The Irish Regions European Office (IREO) and Ireland’s three Regional Assemblies participated in a series of meetings and a seminar with the EURegions4Cohesion Alliance, in the European Parliament on 2 October.

The event was organised with the support of Younous Omarjee, Vice President of the European Parliament. Ahead of the Commissioner-Designate hearings and in view of the European Commission’s proposals on a new Multi-annual Financial Framework, this event constitutes an important milestone for regional advocacy with 134 European regions united around a common position in support of a strengthened cohesion policy for post-2027.

This call to action aims at achieving a robust budget for future cohesion policy, putting regions at the centre in both its design and implementation. Cohesion policy is the main long-term, territorial investment policy contributing to the process of European integration. The regions recognise that cohesion policy needs to be reformed.

While they are ready to work with the European institutions to achieve change, the regions oppose the proposal in the political guidelines for a single plan for each country. The future cohesion policy must be accessible to all regions and respect a territorial and local approach, as well as the principles of partnership and subsidiarity. This initiative is in line with the Cohesion Alliance and other current regional initiatives supporting cohesion.

The 134 regions come from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. This initiative is also supported by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN).

Representatives from the three regional assemblies – Clare Bannon, EMRA Acting Director, David Kelly, SRA Director, and Paddy Austin, NWRA Assistant Director – briefed Irish MEPs Maria Walsh, Billy Kelleher, Barry Cowen, Lynn Boylan, Kathleen Funchion, Regina Doherty and Ciaran Mullooly on the future of cohesion policy and implications for Ireland.

Pictured (l-r): Clare Bannon, EMRA’s Acting Director, David Kelly, SRA Director, and Paddy Austin, NWRA’s Assistant Director, pictured at the ‘EURegions4Cohesion Alliance’ event in the European Parliament.