Fifth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion
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Summary : (28 MB)
Conclusions of the Fifth Report: the future of the policy 
Press Release
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What's the issue?
Every three years, the EU publishes a report on economic, social and territorial cohesion, detailing progress in these areas and how the EU, national and regional governments have contributed. The 5th Cohesion Report has just been published.
The main issues covered are:
- analysis of regional disparities
- the contribution of the EU, national and regional governments to cohesion
- the impact of Cohesion Policy
- Cohesion Policy after 2013
What does the 5th Cohesion report say?
- Disparities between EU regions are narrowing - differences in GDP per head have shrunk substantially
- More developed regions are more competitive, e.g. because they:
- are more innovative
- are better trained
- have higher rates of employment
- have better infrastructure
- Well-being and life satisfaction are strongly linked to higher household income in the less developed parts of the EU, but not in the more developed regions
- Environmental sustainability:
- some regions are at high risk from climate change
- others have a strong potential to produce more renewable energy
- many city centres have poor air quality
- some of the Eastern EU countries lack sufficient waste-water treatment capacity.
- Better coordination is needed between regional development and other EU and national policies
- Europe 2020 strategy:
- regions and regional development policy can significantly contribute
- there should be a balanced approach to investment, e.g. right balance between different types of investment
- the strong diversity among EU regions (e.g. differences in characteristics, opportunities and needs) need to be taken into account
- there must be a strong role for regions, cities and local authorities
What are the next steps?
November 2010 – report will be published and a public consultation will be launched to help shape the future policy and prepare legislative proposals - you can post comments until 31 January 2011.
Legislative proposals will be submitted in the first half of 2011.
31 January – 1 February 2011 - the Fifth Cohesion Forum will provide another opportunity to discuss the orientations in the report concerning future Cohesion Policy |
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