The European Committee of the Regions is set to send an “early-warning message” to decision-makers at European and national levels on “The cost and risk of non-cohesion: The strategic value of cohesion policy for pursuing the Treaty objectives and facing new challenges for European regions”.
Even though the 7th Cohesion Report shows that the EU economy is starting to recover from the economic crisis, its full impact has not yet been overcome.
Indeed, many regions have not reached their pre-crisis levels of GDP per capita and unemployment, particularly among young people, continues to be a concern.
“Cohesion Policy remains extremely valid, since it enables all EU citizens, especially from the less developed territories, to benefit from the advantages offered by EU integration,” said Mieczysław Struk (PL/EPP), President of Pomorskie Region.
“It should not be treated as an optional extra or a nice to have, but as an indispensable pillar of a Single Market linking diverse countries and regions with uneven levels of development,” he added.
