Cohesion, Regional and Urban Policy - Related Events

Public debate on 9^th Cohesion report: Lessons learned from the first years of the implementation of the programming period 2021-2027, in the framework of the ECO section meeting.

Presentation of the Report from the High Level Group on the future of Cohesion Policy by Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Member of the Group of high-level specialists on the future of Cohesion Policy and former President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR). Web streaming

Public debate on reforms for a more resilient EU economy for all in the context of the upcoming 2024 Elections for the European Parliament.

The EESC is convinced that islands, mountainous regions and sparsely populated areas face significant challenges and that there is a solid legal basis that obliges the EU to take action in order to tackle these challenges. In this context, the organised civil society has an important role to play and through this debate, the aim is to find the best practices and solutions so that these regions can perform better and recover from the multiple crises. Therefore the EESC- ECO section has decided to organise this public debate in the framework of the EESC own-intiative opinion on "Main challenges that EU islands, mountain and sparsely populated areas face.

Insularity is considered to be a permanent and unchangeable geographical feature which involves additional costs (transport, energy, waste management, public services, necessity goods and services) that hamper the development and competitiveness of the islands, while particularly exposing them to biodiversity loss and climate change. The organised civil society has an important role to play and tackle all these challenges and through this debate. The aim is to find the best practices and solutions so that EU islands can preform better and recover from the multiple crises.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will be producing an own-initiative opinion on the main challenges faced by EU islands and mountainous and sparsely populated areas, which is scheduled for adoption at the EESC's September plenary session. In this context, the EESC, along with the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the North Sweden European Office (NSEO), will be holding a public hearing in Umeå (Sweden) on 4 May 2023 entitled "Challenges and opportunities that the digital and energy transitions present to the northern sparsely populated areas and islands. How can these regions become drivers for growth and development?". The hearing is an event under the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

With this debate, the ECO section is providing ex-ante input to the European Commission, in preparation for the upcoming 2023 strategic foresight cycle that wants to shed light on the strategic decisions needed to ensure a socially and economically sustainable Europe with a stronger role in the world in the coming decades.

The Council of the EU has started its discussion on the Cohesion policy after 2027 with the objective to give political guidance on the kind of Cohesion policy that Member States consider appropriate. On 8 November 2022, from 11:30 to 13:00, the EESC organised a public debate is of great relevance for organised civil society who is an important partner in the design and implementation of cohesion policy programmes.

The workshop of the ECO section in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities.