McDonnell calls for a truly local Cohesion Policy that empowers regions

During this week’s 164th CoR Plenary Session, a debate on ‘Local and regional authorities at the heart of a renewed cohesion policy’ saw the EA Group’s Declan McDonnell and Sergio Pérez García call for a ‘truly local and practical’ Cohesion Policy that ‘leaves no one behind’.

The keynote speech was delivered by Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, who presented the European Commission’s position that Cohesion Policy must be modernised to more effectively address Europe’s economic and security challenges. Fitto proposed a performance-based delivery model based on partnership, shared management, multi-level governance and a place-based approach, vowing to heed regional opinions and perspectives while partnering with regional authorities to formulate a stronger Cohesion Policy.

McDonnell responded to Fitto by stressing that local and regional authorities must play a central rather than partnership role in shaping the new policy, highlighting the importance of decentralisation and a ‘bottom-up’ governance approach in creating a more effective Cohesion Policy. While agreeing that the Cohesion Policy must be adapted and simplified for greater efficiency and fairness, McDonnell argued that regional actors must be able to shape their own development. Implying that merely giving local authorities a say in the reform process would be insufficient, McDonnell instead advocated for the full participation of local authorities in the design and implementation of a new Cohesion Policy.

Pérez Gárcia affirmed McDonnell’s position, stressing the need to empower local authorities and construct a ‘no hurt’ Cohesion Policy that fosters equitable development across Europe’s regions. Accordingly, both EA members asserted that local authorities are best positioned to tailor policies to their regions and should therefore take the lead in shaping, as McDonnell promoted, a ‘truly local’ approach to European Cohesion.