland och Öarna Region), Ancona (7 March 2018, Italy, Marche Region) and Perugia (13 March 2018, Italy, Umbria Region): at least 60 participants in each, and more than 100 in Perugia. Local governments’ representatives, civil society organisations, students from universities and schools have attended the events. At the heart of the dialogues:  project promoters presented their project funded with ESI funds.
 
Among major conclusions and key recommendations:
 
  • Cohesion policy is the cement of the European cooperation project, it helps mobilise local and regional actors around common European challenges. Especially for the youngest, they believe that a united Europe with cooperation at its heart is essential. (Goteborg 5th Dialogue, Växjö 6th Dialogue, Pescara 8th dialogue)
  • Principles underlying cohesion policy such as partnership and smart specialisation have generated innovation and efficient results in the Region. A lot of knowledge and specialised skills are now available locally and regionally. (Växjö 6th Dialogue)
  • Upcoming negotiations between Member States and the European Parliament on the post-2020 Cohesion Policy should take into account regional views, as it is the regional and local levels which know best where investments should be made. (Goteborg 5th Dialogue)
  • Radical simplification and harmonisation of rules across different funds is warmly welcomed. It was suggested to reduce the burden of controls for both beneficiaries and national administrations with good audit records. (Växjö 6th Dialogue)
  • Several projects which were presented demonstrated how cohesion policy contributed to building permanent infrastructures. In particular, in central regions of Italy, the funds were fundamental for post-earthquake reconstruction. (Ancona 7th Dialogue)
  • In the future, cohesion policy should not concern only countries whose development is lagging behind, it is essential that it continues to address all regions in Italy. Cohesion policy has strong and positive impact on the territories that benefit from it. (Pescara, 8th dialogue)
 
To stay tuned, please visit the CEMR dedicated webpage to the project.
The reports of past events are available here.
Follow and contribute to the Twitter debate with the #EUinmyregion hashtag, and discover the dialogues as if you were there thanks to our video playlist  and Flickr account .
The local and regional dialogues project is coordinated by CEMR with the support of the European Commission.
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