Minister Chambers attends the General Affairs Council for EU discussion on Cohesion Policy

Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Jack Chambers, attended the EU General Affairs Council (Cohesion) meeting in Brussels today, Friday 28 March.

This meeting was convened under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU to discuss the importance of the cohesion policy in the context of other EU priorities and the potential of the Cohesion Policy to address the present challenges, both in the current and post 2027 programming period, including the possibilities offered by the ongoing mid-term review.

In advance of the publication of the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), the post 2027 budget for the EU later this year the Commission have recently issued a series of communications on the challenges now facing the EU. Against this background a new Cohesion Policy must address three challenges. Firstly, in the short term, Europe faces an ongoing geopolitical crisis, which, coupled with competitiveness issues across the EU, will require a new approach. Secondly, evaluation and study of Cohesion Policy has emphasised the need for action to address uneven development, the green and digital transitions and demographic change. Finally, a new Cohesion Policy must be flexible enough to adapt to the needs of the time while concentrating on convergence.

Speaking at the meeting the Minister said:

In the course of his remarks the Minister reiterated Ireland’s long held belief that Cohesion Policy is a very important example of the European ideal, which ensures that the benefits of increased economic activity are more equally shared amongst all Member States, and that the EU is working to improve the lives of all EU citizens and set out four brief points on reform of Cohesion Policy:

• supported for an enhanced Semester process to oversee and drive performance in relation to Cohesion Policy including relevant national-level and other reforms
• expressed the view that a continued separate INTERREG instrument, parallel to the consolidation of Cohesion Policy funds, provides the best opportunity to address challenges in the areas of cross-border, transnational or interregional Territorial Cooperation
• in relation to the Rule of Law, called on the Commission to consider the creation of a general legal instrument that would permit the freezing or withholding of funds on a large scale or, alternatively, propose new, meaningful and implementable conditions
• emphasised the urgent need to simplify the unnecessary regulatory complexity surrounding the management of Cohesion Policy Funds remains