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President Cordeiro and Enrico Letta jointly call for a strong Cohesion Policy to fight against inequalities in Europe  
Press release 15/05/2024 | Cohesion policy reform; Multi-annual financial framework (MFF); Territorial cohesion

​The key role of Cohesion Policy in addressing major economic and social challenges was the main topic discussed by the President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro, and the President of the Delors Institute and former Prime Minister of Italy, Enrico Letta, in a bilateral meeting on Wednesday 15 May.   

Enrico Letta was tasked by the European Council and the European Commission to write a report on the future of the Single Market. The document, entitled 'Much more than a market' was presented to EU heads of sates and governments on 18 April and is a major contribution to the ongoing debate on the modernisation of European investment policies.   "We were particularly pleased to see that the report by Enrico Letta recognises the need for economic, social and territorial cohesion to remain at the very top of the European agenda in years to come," underlined President Cordeiro. He added: "The Single Market and Cohesion Policy have gone hand in hand since their respective creation: this was Jacques Delors’ vision, and it is all the more relevant today. Ahead of the European elections, it's crucial that these messages are taken onboard at all levels, starting from the candidates to the European Parliament. Together with hundreds of cities and regions that are part of the #CohesionAlliance, we are fighting for a renewed and strengthened Cohesion Policy in the future against those who wish to turn Cohesion Policy into a centralised, top-down instrument in the future. This is the most powerful EU's investment policy to reduce disparities among territories and counterbalance the potential negative effects of the Single Market on local economies."    

​Enrico Letta added: "In my report on the future of the Single Market, I decided to include an important chapter about the future of the Cohesion Policy. This is important as the European Union is challenged by multiple issues, such as the brain drain and depopulation, and this cannot be considered as a collateral damage. The future of Cohesion Policy means, first of all, to ensure that all regions have high-level services of general interest and have the possibility to be an attraction point, in particular for young people. If we don't do that and if we don't have a possibility to renew Cohesion Policy, I think the future of the Single Market will be very complicated." 

More information 

During the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities, held in March in Mons, Belgium, the CoR and other founding partners of the EU-wide #CohesionAlliance, launched a joint call to the European institutions and national governments to keep Cohesion Policy as the main pillar of the EU's development model over the next decade. Sign the joint call.   

President Cordeiro and the Chair of the CoR's commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget, and Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Emil Boc (RO/EPP), were recently appointed as co-rapporteurs of the opinion which will assess more in dept the 9th Cohesion Report and the conclusions of the group of High-level specialists on the future of Cohesion Policy. They were previously co-rapporteurs on the opinion on the future of Cohesion Policy, adopted by unanimity at the Plenary session in November 2023.  

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