New cohesion policy rules: Council of the EU and European Parliament reach provisional political agreement

The German Presidency of the Council of the EU i and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the updated rules governing the structural funds which underpin EU policy for economic, social and territorial cohesion.

The agreement covers most of the text of the new draft common provisions regulation (CPR). This overarching piece of legislation consolidates the rules for eight funds and will regulate programmes to be adopted in the 2021-2027 period.

Above all, it defines five new policy objectives which reflect the EU's political priorities and which will determine the areas of investment financed by the funds:

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  a smarter Europe - innovative and smart economic transformation
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  a greener, low-carbon Europe
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  a more connected EuroCohesion policy rules: Council of the EU and European Parliament reach provisional political agreementpe - mobility and regional ICT connectivity
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  a more social Europe - implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
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  Europe closer to citizens - sustainable and integrated development of urban, rural and coastal areas through local initiatives.

The draft regulation also introduces a number of changes, such as:

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  reducing red tape for managing authorities
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  increasing flexibility for more efficient allocation of resources
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  strengthening the link to the European Semester
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  introducing enabling conditions to be applied throughout the programming period, such as effective monitoring of public procurement, compliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and application of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities
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  performing a new mid-term review in 2025 to ensure that the programmes adequately address new challenges arising in the upcoming years
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  introducing a new climate monitoring mechanism for a strong contribution of the structural funds to the achievement of the EU climate targets