Changes from plenary report to adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular Title XVIII thereof,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (‘the Common Provisions Regulation’ – CPR),

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the Just Transition Fund

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 December 2020 laying down certain transitional provisions for support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the years 2021 and 2022 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards resources and application in the years 2021 and 2022 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and the distribution of such support in respect of the years 2021 and 2022,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006,

– having regard to the Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015 (the Paris Agreement),

– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 on sustainable cities and communities,

– having regard to the Territorial Agenda 2030 – A future for all places, adopted at the informal meeting of Ministers responsible for spatial planning, territorial development and/or territorial cohesion on 1 December 2020,

– having regard to the Pact of Amsterdam establishing the Urban Agenda for the EU, agreed at the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers Responsible for Urban Matters on 30 May 2016,

– having regard to the New Leipzig Charter – The transformative power of cities for the common good, adopted at the Informal Ministerial Meeting on Urban Matters on 30 November 2020,

– having regard to the Ljubljana Agreement, adopted at the Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for Urban Matters on 26 November 2021,

– having regard to the New Urban Agenda adopted by the United Nations on 20 October 2016,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 January 2023 entitled ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’ (COM(2023)0032),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 February 2022 entitled ‘8th Cohesion Report: Cohesion in Europe towards 2050’ (COM(2022)0034),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 June 2021 entitled ‘A long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040’ (COM(2021)0345),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 3 March 2021 entitled ‘Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030’ (COM(2021)0101),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 entitled ‘The European Green Deal’ (COM(2019)0640),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 September 2020 entitled ‘Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition – Investing in a climate-neutral future for the benefit of our people (COM(2020)0562),

– having regard to the Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative launched on 16 September 2020,

– having regard to the Commission staff working document of 17 June 2022 entitled ‘New European Bauhaus territorial development model (NEB TDM) financial instrument’ (SWD(2022)0172),

– having regard to its resolution of 14 September 2022 on the new European Bauhaus,

– having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2022 on a long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040,

– having regard to its resolution of 15 September 2022 on economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU: the 8th Cohesion Report,

– having regard to its resolution of 15 February 2022 on the challenges for urban areas in the post-COVID-19 era,

– having regard to its resolution of 20 May 2021 on reversing demographic trends in EU regions using cohesion policy instruments,

– having regard to its resolution of 25 March 2021 on cohesion policy and regional environment strategies in the fight against climate change,

– having regard to its resolution of 13 March 2018 on the role of EU regions and cities in implementing the COP 21 Paris Agreement on climate change,

– having regard to the opinion of 18 September 2020 of the European Economic and Social Committee entitled ‘Revision of the Territorial Agenda of the EU, the Leipzig Charter and the Urban Agenda for the EU’,

– having regard to the in-depth analysis entitled ‘Territorial Agenda 2030 – Implementation Review’, published by its Directorate-General for Internal Policies on 7 June 2023,

– having regard to the study conducted for the Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) entitled ‘Integrated territorial and urban strategies: how are ESIF adding value in 2014-2020’, published in December 2017,

– having regard to STRAT-Board, the interactive tool developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and DG REGIO displaying how European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) support the integrated approach to urban and territorial development,

– having regard to the Handbook of territorial and local development strategies and the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies, published by the JRC,

– having regard to the working paper by DG REGIO entitled ‘The geography of EU discontent and the regional development trap’, published in March 2023,

– having regard to the study conducted for the Council of European Municipalities and Regions entitled ‘ITI and CLLD – The use of integrated territorial tools in cohesion policy’ published in December 2022,

– having regard to the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities of 2007 and to the New Leipzig Charter – the transformative power of cities for the common good of 30 November 2020,

– having regard to Rule 54 of its Rules of Procedure, as well as Article 1(1)(e) of, and Annex 3 to, the decision of the Conference of Presidents of 12 December 2002 on the procedure for granting authorisation to draw up own-initiative reports,

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development (A9-0420/2023),

A. whereas cohesion policy remains and should remain the principal investment policy for the EU’s regions and cities, and is not intended to consistently serve as a first choice for financial assistance to face unforeseen events that shake our socio-economy; whereas the Territorial Agenda is the guiding instrument for the EU’s territorial policy, as reflected in its national programmes and projects, providing orientation for strategic spatial planning and regional development, calling for the territorial dimension of sector policies at all governance levels to be strengthened and seeking to promote an inclusive and sustainable future for all places and to help achieve the SDGs in Europe;

B. whereas the challenges that EU regions are facing are identified and managed at territorial level;

E. whereas it appears that the main difficulties encountered by local and regional institutions and civil society for the 2014-2020 period were insufficient technical and administrative support, disproportionate bureaucratic hurdles, a lack of skills and training, knowledge and capacity building, and poor cooperation among different levels of governance, in addition to a slow absorption of funds;

F. whereas it appears that in regions and administrative units where LEADER is implemented, a mandatory Local Action Group manager contributes to improving the performance and absorption of regional funding;

G. whereas the richness of the EU’s territorial diversity should be seen as a dynamic and complex system in which each region faces development challenges according to its own particular characteristics; whereas growing inequalities between places and between people have reached a critical level and concerted action at all geographical and governance levels is needed to ensure positive future perspectives for all people and places throughout the EU;

H. whereas the Handbook of territorial and local development strategies offers methodological support at all levels;

I. whereas micro-cohesion is a form of balance for underdeveloped areas within more developed regions; whereas, explicitly focusing on ‘places and people’, the Territorial Agenda (TA2030) pioneers the ‘idea of interpersonal cohesion’ alongside territorial cohesion, taking into account that these disparities can only be addressed by paying more attention to the diversity and potential of territories, as well as designing place-based policies and strategies, with the aim of better incorporating a territorial dimension into all EU funds;

J. whereas Article 28 CPR designates integrated territorial investments (ITIs) and community-led local development (CLLD) as the instruments for implementing territorial development strategies and calls for coherence and coordination among the funds when several are applied to the same strategy for regional or local development; whereas these instruments are aimed at bottom-up territorial development and reinforce the active participation of local stakeholders;

L. whereas CLLD was the second most used tool by Member States for developing territorial or local strategies in the 2014-2020 period and guarantees that local and regional governments and stakeholders will be closely involved in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the EU funds they receive; whereas there is no earmarking for the use of CLLD in the 2021-2027 programming period;

M. whereas the implementation of ITIs and CLLDs remains uneven across the EU and several Member States and managing authorities do not seem very committed to implementing them; whereas the interpretation and implementation of policy objective 5 ‘Europe closer to citizens’ (PO5) differs among Member States, resulting in low ITI and CLLD implementation; whereas the co-legislators should consider, in the future, a more flexible implementation of PO5 without strict requirements on strategies and governance, helping to open it to all kinds of initiatives that contribute to regional and local development;

N. whereas ITIs and CLLDs are instruments that should be aimed not only at facilitating a bottom-up approach to territorial development by involving local and regional governments from the start, but also by facilitating dialogue between the various stakeholders and by increasing cooperation among the public and private sector, as well as by fostering cooperation and the transfer of information among all levels of government;

O. whereas the TA2030 invites Parliament and its Committee on Regional Development, as the committee responsible for economic, social and territorial cohesion, to take its objectives into account by advocating its priorities in EU legislative processes;