02a_EU_policies-regional_policy
.pdf
Climate change
Climate change vulnerability index, 2020
Note: Index based on change:
•in population affected by river floods,
•population in costal areas below 5m,
•potential drought hazard,
•vulnerability of agriculture, fisheries and tourism,
•taking into account temperature and precipitation changes.
Source: EUROSTAT, JRC, DG REGIO
MANAGEMENT
Implications of the economic crisis
•Focus on real economy, infrastructure and exit strategies
•Sustainability of public finances
–Crisis as structural break in EU economies with impact on fiscal constraints;
–Relevance of Stockholm Strategy to all MS (managing demographic change)
•Deficit and debt reduction
•Increasing employment rates
•Reform of social protection systems (pensions)
–Increase in quality of public expenditure
–Additionality, cofinancing, growth and stability pact.
MANAGEMENT
Mission and Objectives of Cohesion Policy
Mission of the policy
•Social and economic cohesion remains central to the European integration process in the 21st century.
–Treaty commitment to cohesion, implications of the new Lisbon treaty
–A structural policy for all regions linked to the Single Market, Economic and Monetary Union, importance of current crisis
Objectives of the policy
•The objectives of the policy need to be clarified (risk of mission creep). There is a need for stronger focus on European value-added.
–Promoting growth in lagging regions
–Improving competitiveness (Lisbon)
–Addressing problems with cross-border and transnational spillovers
MANAGEMENT
A policy for all European regions
•The European economic integration, driven by the Single Market can only work if all regions can contribute and reap the benefits.
•There is potential for growth across all types of regions, dependent on how well regions mobilize their assets and potentials.
•Cohesion policy should play a stronger role in strengthening interconnections between lagging and leading regions (maximising spill-over effects of leading areas).
MANAGEMENT
A More Effective Policy
•Need for concentration of resources on a limited number of priorities
–Modernising the economy
–Enhancing environmental sustainability
–Promoting employment and sociao cohesion.
MANAGEMENT
More coherence in delivering strategic priorities
•Need for better coordination of policies and instruments at EU level.
–Lisbon process
–Sustainable development
–Other Community policies
•Possibility of conditionalities (structural reform) and joint programming, single fund?
•Stronger focus on institutions.