The European Parliament’s Regional Development Committee (REGI) had launched an initiative to link the Member States’ European regional development policies more closely with EU cohesion legislation. The European Parliament adopted the report on January 16, 2024, which recognizes TA2030 and its pilot actions as having enormous potential to meet the needs of non-urban areas. The European Parliament therefore demands, among other things:
- The implementation of PO5 “a Europe closer to its citizens” should become more flexible and be linked to the measures of TA2030.
- The Commission should allocate 8% of cohesion funds to rural and disadvantaged regions, in line with the earmarking of funds for the Urban Agenda.
- The TA2030 measures should play a central role in EU partnership agreements and programs.
- The TA2030 should be provided with appropriate resources in the future multiannual financial framework.
- The TA2030 priorities and targets should be integrated into the legislative instruments and programs of the Cohesion Funds.
- The TA2030 pilot measures should be continued and the successes should be made more widely known.
- The Member States and the Commission should also implement the TA2030 beyond pilot measures, for example regional funding could be linked to the TA priorities.
- The Parliament and in particular the REGI Committee should be involved in the pilot actions in order to communicate them at EU level and promote coordination, particularly with ERDF and Interreg.
- The Commission should take into account the experience gained from implementing TA2030 for future cohesion policy.
Link to the decision: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0010_EN.pdf