 opportunity to share the way that the organizations, the associations, the institutions that launched some years ago the cohesion for the alliance, cohesion alliance, now how they see the prospects they have about a situation where challenges are rising, where the needs to join forces and close ranks defending and promoting cohesion policy still, again, still is present today. Just think a few more minutes for our guest commissioner, Freire, arrives. The way we are going to, what I suggest is the way we organize this debate, we will have our partners intervening, having the opportunity to express themselves in the first stage, then we will have the opportunity to listen from Commissioner Freire, from Yunos Omarji, from our colleague Buck, chair of the Coter Commission, also from our rapporteur, Natalis Sarabesoles. So this will, I think, give us an idea about where do we stand right now and the way we can proceed from now on about this challenge we have now. Dear Commissioner, it is great to be able to have you with us and an honor to receive you here in the Committee of Regions at this session. To participate in this debate, we're going to be turning our attention to a new cohesion alliance that serves to meet new challenges. How are we going to work in this new alliance? I'd like to thank you for having accepted our invitation and our in English. That are here today with us. Case Logan, President of CPMR. Karim Glonek-Murang, Representative of CEMR. Jean-Luc van Reis, Vice President of AER. Dario Nardella, President of EuroCities. Jean-Clude Marcour, President of Calhe. Karl Heinz Lumberts, President of AEBR. Welcome to our session. Now I would like just to, as kind of introduction, why there is a need, why do we feel there is a need to launch a new cohesion alliance for new challenges? Because not only we have learned from what happened at the last debate and discussion of the current MFF, the pressure, the tensions that were very clearly exposed about different understandings of the role and the importance of cohesion policy. So we must be prepared for the debate of the new MFF post 2027, but also because the situation, the context has specific challenges about the way cohesion policy should be considered in this changing and challenging world. And there is two or three ideas very quickly, I would like to stress them, that must be in the core of what we are aiming to achieve with this new cohesion alliance. I think the first one is the need to promote the importance of cohesion policy for our communities, for regional and local communities across Europe. And if you look at the report that we've just presented yesterday, it is very, very clear the importance that regional and local representatives that were part of the survey, they recognize that the cohesion policy has for their territories and for their communities. The second idea is not only for us as it happens in any alliance to coordinate efforts, to work together toward a common goal and the common objective, but especially to be aware that the best way, of course, to be part of this effort is being aware that we must be able to debate, to discuss different approaches, because we cannot feel, we cannot fall in the trap of preaching only to convert it. We need to go out, we need to convert those who don't recognize yet the importance and the usefulness of cohesion policy. And I think to gather with old organizations that gives us an honor to be here today, I think we are able to do this kind of job. Also in this situation, united, we are stronger. So ladies and gentlemen, what I have to suggest to you in the way we proceed from now is this. I will give the floor to each one of the representatives and chairman's presidents of the associations. Then we will have Commissioner Freire. Then we will have Chairman Omarji giving us insight, our colleague Bok and also our rapporteur, Natali Sarabezoles. At the final of the debate, we'll have a family photo that is the launching of the alliance. So first, I would like to give the floor to Case Logan, president of CPMR. You have three minutes. Thank you, thank you very much. Their Commissioner Ferreira, their Mr. Omarji and their President Codero, their colleagues. The cohesion alliance has been key to maintain the central place of cohesion policy in the e-agenda and budget. And today we need the same spirit of cooperation for the debate on the future. And I therefore welcome today's initiative to emphasize once more the indispensable role that cohesion policy plays in the European integration process. And let me assure you that CPMR is fully committed to do its part. The European Union is confronted with the multiple challenges that are here to stay in the years to come. And I mentioned geopolitical, economic, social and climate challenges. Cohesion policy can be a game changer in the response to these problems. Not just because of the money, but also because cohesion policy is the ideal framework to develop effective strategies. Connects global and local priorities, reinforces the quality of our governments, and ensures the engagement of local communities. If we want cohesion policy to live up to this ambition, if improvements are needed in the future, and let me stress two areas of reflection. First, cohesion policy must become more flexible to remain effective in an increasingly faster and more unpredictable world. Simpler rules and less constraints will be needed in the future, but make no mistake. Flexibility does not mean a blank check for member states to do whatever they want. We don't want this sort of bad flexibility, a flexibility that undermines cohesion policy core objectives. We jeopardize the role of regional and local authorities in the governance, and ignores the territorial focus. But what we want is a good flexibility, a flexibility that allows for more tailor-made interventions, a flexibility that empowers local authorities, and flexibility that reduces the burden of administration. And secondly, the present program period was meant to deliver more simplification in synergies. Instead, it's turning into the opposite. Regents must cope with too many funding instruments, different rules, strategic goals, and government issues. They are struggling to ensure coordination, including with the recovery and resilient facility. The CPMR is convinced that the only way forward is a single legal and strategic framework for all funds. In other words, one European investment policy. To conclude, I want to say a quick word on the new round of exceptional cohesion policy measures to support SMEs and household in energy crisis. I want to highlight these measures in the strongest possible way. Because indeed, cohesion policy can provide and contribute to address unforeseen events. To do so, for instance, by helping our regions build more resilience to future shocks. But it should not become an emergency instrument. Cohesion policy is a long-term investment policy, and not an ATM for emergencies. Thank you very much. Thank you, Kays. Now it's my pleasure to give the floor to speaker Karin Glowaneck-Morin, representative of CEMR. You have the floor for three minutes. Thank you very much, President. Thank you very much, President. And of course, I would like to greet Commissioner Ferreira. It's good to be on the same podium as the European Commission. I've also agreed UNUS, Chair of the Regi Committee, and representatives of local and regional authorities in Europe. I'd like to greet all of you. It is a pleasure to be able to express the views of the Council of European Regions, CEMR. Now, as you know, we are a founding member of the Cohesional Alliance, and we have heard that from a rapporteur and also just now from the President of the Regi Committee. Cohesion for all of us suggests a dimension of solidarity, a message of a dialogue with Europe on the ground, citizens and cooperation across borders. So, Cohesion is a symbol, that's the most visible symbol, for our fellow citizens. And it's for that reason that municipalities and regions of Europe are keen to see that this policy be pursued for its own purposes, that is to fight inequalities. Now, we as representatives of municipalities are the best ambassadors of this policy, vis-à-vis the Parliament, of course, and the Parliament also, of course, represents citizens, but also, I think, in dialogue with the European Commission. That's what we wish, and that's what the Alliance has shown since 2017, at a time when the multi-union financial framework was being prepared and the budget was likely to go down for the Cohesion policy. Our action was effective because the budget was maintained, and that gives the whole Alliance its meaning. So, we want to see a change on the energy front, better access to public transport, vocational training. This is a policy which is essential to establish links between European citizens and ourselves, and those who hold responsibilities in municipalities, the Commission, and Parliament. The crisis has been mentioned several times today, and it's a time when we need to be effective. We had to do it already during the COVID-19 crisis. We're having to do it now because of the consequences of the war in Ukraine. And, of course, the Commission, the European Union, together with the European Parliament, have turned to municipalities and regions for help, which is why within the Cohesion Alliance there is a need to have a long-term vision with stable prospects for municipalities and regions, which are up to the budgetary challenges, and also, as my colleague said, we need a long-term vision. The Eighth Cohesion Report is a mine of information. Of course, we need all of us to be vigilant to maintain the principle of partnership amongst ourselves, and we welcome these new prospects for the Cohesion Alliance. Thank you. Now I give the floor to Jean-Luc van Reis for three minutes. You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. Dear colleagues, since his creation, more than 40 years ago, our assembly organizes on a permanent base discussion meetings, research sessions, benchmarking workshops among his 150 regional members and that in order to tackle local issues. Due to our structure, we have one advantage where we are very flexible and seeing the necessities of the regions and helping them. This common work that we do along the year creates the possibility for the members to conceive high-quality tailor-made dresses to the many societal challenges they encounter in their region. Very often, the proposed solutions cannot be realized due to a budgetary shortage of regional or national authorities. We think that the Cohesion Funds are the ideal way of triggering those proposed solutions to become structural. Cohesion Funds advocate the direct and close relationship the EU needs to have with its citizens. I fully support the sayings of the Vice President, C.C. Costas, yesterday at our COR opening meeting. In fact, the Cohesion Funds are meant to trigger structural solutions on the long-term, not to cover losses or needs due to short-term needs. The Assembly of European Regions will continue to pursue his goal to accompany the best way possible his members to achieve a better professional service for their citizens and inform them of the opportunities offered by Cohesion Funding, also through cooperation with other colleagues here present. And we also think that it's really necessary that our Assembly, but the other participants to this meeting today, help the Commission in giving useful information about investment needs in a quickly-changing society. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes to Dario Nardella for three minutes. Grazie, President. Thank you, President. Thanks a lot for the invitation to participate here today. Dear Commission and dear colleagues, today's debate on the future of Cohesion Policy comes at a crucial time for Europe. As city leaders, we can clearly touch the consequences of this permanent emergency. Working at a local level, we are on the front line to deliver concrete solutions to the growing problems of our citizens. But the question is, how much we can still suffer this permanent emergency? That's why our efforts do not stop here. We also implement long-term investments that can make Europe more resilient against future shocks. The support we get from Cohesion Policy to do so is crucial. Let me give you a concrete example. With the energy crisis looming in our cities, Cohesion funds are once again demonstrating their strategic value, as Commissioner knows very well. Our long-term investments in energy efficiency, renovations, and clean urban transport infrastructure are already promoting the energy transition of cities. As we transition to a new programming period, we will count on those resources and their effective delivery to continue investing in new energy solutions. With the support of Cohesion Policy, we can strengthen our administrative capacity and skills to deliver energy savings and boost local energy production. And this will contribute to lower costs for our businesses and citizens. It will also contribute to reducing faster Europe's dependence on Russian gas. Energy is just one of the areas in which Cohesion Policy is making a difference. We don't need to be shy, and we must be vocal in communicating the overall impact of Cohesion Policy to our citizens. To conclude, as city leaders and as part of the Cohesion Alliance, we look forward to contributing to the debate on future of Cohesion Policy and the bring in the urban perspective. Today's declaration and the debate are just the beginning of a wider process. Together, as our president told, and counting on everyone's experience, we can bring forward important ideas and joint proposals that will strengthen Cohesion and make it future-proof. Thank you for your attention. Thank you, Dario. Thank you. Now I give the floor to President Jean-Claude Marcourt, President of Calré. You have the floor, sir, for three minutes. Merci, Monsieur le Président. Thank you, President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues. First of all, I'd like to thank President Cordero for organizing this debate about the future of Cohesion Policy. This represents a precious opportunity for members of the new Cohesion Alliance to pass on to the Commission the aspirations of the towns and regions they represent. The Cohesion Report has said that since 2001 the less developed regions have recently been catching up the rest of Europe, which has reduced significantly the GDP gap per capita. The Cohesion Policy is an important lever when it's a question of guaranteeing to European citizens suitable. Socially it can make an environment for a person to harmonize within the EU with structural resources available to everyone. This is all the more the case in the present situation of inflation and rising energy prices. However, for the Cohesion Policy to be fully effective, the administrative burden and bureaucracy should not be an obstacle to the using of Cohesion Funds. Therefore, it is essential to simplify even more implementation of the Cohesion Policy so as to guarantee better access to funds and good use by member states and the regions of Europe. Caldera has always spoken in favor of simplifying the Cohesion Policy, be it via our working group meetings on this subject or our participation in the Cohesion Alliance. Caldera intends to speak on behalf of the European regions about playing an important role in implementing the Cohesion Policy. I'd like to take advantage of the presence of Commissioner Ferrera and Mr Bumaghi for the work they've been doing on simplification. I think of 80 new measures of the Cohesion Policy for the coming period for the new management framework which covers all the Cohesion Funds and also using more often simplified costs. These are measures which will enable member state and region managers of Cohesion Policy, whilst permitting synergy between various funds. I do not stress that the administrative capacity at national and regional level is an essential key to a successful Cohesion Policy in practice. Therefore, it is essential that local authorities and regions benefit from appropriate support from the European institutions when it comes to an effective implementing of the Cohesion Funds. We can use this to build a true relationship of trust between the European institutions and those who work at local and regional level avoiding dual audits and simplification. Digitalization of Cohesion Policy will be accessible to all to make it easier to access funds and to reduce the amount of red tape both for administrations and beneficiaries and to promote the exchange of better practice between regions and member states. Finally, I would like to stress how much the Commission has been doing to simplify Cohesion Policy procedures to guarantee equal opportunity for access to funds or regions and to ensure use of funds beyond any criticism. Thank you. And I would like to give the floor to President Karl-Oin's life. Dear colleagues. President of AEBR. You have the floor for three minutes. Dear colleagues, after five interventions all things have been said but not by everyone and not in all languages. So I will continue in German. Dear colleagues, the Cohesion Alliance was and is a success story and it must remain so in the future, come what may. Therefore, it's important on the basis of the 8th Cohesion report to assess our work critically and to point us in the right direction for the future. The place of Cohesion Fund needs to be defended and that's particularly important because we see crisis after crisis calling for strategies and that shouldn't lead to a situation where the Cohesion policy should be marginalised or diminished. At the same time, regional local authorities should be able to speak as equal partners when it comes to designing, implementing any new crisis instruments. From the point of view of a border region on behalf of AEBR I'd like to share with you a few ideas. Europe is a continent which has the biggest density of cities by far sorry, of national borders by far and it's important to turn these national borders into a way in keeping us together. Reducing borders is a key task of the European Union and we have seen some amazing successes. Reduction of borders and frontiers is an important part of the DNA of the European Union. So for that reason it's important that we continue our progress in this direction and that where you have cross-border regions with people living and working on both sides that needs to be further promoted and enhanced. But every time a crisis comes notwithstanding all efforts we see this as a refugee crisis or a COVID crisis then the states all of a sudden have the same reflex they close the borders whether it makes sense or not or it's sheer nonsense and we need to fight against that that's particularly important. There are many obstacles which still have to move the borders on behalf of the commission in AEBR we have worked on the solutions project giving tangible form to many things and last but not least a question of getting rid of the borders inside people's heads because we see increasing populism and nationalism which means that many places borders are reappearing where they weren't before and therefore we need to make sure that the cohesion policy in the future continues to play an important role and it makes an effective important instrument. We need power to breathe life into these instruments and we need to make sure that we're ever improved and completed for example by using trans-border mechanisms which we all wanted to see finally becoming reality even if the council missed it in particular like that and also I think that we need to meet the new challenge we have at the external border but it's not directly relevant to the cohesion policy itself but it's still important and this is something that border regions have to face and I think border regions can act more effectively especially for the future cohesion in Europe. Thank you. Now I would like to invite Commissioner Elisa Freira to take the floor for seven minutes and to share with us her views about where do we stand and what's ahead. Thank you. Well thank you very much and thank you for this invitation to be here today in such an important occasion. Well I salute all the members of this table and in person of the president I really thank you for this invitation and why I thank you so dearly because I think it wouldn't be more timely than this moment to relaunch the cohesion alliance. Alliances may remain dormant for some times however in times of challenges and serious risks they need to be reactivated or activated remain vigilant and sometimes go on the offensive and we are living through those times. We need the mobilization of cohesion stakeholders. This alliance was formed back in 2017 you have made a name for yourselves in the 2018 reform and where a key influence on the resulting package but first of all you also helped us and sometimes we forget it you helped us to secure the overall financial allocation for cohesion policy and to make cohesion policy available for all regions with a particular focus naturally on the least developed ones. Second you helped us and I'm just quoting two or three ideas but you helped us to keep regional and local communities at the heart of the policy as you have stressed also in your interventions to keep and expand the partnership principle and to maintain a place based approach which tailors the approach to the different regions empowering local people local authorities. Third example you encouraged and you are still encouraging us and supported us in a large number of simplifications some of them we have not tested them yet because the 2021-27 has not been applied yet but already in the past a common legal framework for all shared management funds and single audit principle making life easier for beneficiaries especially the smaller ones many other examples could be quoted here which relate directly to your contribution and history has proven the value of these contributions they have proven that they were necessary and now looking with the eyes of 2022 it is also clear that in a world of crisis and the transition to the digital economy which was accelerated by COVID and the transition to the green economy which is now being accelerated by the Russian aggression every region needs investment and every region needs a long-term development strategy and their very own concept of resilience to be implemented however regions do not have the same starting points and the means available to each member state are not the same hence the need of cohesion to balance or rebalance the playing field your support for prioritizing local involvement is also proved far sighted when lockdown happened local delivery and local actors became the king and your support for simplification was also spot on in both COVID simplification and flexibility were at the maximum and they were crucial to enable cohesion policy to become Europe's first immediate responder and future crisis are current ones as is the example of soaring energy prices will require the same speed same flexibility so again I welcome today's relaunch not just because of your many past achievements but because cohesion policy will need you again we are needing you again now we need you now and we need you in the coming years post 2027 reform in fact cohesion alliance should remain a permanent feature with regular meetings and advocacy of cohesion as pillar, as a principle and as a policy of the European Union your voices and those of your members must be heard and we are listening to you you have identified key points for the future in your declaration and in your observations on the 8th cohesion report but from the many excellent points you make I'd like to highlight three key questions first how can cohesion policy remain a pillar of the European growth model you rightly note the many achievements of cohesion policy for maintaining public investments to helping lagging regions catch up in everything from economy to healthcare and that these achievements are built on effective place-based policies on our local partnership on our local roots you also note the recent trends for more centralized instruments away from the local place-based approach which is the foundation of cohesion policy and foundation of our success so that's something to be attentive to while the scale of the investment needs means that new instruments are welcome this does beg the question how to ensure that cohesion policy and our place-based method remains a pillar and a model central to the economic governance let me highlight in this respect the inroads we made recently in the country reports under this semester European semester which now have a dedicated analysis of territorial imbalances but more can be done better can be done and I very much welcome your voice and your contribution on this topic second key question how can the policy be responsive to sudden shocks and crises like the ones we are going through while still focusing on our car business long-term transformation you rightly note how effective cohesion policy has been in responding to the COVID crisis as well as to the refugee crisis and as I have announced we'll also be tabling proposals we are working on it in the follow-up of the proposals of the European Parliament and also of some messages from the council to mitigate the impact of the energy crisis in particular the cooperation with the European Parliament has been extremely helpful in this context and I understand the anxiety among cohesion stakeholders each time the cohesion is used for emergency interventions however I stand by the actions we have taken with Cree, with Care now Fast Care and Future Initiative on Energy if we let this crisis drag on unchecked they will only aggravate current disparities and definitely undermine cohesion having said this it's clear that our key role remains long-term transformation the stability of funding and long-term perspective at the core of cohesion policy allows for careful planning local involvement and freeze region from political short-termism how can we keep this focus when crisis are raging I think we have proved it and in the midst of COVID and with war in the neighbouring house we continued our work on programming we managed to stick to our long-term goals we were flexible as necessary and we did not abandon our strategic view which brings me to my last point how can we provide place-based solutions in the context of the green transition and demographic and rural challenges you rightly note that individual sectoral investments such as in transport or IT infrastructure do not automatically translate to successful long-term transformations that we need cohesion policies integrated approach based on a complete view of all the needs of the local areas you also noted importance of administrative capacity and of governance and the flexibilities and simplifications and this is why I have been pushing to embed the principle of do no harm to cohesion in the preparation of all the other policies this is also why I am working to integrate more reforms and cohesion and to put the technical support instrument also at the service of regional and local authorities the colleagues on these three questions and more we need your contribution we need your voice as you know we are preparing a high-level group to reflect on the future of the policy and we will solicit contributions in a structured form in the course of 2023 but I would particularly value your contribution to the broader policy debate as well cohesion has been the silent strength of the EU but we need its voice to be heard and its achievements recognized you are the witnesses of cohesion those who can testify to the transformations those who know from the ground the difference it makes as we start to reflect on a new period after 2027 I ask you to play a full role in the political debate at the European and at the national level to speak out, to speak up for cohesion policy and the place-based approach Europe needs cohesion policy and cohesion policy needs the cohesion alliance relaunched I look forward to your contributions and discussions, thank you very much now I give the floor to Chairman Omar G for five minutes thank you very much thank you very much President I have five minutes and in that time I'm going to try and give you a few messages in telegraphic form I think firstly that we know there is a difficulty before us and it's our responsibility in terms of political action we can see that there are simultaneous crises that are being combined and there are long enough lasting crisis has become a permanent fixture and that makes the future uncertain and nobody can really tell how we're going to navigate this in a number of years that we're going to have to take but we need to be conscious of this and keep our fundamental aims of cohesion in mind we have to keep the compass in mind we have the cohesion agency and this has a great added value we are really happy to participate in this we launched this together with president Mr Karl Heinz Lamberts and we have seen this value of defending everywhere the principles in which we believe I want to remind you of something the European Parliament played a key role in the last framework budget on the MFF the discussions began and in terms of political policies there was the CAP and regional policies to consider and these were really dwelled upon and I would like to commend president Sassoli this evening he took the responsibility to defend to the bitter end cohesion policy and I think that you can count on the full support today of the European Parliament in the discussions to come on the subject of defending and not just quickly defining the traditional policies but the essential policies the very modern policies the CAP for example and regional policies second point now we have on the one hand advantages there's a battle commencing of course but there's advantages to consider when it comes to crises we have demonstrated the value of cohesion policy cohesion policy was almost unexpected in terms of crises but think of Brexit a country left the EU for the first time the first policy that was relevant here to deal with the impacts was the cohesion policy during the pandemic this was also relevant and now today in dealing with the consequences of the war in Ukraine we have demonstrated the European Commission and the European Parliament that we were capable to make this policy a lot more flexible and to deal directly with European people's needs and that's inspirational for us for our future discussions on this but there are also risks to consider we have witnessed that the Recovery and Resilience Fund and all the facilities that were given to member states here I think that perhaps considering the European the Council of the European Union here, not the European Commission it was considered a sort of on a re-nationalization of certain EU policies and what we need to be very careful with here is the temptation of this re-nationalization because we need to have European solutions European solutions that lead to governing with common rules common principles for 27 member states clearly the Recovery and Resilience Fund did have considerable impacts and if we want to win this battle what we have to do is together succeed for the 2021 to 2027 we need to succeed with that programming this is an urgent thing to act on and this is going to have a bearing on the future of cohesion policy this all starts with the programming of the 2021 2027 cohesion policy and you can count on us you can count on our support from the European Commission and the different services as well as the role of the European Parliament you can count on us in these endeavours finishing up now President and Madam Commissioner we will play our part in participating and reflecting on the future of regional policies we will consider the consequences of this crisis period that we are going through and we will also bring new ideas facing up to the new challenges for the European Union and the new transitions that we have to face up to I'm thinking in particular here of demographics there's a demographic shock at the moment in Europe especially for 2028 to 2034 there will be a decrease in many European countries during this period and therefore we need to reflect on this as part of our planning I'm going to respect the time limit I was given thank you thank you now I would like to give the floor for five minutes to the Chairman of our COTAR Commission our colleague Emil Boc thank you Mr President dear Commissioner Ferreira dear Presidents, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen the European Union has delivered its citizens the highest living standards in the world Cohesion policy this converges machine as the World Bank said and Commissioner Ferreira mentioned yesterday is the glue that holds Europe together and bring jobs and prosperity to every corner of the European Union however despite all efforts regional disparities remain high and some are even growing and employment rates in less developed regions remain far above those in more developed regions the regional innovation divide in Europe has grown and not that is not enough it is also certain that the world in Ukraine will have a negative consequence for the economical, social and territorial cohesion in the EU during refugee crisis but also because of the implication of rising energy prices and energy dependency affecting the green transition key challenges remain therefore to leave no one and no region behind what are the new consequences of these challenges for Cohesion policy firstly there is a need for sufficient flexibility on the ground to adapt the strategic framework of Cohesion policy towards the local and regional challenges secondly it is also clear that Cohesion policy alone cannot deal with all these issues and that the Cohesion spirit should be embedded in all EU policies structural and investment funds should not, and I emphasize should not be understood as a repairing tool for the misconception of other EU funding instruments thirdly there is an urgent need to rethink the current approach whereby more and more new instruments are created with the intention to support Cohesion instead of this fragmentation our objective must be to strengthen the existing system of funding instruments under shared management overall more coordination and coherence between various EU policies is needed to promote the well-being of people and to address the growing disparities I am sure that the Cohesion policy will continue to play a pivotal role in these debates on how the future Cohesion policy beyond 2027 should look like in conclusion as I said at the beginning Cohesion policy brings jobs and growth in every corner of Europe and is a key policy for the future of Europe the future of our democracy in Europe is directly influenced and connected with the future of Cohesion policy the cost of no Cohesion is the cost of no Europe the Cohesion alliance is an alliance for the democratic future of Europe and should be supported by all thank you Mr President now I give the floor to the Rapporteur Natalis Arabesoles you have the floor for 5 minutes thank you Mr President I am the last person to speak and I am trying not to repeat what has been said already as I was saying earlier and we have had different interventions and they show and confirm that Cohesion is a founding principal of the European Union it is very important for EU citizens and their lives it is something that unites us as citizens brings us together Cohesion policy is also ways of financing materials intellectual materials human materials it is also a method too it is a construction partner and the second Cohesion report showed us this we have considered the advantages and the risks of Cohesion this partnership of construction creates some of these risks and the recovery today with Cohesion helps us go along this pathway together also in this Cohesion report is very interesting considering the future it is very interesting to be here beside you today speaking about these matters and how we can integrate Cohesion policy into the report two big ideas that the Committee of the Regions could draw as part of the Cohesion policy are the principle of Cohesion and we spoke about that decentralization this is one of the risks presented out by the President the temptation behind this as President Cordero said we need to reflect on the integration of Cohesion in European legislation in order for this to avoid this just being a dead letter and I thank the European Parliament too for contributing to this matter it was very interesting we talked about decentralization and here it's very important when it comes to decentralization we can focus on expertise and knowledge and the different citizens from various different territories this is part of the effectiveness of Cohesion policy it's also a way of being close to the citizen and to responding to what President Cordero spoke about earlier bringing EU policies closer to the citizens and giving them direct responses to their daily issues I don't want to speak for too long everything has been really said I would like to thank everybody for this debate on a new Cohesion alliance I think this was a great debate and I think we're working together in the right manner thank you very much now I have requests from the floor the first one I will give the floor to our colleague you have the floor for one minute thank you Mr President dear colleagues, dear proud Europeans on behalf of the EPP Group I'd like to welcome the relaunch of the Cohesion alliance today and to reaffirm our groups full support for this meaningful initiative we have already proved in the past that by working strongly together we cannot only defend a strong Cohesion policy but also modernize it and make it flexible in response to current trends and challenges nobody can do everything but everybody can do something of course the focus for our practitioners and managing authorities right now is on closing the previous and planning for the current Cohesion programming cycle in most cases they are also the same people in charge of the implementation of the Just Transition Fund and the National Recovery and Resilience plans regional and local managing authorities are overloaded they need more capacity building support for the European and national levels building the efficient take up of structural and investment funds today and tomorrow we can rely and be confident for a strong Cohesion policy in the future therefore we are looking forward to the debates on the future of Cohesion policy the first important step the relaunch of the Cohesion alliance was done today thank you all so much now the floor goes to Fajero for one minute good afternoon President before getting into this I would like to thank the commissioner and the team for responding to the health crisis and then the war this does all link back to of course EU funds and at regional level too this is very important when it comes to dealing with the crisis and the implications of the health crisis we support the strength and the backing of the Cohesion policy it's very important today and I would like to speak about three concrete things when it comes to the difficulty of dealing with these funds for the regions in Europe I would like to point out firstly we need to try and reduce bureaucracy in Europe that's fundamental it's necessary for the implementation of these funds secondly now co-financing there needs to be more emphasis on this and more scope and thirdly there needs to be better ability for the regions to implement the funds on the ground thank you President for one minute Mr. President madam commissioner the last few years showed that our nation of cohesive European society has to involve and the cohesion policy with it recent crises have affected localities differently and that's why need actions exactly to quality of the digital infrastructure, impact of climate change, and refugee crisis in the account. On behalf of RINNER Europe Group, I have to underline that we need special effort in rural areas, where we have a low population, long distances, the impact of climate change and suffering out migration, especially particularly of young people, and loss of businesses as well. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes to our colleague Pavel Branda for one minute. Pavel Branda is not in good staff. I will use my right to speak in my own language. My name is Peter Schwaral and I am from ECR Group. I am honored by the chairperson, Ms. Commissioner Kolgovia. My name is Pavel Branda and I am 16 years old. My colleague's commissioner has 16 years in the function of this one policy, which is particularly health right here, that's a cohesion policy. That the cohesion policy is very important. The statistics doesn't reflect the situation in our country. We still need support from the European Union to finance environmental projects, projects to develop culture, education. Our region is a cross-border region, but also together with regions in Austria and Hungary, we have this cross-border region. And therefore I call on you to support cross-border regional cooperation because the support is smaller than we all need and smaller than we need. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. Nowadays, we need the cohesion policy more than ever because our regions, our cities are undergoing several shocks of different kinds. We're also having to deal with different transitions in the medium and long term. So we need a strong cohesion policy. As Madam Commissioner said, it's an instrument that can be used to support growth. When things are hard, we have to go faster, not slow down. Cohesion requires coordination, simplification, and more decentralization. I believe that those should be the pillars of this new alliance. Thank you. Thank you. Now the floor goes to Christophe Rouillon. One minute. Thank you, Madam Commissioner. We had a somewhat of a cold shower coming from the speech from the European Commission who didn't have anything positive to say about the cohesion policy, but you've restored our faith. I really enjoyed your speech, but I think you need to talk to Jean-Luc Mélenchon in France because he doesn't seem to have understood that cohesion policy means solidarity. Lastly, I'm a mayor in France and we've had discussions with Commissioner Schmitt on social cohesion. We need a European Union strategy on social housing. If we had a policy like that, we could insulate our buildings better to reduce carbon dioxide and to create employment. That would improve the attractiveness of our regions and it would also help our citizens. Energy crisis are on the rise now and everybody's very concerned about that, so a policy of social housing would allow Europe to reconnect with its citizens. Thank you. Our colleague is sold twice. You have the floor for one minute. Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's become very clear how important the cohesion policy is for regions. We need this investment so that our regions can become strong and the differences are reduced. At the same time, it's clear we're saying that cohesion policy should prevent crisis, not master a crisis. And what we're seeing is that it's been used as an emergency measure, but we urgently need this policy. Cohesion policy brings things together, holds things together. That's correct. Different regions are starting from a different place. That's true. That means we need more funding, but unfortunately sometimes it's difficult to fill out these applications, then you don't get any financial support. Everything becomes more expensive and eventually we reach a point where the timelines that were given for this funding simply cannot be met. These are problems that local and regional authorities are facing and these are the very places that could really use this funding. Now the floor goes to Josef Frey. One minute. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're being told that more accountability is needed in this situation, but even when things are normal it's difficult to get a sense of a perspective. So it's even more difficult when there's a crisis. Our authorities made huge efforts during the pandemic and during the migration waves. I think at every level we need to ensure that our authorities are crisis ready. It's difficult for them to manage crisis. There's the different departments involved in it, but it's not part of their daily work. And then the cross-border aspect plays a role here too. Aeroplanes, for example, being used in an emergency situation. That often happens in a crisis situation. Perhaps you're not necessarily looking outside towards your neighbour. You've got more of an internal focus. So I think the cross-border aspect and building bridges across borders is really important to become more resilient to crisis. I don't have any other request for the floor and I would like to take this opportunity just to put two or three ideas that I think are important, at least to be considered. And they arise from the fact that the way we position ourselves in this discussion, in this debate, is of the utmost importance for the success of our cause. And if we put the question, mainly centre, in what money is used for addressing emergencies, I think easily we can be put in the wrong side of history. Because facing an emergency, what people may think of our position is, well, there is some selfishness. Don't use the money to address what everybody sees as an emergency. But if the question is put in the type of solution, in the type of answer that you give to the extraordinary circumstances, I think easier we can be put in the right side of history. And the bottom issue is this, if you want a lasting solution for an emergency, or if you want a lasting solution for some events, you cannot only take money from a collision policy to address that need. You must use collision policy as collision policy to address that need. And I think the energy situation and the energy transition is quite an example of one thing or another. In our report almost 50% of respondents said that they would use money to address the price issue. But that's a danger because once the situation is over, we will be at the same place we were before, if not worse. But if we insist in the collision policy as the answer for that kind of solution, for that kind of situation, not only the money, but the approach that collision policy has, then you will be talking of a long lasting solution, a better solution, a solution that places you way better after the emergency ends, way better than you were before. And the only reason why I think it's important, this is important, is because we're going to enter a fierce fight, a fierce debate. And presenting this in the best way we can, I think is one of the conditions for us to be successful. This is just for reflection and just for thinking in the way we can approach the issue. The second one is about the alliance, the committee of the regions, the associations, participation in all this process. And namely, in something that I know, Commissioner Ferreira knows, that we are eager to participate in the reflection and the work of the high level group. I think we can add as institutions, as an alliance for example, something that will enrich the debate and the reflection of that high level group and even the conclusions that it can come and it can provide. And I think I'm speaking on behalf of all the institutions here present to say, please use us, please use us. We are here to help and we are here to make this work. Now ladies and gentlemen, we have a photo that is the statement of launching this new alliance cohesion. I think we are prepared. Could all the members stand up in the room please?