Ministerstwo Rozwoju Regionalnego - Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development

Presidency of the EU Council in 2011

25.11.2011

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development

On 24-25 November 2011 an informal meeting of ministers responsible for the EU Cohesion Policy (regional policy), territorial and urban development was held in Poznań. The ministers discussed the Cohesion Policy for 2014-2020 based on the proposals for new regulations presented by the European Commission on 6 October 2011 and talked about the solutions to enhance the territorial and urban dimension of the Cohesion Policy. This was one of the most important events of the Polish Presidency within this field. The meeting was chaired by Polish Minister of Regional Development – Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development
Source: www.pl2011.eu

- We meet in a broad circle of decision-makers responsible for three similar and interdependent areas - Cohesion Policy, territorial dimension and urban development - with a view to jointly mark out the directions of implementation of the integrated approach to development in the next financial perspective. The decisions that we take in the next months will have a long-lasting effect on the implementation of the development programmes in Europe, its States, regions and cities. The shape of the Cohesion Policy depends on us – we are to decide whether it will be an effective policy implementing objectives, which are close to the EU and its citizens, or whether it will be a policy, in which the excessive and complex procedures hamper our actions - said Minister Bieńkowska in a speech opening the second day of the meeting of ministers. - The Cohesion Policy enriched by a more extensive scope of territorial and urban dimension has a special role to play in raising the competitiveness of Europe. This policy not only stimulates modernisation and development processes and permanent structural changes, but it also is an important anti-crisis mechanism stabilising economic growth and employment at times of economic downturn. It is a stabilising mechanism benefiting not only the direct recipients of Cohesion Policy funds but all European Union Member States - she emphasised.

Minister Bieńkowska also presented the key conclusions deriving from the debates conducted by the Polish Presidency on integrated and territorially directed approach to development, as well as the results orientation of Cohesion Policy. It results from them that the Member States and their regions are strongly inclined to strengthen the integrated approach to development and to include, on a wider scale, the specificities of a given territory in the planning of development-oriented measures. This means that it is necessary to mainstream the territorial and urban dimensions into the Cohesion Policy and other European policies, including in particular actions following from the Territorial Agenda 2020. Moreover, the debate showed that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for all the territories. Individual regions face all kinds of different limitations to development and have differentiated development potentials, which points to the need to diversify the forms of support under the conduced development policies and applied instruments. It is also necessary to remember that there needs to be a balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches. In order for the actions on the regional or local level to be effective, they should be integrated into a broader strategic context.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development

The meeting was attended by two EU Commissioners – Johannes Hahn, competent for regional policy, and Laszló Andor, competent for employment and social affairs. In their speeches they emphasised the need to link the support from the Cohesion Policy funds with the implementation of the strategic objectives of the European Union, which were identified in the Europe 2020 strategy. Among the most significant objectives they enumerated support for innovation development, small and medium-sized enterprises, low carbon economy as well as promoting social inclusion and combating poverty. The European Commission suggested concentration of development actions and financial resources on these areas. The Commissioners highlighted that the proposals of the European Commission concerning the Cohesion Policy for 2014-2020 aim at its simplification, stronger thematic concentration and conditionality, as well as better coordination of policies and their funds through integrated programming Common Strategic Framework and Partnership Contract. An important element of the proposals is to consider regional and national specificities both with regard to different development challenges and functioning administrative systems. In general, the proposals aim at improving effectiveness and efficiency of the Cohesion Policy.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development
Source: www.pl2011.eu

During the press conference, which was held during the meeting the Commissioners emphasised the achievements of the Polish Presidency for strengthening the position of the Cohesion Policy in the architecture of the EU policies and they draw attention to the role of the policy in the implementation of the EU strategic objectives. - The Cohesion Policy should be an investment policy targeted at results and it should be effective – said Commissioner Hahn. Highlighting the significance of innovation and support for R&D sector he referred to the Wielkopolskie Centre of Advanced Technologies funded from the Operational Programme Innovative Economy, which he recognised as a good example of an EU project. Commissioner Andor, on the other hand, emphasised the importance of the European Social Fund and investments in human capital as significant post- and anti-crisis measures.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development

During the meeting Minister Bieńkowska presented the Conclusions of the Polish Presidency on territorial dimension of the EU policies and the future of Cohesion Policy, which sum up the extensive debate of the Member States conducted by the Presidency from the beginning of July 2011. The first part of the Conclusions refers to the principles and directions of changes in the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, according to the proposals of the European Commission included in the new legislative package, and the second part is devoted to the territorial and urban dimensions, including further steps in the implementation of the Territorial Agenda 2020 and the role of cities in the EU policies.

The Conclusions point to the fact that many of the proposals of the Commission reflect the conclusions from the multi-annual debate on the future of the Cohesion Policy, including the drive at modernisation of the policy in the direction of greater effectiveness, oriented at results and using its integrated territorial character to a greater extent. The strategic approach and coordination between different EU policies should be strengthened owing to the proposals of the Common Strategic Framework and Partnership Contract covering not only the Cohesion Policy funds, but also the funds of the EU policy for rural development and fisheries. The key pillars of the renewed Cohesion Policy can include also the instruments supporting the cities development, ex-ante conditionality system, strengthened role of evaluation and monitoring of results as well as a system of indicators used for this purpose. The Conclusions point also to the areas, which require further explanations from the Commission and discussion between all stakeholders. These include:

ensuring flexibility in the programming and implementation system considering the variety of European regions in respect to their needs and development potentials, and reflecting the principle of subsidiarity and the division of competences between the involved institutions from individual Member States,
ensuring the relevant level of funds concentration on the critical factors for growth and development of a given territory, including a search for other methods of concentration than ring-fencing,
ensuring the relevant linkages between the Cohesion Policy and 'Connecting Europe Facility' instrument, as well as a relevant integration, coordination and complementarity of instruments under the Cohesion Policy enabling practical implementation of the integrated approach to development,
adequate structuring of the conditionality mechanisms, which will primarily aim at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the policy.

Moreover, it is necessary to explain the relationship between the urban development platform and the innovative actions in the area of cities sustainable development and the URBACT programme, which should stay open for all cities interested in networking, as well as the issue of increased harmonisation of provisions in case of programmes implemented on the EU external borders funded under the European Territorial Cooperation.

In the part concerning the territorial development the Conclusions suggest to implement the Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020 (a document adopted by the ministers in Gödöllő, in May 2011 during the Hungarian Presidency) through a set of specific tasks included in the Roadmap towards promoting and enhancing an integrated territorial approach based on the Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020. The recommended implementation tools cover, for example:

the methodology of considering the territorial approach in the implementation of the policies at the national, regional and local levels,
guidelines and a manual for adequate impact assessment of the territorial dimension on the implementation of the European policies,
information strategy for the Territorial Agenda 2020,
Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities - a tool for improving the cities management in an integrated and sustainable manner,
adequate profile of the ESPON Programme, enabling the use of results of the territorial analyses in the programming process.

The discussion of the ministers showed that Member States, in principle, support many proposals of the European Commission, which were included in the package for Cohesion Policy 2014-2020. These include, for example, the proposals indicated in the Conclusions:

strengthening of the strategic approach by the Common Strategic Framework and Partnership Contract,
improved coordination between the Cohesion Policy, rural development and fisheries,
improved effectiveness and efficiency of the Cohesion policy through the ex-ante conditionality mechanisms and performance framework conditionality,
enhanced evaluation, monitoring and indicators system.

However, in-depth discussion is yet required as regards the detailed solutions for areas such as: territorial and urban dimension, list of ex-ante conditions, concentration mechanisms, especially the ring-fencing levels, as well as the management and control system and financial management system. Further works are also necessary as regards simplification of the provisions of regulations, which is especially significant from the perspective of direct beneficiaries and managing authorities.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development
Source: www.pl2011.eu

Moreover, during the meeting the Danish Minister for European Affairs, Mr. Nicolai Wammen, presented the most important goals of the Danish Presidency (I-VI 2012) in the area of Cohesion Policy. He emphasised the fact that the Cohesion Policy has to support the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and it must be effective also in financial terms. The negotiations concerning the legislative package for the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 will be conducted in parallel to the budgetary negotiations (Multi-Annual Financial Framework). The Danish Presidency intends to focus on the negotiating blocks concerning financial management, simplifications, major projects, control system and financial instruments. The outcomes of the discussion will be covered by the ministers during two meetings of the General Affairs Council - in April and June 2012.

Informal meeting of the ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, territorial and urban development