Adoption: 01/02/2018
Commission: Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER-VI)
Integrated territorial investments – a challenge for EU cohesion policy after 2020
COTER-VI/031
The discussions on the future of cohesion policy are concluding that cohesion policy after 2020 should be much more results-oriented and should be open to all the regions of the EU, to support them in coping with their territorial challenges. ITIs seem to be the right approach to help the regions and cities to address the challenges they are facing.
Against this background, the own-initiative opinion aims at contributing to the drawing up of a strategy and guidelines for ITIs before drafting of the new post 2020 regulation, partnership agreements and operational programmes.
In this respect, the opinion would help raise more awareness and call for greater account to be taken of the ITI approach at an earlier stage in the process of defining cohesion policy after 2020 and also for regulations, structure and future negotiations to be prepared in order to ensure optimal use and function of this instrument.
Against this background, the own-initiative opinion aims at contributing to the drawing up of a strategy and guidelines for ITIs before drafting of the new post 2020 regulation, partnership agreements and operational programmes.
In this respect, the opinion would help raise more awareness and call for greater account to be taken of the ITI approach at an earlier stage in the process of defining cohesion policy after 2020 and also for regulations, structure and future negotiations to be prepared in order to ensure optimal use and function of this instrument.
European Commission
DG REGIO published the following study in December 2017 on the uptake of integrated territorial investment tools in the current programming period: "Integrated territorial and urban strategies: how are ESIF adding value in 2014-2020?". The study takes up some of the main points of the CoR opinion, notably the impact of the new territorial provisions on innovation and adaptation, joined-up implementation of strategies at different spatial scales and the need for simplification and more flexibility in programming.
Following the adoption of the opinion in February 2018, several of the recommendations set out were taken up in legislative proposals under the 2021-27 MFF, notably the proposal for a Regulation on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund. In its response to the CoR opinion, the European Commission responded positively to several several of the CoR's recommendations for improvement and simplification of the ITI tool post-2020 (cf. recommendations on facilitation of use of ITI in functional areas, on the need for common set/more harmonised rules for combining multiple funding sources in ITIs, on involvement of LRAs in ensuring results-oriented ITIs/ setting indicators, on the need for sufficient flexibility to enable Member States, regions and cities to adjust the tools to their strategic and governance frameworks).
Moreover, it is likely that the formal presentation of the perspective of LRAs as set out in the CoR opinion contributed to the ITI tool being retained in the Commission's legislative proposals for cohesion policy post-2020 (whereas certain cohesion policy tools were at risk of being discontinued in the context of the preparation of the streamlined cohesion policy framework proposed for the 2021-2027 programming period).
• European Parliament
EPRS published the following briefing paper in February 2018:"Integrated territorial investment – Implementation and future prospects" and refers to several of the CoR's recommendations.
DG REGIO published the following study in December 2017 on the uptake of integrated territorial investment tools in the current programming period: "Integrated territorial and urban strategies: how are ESIF adding value in 2014-2020?". The study takes up some of the main points of the CoR opinion, notably the impact of the new territorial provisions on innovation and adaptation, joined-up implementation of strategies at different spatial scales and the need for simplification and more flexibility in programming.
Following the adoption of the opinion in February 2018, several of the recommendations set out were taken up in legislative proposals under the 2021-27 MFF, notably the proposal for a Regulation on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund. In its response to the CoR opinion, the European Commission responded positively to several several of the CoR's recommendations for improvement and simplification of the ITI tool post-2020 (cf. recommendations on facilitation of use of ITI in functional areas, on the need for common set/more harmonised rules for combining multiple funding sources in ITIs, on involvement of LRAs in ensuring results-oriented ITIs/ setting indicators, on the need for sufficient flexibility to enable Member States, regions and cities to adjust the tools to their strategic and governance frameworks).
Moreover, it is likely that the formal presentation of the perspective of LRAs as set out in the CoR opinion contributed to the ITI tool being retained in the Commission's legislative proposals for cohesion policy post-2020 (whereas certain cohesion policy tools were at risk of being discontinued in the context of the preparation of the streamlined cohesion policy framework proposed for the 2021-2027 programming period).
• European Parliament
EPRS published the following briefing paper in February 2018:"Integrated territorial investment – Implementation and future prospects" and refers to several of the CoR's recommendations.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- stresses that EU Cohesion policy must adopt a place-based approach to reflect the actual conditions and requirements of each specific territory if it is to contribute more effectively to achieving the EU's objectives, improve social and economic conditions and requirements for EU citizens and help eliminate inequality;
- points out that the important potential for integrated investment could be optimised in future by building on existing examples of good practice and by further adapting the place-based approach;
- considers that it should be mandatory for all Member States to facilitate the implementation of ITI in the next programming period, to enable ITI to fulfil its potential of becoming a key tool for implementing Cohesion policy and for tangible European added value for EU citizens;
- points out that ITI is an underused instrument in addressing the challenges of increasing subregional disparities highlighted in the Seventh Cohesion Report; calls for the ITI approach to be more fully exploited beyond urban areas and implemented more widely in rural and functional areas;
- recommends further simplification through the concentration of all resources dedicated to ITI in one multi-fund operational programme if possible and avoiding complicated links to individual sectoral operational programmes; the CoR also recommends that the management and financing must take place on the basis of a global grant that clearly defines the objectives, indicators, resources and responsibility for implementation;
- emphasises that specific indicators for this programming tool are essential and that regional authorities must have the possibility of providing their own indicators for assessment by the Commission during the design phase of the operational programmes.
- stresses that EU Cohesion policy must adopt a place-based approach to reflect the actual conditions and requirements of each specific territory if it is to contribute more effectively to achieving the EU's objectives, improve social and economic conditions and requirements for EU citizens and help eliminate inequality;
- points out that the important potential for integrated investment could be optimised in future by building on existing examples of good practice and by further adapting the place-based approach;
- considers that it should be mandatory for all Member States to facilitate the implementation of ITI in the next programming period, to enable ITI to fulfil its potential of becoming a key tool for implementing Cohesion policy and for tangible European added value for EU citizens;
- points out that ITI is an underused instrument in addressing the challenges of increasing subregional disparities highlighted in the Seventh Cohesion Report; calls for the ITI approach to be more fully exploited beyond urban areas and implemented more widely in rural and functional areas;
- recommends further simplification through the concentration of all resources dedicated to ITI in one multi-fund operational programme if possible and avoiding complicated links to individual sectoral operational programmes; the CoR also recommends that the management and financing must take place on the basis of a global grant that clearly defines the objectives, indicators, resources and responsibility for implementation;
- emphasises that specific indicators for this programming tool are essential and that regional authorities must have the possibility of providing their own indicators for assessment by the Commission during the design phase of the operational programmes.