EU Cohesion changes its priorities, defense is also included

Brussels (ANSA) – From defense to water resilience, from housing to transition and competitiveness: the EU Cohesion policy is changing its priorities to adapt to a world that has suddenly changed. Let it be clear, there is no obligation to reverse the course on already initiated spending plans, but a clear invitation is coming from the Commission to governments to redirect part of the funds towards the new five investment priorities.

This is the main novelty of the mid-term review presented by the Executive Vice President of the Commission Raffaele Fitto. A reform concerning a treasure trove of 392 billion until 2027. Funds that the EU executive wants to adapt to the new “economic, environmental, and geopolitical context” while ensuring greater flexibility in management.

There is a particularly delicate point that Fitto has emphasized: “the voluntariness” of the reallocation of funds. “It is up to the member states and regions to decide to seize the opportunity to adapt the programs according to the needs of the territories,” Fitto assured from Strasbourg, outlining the executive’s strategy. “Nothing to do with the purchase of weapons,” he then clarified.

To encourage a change in spending that it considers strategic, Ursula von der Leyen’s college is offering better financing conditions and more flexibility in spending: on projects related to the five flagship priorities, governments will be able to request a pre-financing of 30% and a co-financing of EU funds equal to 100% in 2026.

States that choose to redirect at least 15% of the overall program towards these priorities will have an additional year (until 2030) to spend the resources and an additional pre-financing of 5%. Governments are also granted the possibility to indicate “by June” the Pnrr projects that “risk not being completed by the August 2026 deadline” and that could be ‘shifted’ and financed through Cohesion.

The EU aims to finalize the reprogramming of resources by the end of 2025, starting the modified programs from 2026, but getting the approval from governments and MEPs will not be so easy (April 1).