Fitto (EC): Cohesion turns solidarity into action - no region, no citizen left behind

Cohesion remains one of the priorities of the European Union, as the concrete expression of European solidarity, as the policy that turns European values into actions and gives meaning to the promise that no region and no citizen will be left behind, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto declared on Friday in Bucharest.This conference comes at a crucial moment. As we prepare for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, Europe must reflect with clarity and courage on the priorities for the years to come. Cohesion remains one of these priorities. Cohesion is the concrete expression of European solidarity. It is the policy that turns European values into action, giving meaning to the promise that no region and no citizen will be left behind. Nowhere is this more evident than here in Romania. Since accession, Romania has transformed its economy. GDP per capita has increased from 44% of the EU average to almost 80%. These simple statistics show both the progress made and the work that remains to be done, the European official declared in remarks at the high-level conference "Cohesion 2027+: a driver of long-term development, economic competitiveness inclusiveness and resilience across Europe".Fitto stressed that the cohesion policy has worked over the decades thanks to its capacity to adjust: it has adjusted to the specific needs of each region and also to the changing nature of Europe's challenges.The current policy framework, agreed in 2019-2020, was designed in a different context. Since then, Europe has faced a pandemic, a war of aggression, a sharp increase in energy costs and a new awareness that it needs to strengthen its competitiveness and strategic autonomy. Wherever I go in Europe, I am told about emerging challenges: growing global competition, security concerns, demographic decline and many others. The review of cohesion policy is an opportunity to address these issues. And Romania is already seizing this opportunity with significant investments in new technologies, like many other member states, in particular with regard to the five new priorities: defence, housing, water, energy and competitiveness, explained Raffaele Fitto.He pointed out that beyond 2027, the cohesion policy needs to be modernised, but taking into account its fundamental principles. The next programmes, built through national and regional partnership plans, will prioritise flexibility, simplification and performance, allowing for a more effective response to future challenges.Regions and their needs will remain at the heart of the process. Plans will be designed and implemented in partnership between the Commission, national and regional authorities. And regions will continue to work directly with the Commission. At least ?218 billion are reserved for less developed regions. The proposal maintains the three categories of regions, adapting investments to local realities. To support this territorial approach, we are working on strategies for the different territories of the Union. We will present very soon the new Urban Agenda, in order to simplify access to EU investments and to strengthen coherence between our instruments. We are also working on a strategy for the eastern border regions. (...) We have also started to reflect on an initiative on the right to stay - the right of every European to build a future in the place they call home. Last but not least, we have on the agenda strategies dedicated to the outermost regions, as well as islands and coastal communities. We are engaging in a broad dialogue with all relevant actors for these strategies, which will pave the way for the next multiannual financial framework, the EC Vice-President said.The European Commission's Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto was on a visit to Bucharest on Thursday and Friday for meetings and high-level discussions on the future of EU Cohesion Policy and the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-2034), as well as on the mid-term evaluation of the cohesion policy and territorial strategies.