The BSSSC Board has come to a common BSSSC Statement regarding the EUs Cohesion Policy post 2020. The paper was written by our Working Group on Cohesion Policy and was adopted by the Board during our last Board Meeting February 9. 

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BSSSC is convinced that cohesion policy’s prominent role among EU policies and also within the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must be maintained beyond 2020. In an increasingly volatile political environment the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) provide stability, contribute to reduce development disparities between European regions, and strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in Europe. 

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Cohesion policy is also an effective investment policy and contributes strongly to growth and jobs in the EU. The policy has benefitted the citizens of all EU Member States and supported them during difficult economic times. It is close to the citizens and has the potential to substantially contribute to overcoming the crisis of European integration and to counter anti-European tendencies in our societies.

Against this background, BSSSC is concerned about tendencies in the EU Commission to prefer directly managed instruments to instruments of shared management: Pressing challenges at European and global level can only be successfully tackled by European policies and initiatives if actors on the local and regional level are truly involved in their implementation.

 

Continue reading our statement on our Cohesion Policy page.