Group of 14 EU countries wants to maintain cohesion funds to support regional development
Fourteen EU member states have called on the European Commission to maintain cohesion funds as an independent instrument for regional development support. The appeal came in connection with the proposal for the new EU budget after 2027, which the Commission is set to present in mid-July.
In the document seen by PAP, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia oppose the idea of merging cohesion policy funds with other funds. In their view, cohesion policy funds should remain separate and dedicated to reducing disparities in the development of EU regions.
The appeal has been forwarded to the European Commission and the EU Council.
The position of the states fits into a broader opposition to a potential reform of cohesion policy, aimed at a thorough overhaul of the rules for granting and distributing funds from this source. Previously, similar concerns were raised by EU regions in an open letter to the European Commission.
“When 14 national governments, 149 regions, and hundreds of local leaders and key stakeholders share deep concerns about the very logic behind shaping the proposal for the new EU budget, it is a signal that it is time for a serious debate,” said the chair of the EU Committee of the Regions, Kata Tuettoe, as quoted by the Euractiv portal.
In mid-July, the European Commission is expected to present a draft of the new EU budget after 2027.
The signatory states of the appeal – mostly beneficiaries of cohesion policy – argue that the future EU budget should continue to be based on a model that takes into account the level of development of individual regions, rather than entire countries. Meanwhile, the Commission is considering greater involvement of central authorities in managing EU funds and moving away from a model based on regional GDP. Critics argue that this would weaken the existing goal of territorial cohesion.
Euractiv noted that among the signatories of the current appeal, France and Germany – the two largest net contributors to the EU budget – were absent. (03.07.2025)
