Committee of Regions chief says EU needs new, stronger cohesion policy

Cohesion policy is essential for the competitiveness of the European Union and must not be seen as a "charity policy", the president of the European Committee of the Regions, Portugal's Vasco Cordeiro, warned on Monday.

Cordeiro addressed MEPs during a hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels.

"The EU needs a renewed and strengthened cohesion policy [...]," Cordeiro told EU lawmakers.

He added that the idea is not new and was already included in various proposals to improve the EU bloc's competitiveness, including "the Draghi report, published today, which in a small way praised the importance of cohesion policy."

Cordeiro said a strong and clear cohesion policy is essential for the EU's "competitiveness and vitality," noting that to achieve this, cohesion policy must be seen as "a policy for all regions."

"It's not a policy of charity; it's a policy that strengthens the capacity of regions to face challenges, and the fact that it's for all regions means that it has to be adapted to each region or group of regions," he said.

This policy "cannot be designed only for regions with a lower level of development".

In his view, the answer is to invest more and "know how to use the cohesion funds" in a way that is common to the entire bloc.

(André Ferrão | Lusa.pt)