On the 26th of February, during the meeting of the European Committee of the Region’s (CoR) commission for territorial cohesion policy and EU budget (COTER), chaired by COTER and EA Vice President, Nanette Maupertuis, members highlighted the remarkable impact achieved by CoR in the new Cohesion Policy legislation 2021 2027.
Ms Maupertuis, who was herself rapporteur on the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) Regulation, underlined that "thanks to the good cooperation with the European Parliament, the original legislative proposal was substantially modified", as suggested by the CoR. In the ETC regulation, Cross border maritime cooperation was reintroduced and Interreg Europe and URBACT programmes maintained ".
"It is great to see so many recommendations of the CoR taken on board in new Cohesion policy legislation, added European Alliance group President Kieran McCarthy, pointing to the increase of resources for the sustainable urban development projects in European Regional Development Fund Regulation (ERDF) and the greater role envisaged for smaller and medium-size cities in the Urban Agenda for the EU.
COTER Members also discussed how Europe's regional airports and a sustainable mobility strategy in the transportation sector can help achieve the European Green Deal objectives as well as the experiences and lessons learned during the Covid-19 crisis.
President McCarthy, emphasising that regional airports play a key role in local development strategies and in achieving territorial cohesion as the main source of employment, called for greater support for regional airports and revision of state aid rules.
On the role of sustainable mobility in achieving the green transition, Ms Maupertuis, member of the executive council of Corsica, underlined the challenges faced by islands.
"Islands are usually associated with green and nature, said Ms Maupertuis, while they actually depend to a large extent on fossil fuels. The transition will be expensive but it will cost more if we do not act", she added, calling for a smart and innovative transport system while ensuring that the transition does not leave any territory and citizens behind.
Finally, talking about the impact of the pandemic on EU territories, EA member Klaas Fokkinga from Friesland, recalled the importance to invest in skills and social initiatives to support citizens in order to mitigate negative economic and social consequences of the crisis.
