Expert group on Territorial Cohesion

Territories must have a real say in the EU’s future investment plans

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CEMR members and Local Alliance* partners have called for local and regional governments to be fully involved in shaping the future National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). As national programming gathers pace, participation must go beyond consultation and provide territorial authorities with genuine influence over priorities, investments and implementation.

On 20 October, CEMR brought together its Expert Group on Territorial Cohesion to discuss the future of cohesion policy and the next EU budget. The meeting was followed by an enlarged exchange with the Local Alliance on the preparation of future NRPPs.

Both discussions reached a common conclusion: Europe’s future investment framework will only respond effectively to territorial needs if local and regional governments are involved from the outset.

Safeguarding the territorial dimension of EU investment

The CEMR Expert Group examined the changing architecture of the next Multiannual Financial Framework and its potential impact on cohesion policy. Participants expressed concern about the possible centralisation of EU funding and the risk of weakening shared management, place-based investment and the partnership principle. While a more integrated funding framework could offer opportunities for simplification, this must not lead to decisions being concentrated at national level or investments becoming disconnected from territorial realities.

Cohesion policy is more than a funding mechanism. It is the EU’s main long-term investment policy for reducing economic, social and territorial disparities. Its effectiveness depends on priorities being designed and implemented with the authorities that understand local needs and deliver essential public services and infrastructure.

Participants therefore stressed the importance of maintaining support for integrated territorial development, urban and rural strategies, cross-border cooperation, and local public investment.

“Without a strong territorial dimension, local investment priorities risk being dropped in favour of large national infrastructure projects” – one participant cautioned.

National programming is moving forward

During the enlarged Local Alliance meeting, participants compared developments in the preparation of the NRPPs across European countries. The exchange revealed considerable differences. Some governments have established working groups, identified thematic priorities, or opened discussions with territorial representatives. Elsewhere, preparations remain largely internal to national administrations, with limited information available to municipalities, regions, and their representative associations. Different approaches are also emerging. Some countries are considering regional or territorial chapters, while others plan to structure their NRPPs around sectoral priorities.

Participants highlighted the urgency of early involvement: “European negotiations are still under way, yet national programming has already started. Local and regional governments need to engage now, before the main priorities and structures are fixed.”

Participation must lead to influence

Participants warned that invitations to meetings do not necessarily translate into genuine influence. Local and regional representatives may be consulted on broad objectives while having little access to discussions on funding allocations, investment selection, indicators, or implementation arrangements.

The experience of the Recovery and Resilience Facility has shown the limitations of involving territorial actors primarily as implementers of decisions taken elsewhere. The NRPPs must avoid repeating this approach.

“We may have a seat at the table, but that is not enough. We need a clearer understanding of what the partnership principle means in practice and how local and regional governments can influence the plans.” – a participant in the Local Alliance exchange.

Meaningful partnership requires:

• Early access to information and draft programming documents;
• sufficient time to formulate territorial proposals;
• representation in relevant thematic and programming bodies;
• transparency on how contributions have been considered;
• involvement in implementation, monitoring, and revision.

As democratic public authorities and major providers of services and investment, local and regional governments must be recognised as delivery partners, not simply as stakeholders.

The time to engage is now

Although the future EU framework is still being negotiated, national programming is already advancing. Local and regional governments and their associations should identify the ministries leading the process, request clear programming timelines, and seek representation in relevant working groups.

They can strengthen their contribution by presenting a focused set of evidence-based priorities, connecting territorial investment needs with national and European objectives, and proposing concrete arrangements for governance and implementation. Europe’s future investment plans will ultimately be delivered in its towns, cities and regions. These governments must have a meaningful role in shaping the plans from the very beginning.

CEMR and the Local Alliance will continue to monitor national preparations, exchange information on the quality of territorial participation and advocate for strong guarantees for partnership and multilevel governance. You can see how CEMR collaborates on the EU budget postulates with the EU member states here.

* The Local Alliance brings together major European networks of cities and regions (ACR+, CEMR, Climate Alliance, Energy cities, Eurocities, Fedarene, ICLEI and Polis) to strengthen the collective voice of local and regional governments in EU policymaking and ensure they have the resources and cooperation mechanisms needed to implement European objectives.  

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