Spanish Regions Demand Stronger Role and Protection in EU Cohesion Policy Negotiations

Spanish regional governments, notably the Generalitat and the Basque Government, are calling for enhanced participation in the European Union's cohesion policy decision-making amid concerns over the future EU budget framework. José Luis Díez, the Generalitat's second vice president and conseller of the Presidency, criticized the Spanish Government for neglecting meaningful involvement of autonomous communities in negotiating the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF). He highlighted that the Conference for European Union Affairs (CARUE), a key cooperation body between the Government and regions, has not met for four years, with absence of important ministers like Ángel Torres and José Manuel Albares.

Díez expressed serious worries about the diminishing allocation for cohesion funds despite the MFF's overall increase from €1.2 trillion to €2 trillion. He deemed the reduction in cohesion policy funding unacceptable, emphasizing its vital role for regional development and strategic sectors such as agriculture, whose Common Agricultural Policy funding is also expected to be reduced. While supporting new EU priorities like defense and support for Ukraine, Díez warned these should not come at the expense of cohesion policy, which is essential for socially and territorially balanced transformation and maintaining European project legitimacy. He urged the Spanish Government to robustly defend cohesion policy in Brussels and to evolve CARUE into a genuine decision-making forum to better reflect regional interests.

Simultaneously, the Basque Government underscored cohesion policy's strategic value at the tenth Conference on the Evaluation of EU Cohesion Policy in Brussels. Representatives highlighted cohesion policy as a "base camp" for projecting Euskadi globally, supporting balanced, competitive regional development. They advocated for a multi-level governance model integrating evaluation from the start of operational programs to promote continuous improvement. Presentations at the conference included key findings from the 2014-2020 period and the ongoing 2021-2027 evaluation, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and youth employment.

These regional actors' interventions reflect growing demands for greater regional influence and protection of cohesion funding amidst the evolving EU budget landscape and signal strong regional advocacy to ensure vital funds for socioeconomic cohesion are safeguarded.