Europe’s recovery will fail without a strong cohesion policy and a real partnership among EU, national, regional and local actors

The crisis triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic is undermining Europe’s economic, territorial and social cohesion and its capacity to deliver a greener, inclusive and smart transition towards a more sustainable future. This is why the #CohesionAlliance – an EU-wide coalition gathering more than 12,000 signatories – urges EU Member States to support a strong Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-27 and recovery plans. The MFF and recovery plans must support cohesion as a fundamental value of the European Union and as a key objective for all its policies and investments. These demands were included in a declaration handed over to EU Cohesion Commissioner Elisa Ferreira and REGI Chair Younous Omarjee during a video conference on 14 July, three days before the European Council meeting in Brussels.