Changes from plenary report to adopted text

RemovedIn this context, it is more necessary than ever that the Union’s institutions together with national, regional and municipal authorities cooperate closely to achieve resilience, sustainability and inclusiveness through participative and innovative integrated territorial development.

AddedPE750.084

RemovedThe key role of integrated territorial development

AddedEuropean Parliament resolution of 16 January 2024 on the implementation of territorial development (CPR, Title III, Chapter II) and its application in the European Territorial Agenda 2030 (2023/2048(INI))

RemovedIntegrated territorial development is key for strengthening resilience and triggering prosperity in all regions. It helps coordinate regional and local development and nurture local democracy through inclusive participation. Integrated territorial development is relevant to all EU territories, and it can open up new development pathways towards a smarter, knowledge-based, greener economy, creating quality employment and social progress in areas other than urban areas. Territorial or local development strategies address territorial development beyond cities, functional urban areas and metropolitan areas, putting local authorities at the centre of the governance.

RemovedCPR tools: ITI and CLLD

RemovedIntegrated territorial and local development strategies promoted by EU cohesion policy are relevant tools to sustain this process. In particular, Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) and Community Led Local Development (CLLD) are the main mechanisms used to implement cohesion policy funding in an integrated and place-based manner, with the active involvement of regional and local authorities. The Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) for each programming period regulates ITI and CLLD, as a means to deliver cohesion policy in a territorially integrated way in order to increase its effectiveness.

RemovedIn particular, the CPR for the 2021-2027 programming period has dedicated Title III Chapter II to the territorial development, in view of its fundamental importance in the cohesion policy architecture. Articles 28-34 of the CPR provide that the promotion of sustainable and integrated development of all territories is delivered through territorial tools, notably ITI, CLLD or ‘any other integrated territorial tool designed within a national strategy’.

RemovedITI and CLLD are the key instruments to address one of the cohesion policy’s five broad Policy Objectives, notably the Policy Objective 5 “a Europe closer to citizens by fostering the sustainable and integrated development of all types of territories”. These tools have first been introduced in 2014 and they have been further strengthened in the legislation for the 2021-2027 period, emphasising the key role of integrated territorial strategies in achieving cohesion objectives.

RemovedITI and CLLD are intended to facilitate a bottom-up approach for a territorial development by involving local and regional governments, by facilitating dialogue between the various stakeholders and by increasing cooperation between the public and private sector, as well as by fostering cooperation and the transfer of information between the top and bottom levels of government.

RemovedThe ERDF regulation 2021-2027 provides more details about integrated approach (Articles 7-9) as well as an earmarking. In particular, 8% of ERDF funding at national level, compared to 5% for the previous programming period, must be allocated to sustainable urban development (SUD) in the form of ITI, CLLD or any other integrated territorial tool.

RemovedITI and CLLD implementation at a glance

RemovedThis report draws lessons on the experience during the 2014-2020 period, but also looks forward to what is foreseen in the current 2021-2027 period so as to draw useful conclusions. In particular, this report aims to take stock on how ITI and CLLD have been implemented during the 2014-2020 period and what evolutions we can already observe for the 2021-2027 period, focusing on qualitative rather than quantitative data. The success of territorial instruments should anyway be evaluated beyond hard figures and numbers. There are other softer factors that are more complex to evaluate, such as cohesion within the territory targeted, wellbeing of residents, strengthened social and human capital, new forms of cooperative culture in policy-making or cooperative governance models that can only be observed in the long run.

RemovedIt is worth noting that, in the 2014-2020 period, funding planned for territorial and urban strategies amounts to approximately EUR 30 billion, nearly 10 percent of the total cohesion policy funding for that period. ITI instruments were often used in urban contexts for integrated and sustainable urban development strategies. Accordingly, ITI is one of the preferred instruments for implementing the mandatory minimum 8% earmark of the national ERDF allocation for sustainable urban development. In the period 2014-2020 a number of countries however chose not to use ITI for the urban earmark but a dedicated urban priority axis within their Operational Programme.

RemovedWhen looking closely at the implementation on the ground, we observe indeed a number of different approaches from one area to another. The options to use territorial instruments have been taken up to a very different extent across Member States and across regions.

RemovedIt is worth noting that the implementation of operations experienced substantial delays at the beginning of the 2014-2020 period. However, the implementation rate for these instruments has significantly improved towards the end of this programming period.

RemovedAs for CLLD instruments, evidence from the previous period shows that they target smaller rural areas, with a comparatively low take-up across urban areas. Difficulties during the previous period 2014-2020 included, in particular, a lack of awareness and capacity at the local level, together with the perception of a heavy bureaucratic burden and slow absorption of funds.

RemovedThe role of Territorial Agenda 2030

RemovedMember States are called to ensure coherence and coordination among Funds while avoiding that new economic, social and territorial disparities appear. Place-based approaches and integrated territorial development need to be promoted with utmost priority. This ambitious target cannot be reached without an integrated approach to territorial development as highlighted by the Territorial Agenda 2030.

RemovedThe Territorial Agenda 2030 defines two overarching objectives, a Just Europe and a Green Europe, which have six priorities for developing the European territory as a whole along with all its places. It further aligns the EU’s territorial development objectives with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the European Green Deal, underlines the importance of strategic spatial planning and provides orientation for this while strengthening the territorial dimension of sector policies at all governance levels.

RemovedThe Territorial Agenda 2030, which shares common principles such as a local approach, policy coordination and effective multi-level frameworks with the Urban Agenda for the EU, is rooted in the understanding that Europe faces major economic, social and environmental challenges. It also has great potential to improve living conditions in all places and for all people. This implies that Europe needs policies with a stronger territorial dimension and coordinated approaches that acknowledge and use the diversity and specificities of places.

RemovedAn intergovernmental declaration that needs to be enhanced

RemovedThe Territorial Agenda 2030 is a tool that paves the way for territorial cohesion in Europe, urging a wide range of players to apply its objectives and priorities. However, it is an intergovernmental declaration with no direct legal, financial or institutional implementation instruments. It is worth noting that neither the 2014 Common Provisions Regulation nor the 2021 Common Provisions Regulation make reference to the Territorial Agenda 2020 and the Territorial Agenda 2030 respectively. The European Parliament should therefore reflect on how to make the best use of the Territorial Agenda and consider the inclusion of its priorities in EU legislative processes.

RemovedImplementation of Territorial Agenda 2030

RemovedThe application of the Territorial Agenda 2030 depends on multilevel cooperation. To inspire key players to take action, seven pilot actions have been launched. Pilot actions demonstrate how Territorial Agenda objectives can be pursued ‘on the ground’ at local and regional levels. This involves implementation activities, such as working with local and regional actors on how they can address opportunities and challenges linked to their thematic focus. These activities offer examples of place-based approaches, with consensus-oriented stakeholder dialogues. They implement experimental and innovative solutions adapted to local specificities.

RemovedPilot actions for the Territorial Agenda are still at an early stage. The Territorial Agenda 2030 envisages a stocktaking in 2024 including a review of the governance system, implementation progress and relevance of the priorities. This review will start during the Spanish EU Presidency in 2023 and will focus on governance and implementation.

RemovedActions putting the Territorial Agenda 2030 into practice can be taken at any governance level and can vary in character and focus. Despite calls upon key players and efforts to inspire action through the examples and pilot actions, it seems that application of the Territorial Agenda 2030 priorities remains patchy and uneven across the territory of the Union. More concretely, the distribution of the seven pilot actions across Europe is unbalanced. All pilot actions have been initiated by national authorities. Experimental or innovative processes at local and regional levels have been implemented by a few pilot actions. Many compile evidence and produce case studies and reports. Some propose lessons learnt from a national initiative available to actors across Europe.

RemovedThe way forward

RemovedThe European Parliament follows closely how European Structural and Investment Funds support the integrated approach to urban and territorial development. It is crucial to understand how Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) and Community-led Local Development (CLLD) strategies implemented across Europe within Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 programming periods evolve and draw valuable lessons. This is the only way to be able to improve the cohesion policy tools of tomorrow.

RemovedWe need to explore the investment strategies followed by different perspectives such as geographical unit, spatial focus, thematic concentration, size of population, funding arrangements and implementation mechanisms, in order to be able to adapt the future cohesion policy accordingly and address current deficiencies.

RemovedThis report will also serve to reinforce the role of the European Parliament, and in particular, its Committee on Regional Development, in the follow-up of the TA and all its actions, as reflected in the document itself.

RemovedWe should aim to simplify further the administrative process for the management of funds, to include the Territorial Agenda 2030 priorities in the legislative instruments and operational programmes of cohesion policy funds, and promote even further the involvement of municipalities, regions and their representative associations during the various stages of implementation of territorial instruments. This includes their participation in the programming, selection and monitoring of ITI and CLLD projects. Our aim should be to mobilise potential beneficiaries and help authorities raise awareness of territorial tools. It is also necessary to develop more sophisticated monitoring and evaluation systems that are able to assess the impacts of these territorial instruments and to better communicate their results.

Removedon the implementation of territorial development (CPR, Title III, Chapter II) and its application in the European Territorial Agenda 2030