The European Commission organised on 11-12 April the 9th Cohesion Forum with a view to gather relevant stakeholders (including EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities from all Member States, social and economic partners, non-governmental organisations, academia and other relevant stakeholders) to join the ongoing discussions on Cohesion Policy post-2027.
This debate was kickstarted with the publication of the High-Level Group report in February and followed by the European Commission’s 9th Cohesion Report, which was adopted just a few weeks before the Forum. Initiatives undertaken by the other European institutions have also fed into the debate.
High-level speakers from EU institutions and Member States shared their views in the panels around the following topics:
- What’s going on with economic and social convergence in the EU?
- The role of cities in regional development
- The triple transition, an anchor for competitiveness, growth and social justice
- Cohesion: an objective shared among all policies
- Which EU Cohesion Policy for the future?
EURoma Network is keeping an eye on the discussions on the post-2027 Cohesion Policy to ensure that Roma equality and inclusion are taken into account when considering how this policy should evolve to meet the objective of making Europe’s regions more resilient, competitive and inclusive, embracing the green and digital transition and improving opportunities for all European citizens.
Experience from previous programming periods show that, when used effectively, European Cohesion Policy Funds are key financial (as well as political) instruments to promote changes on the lives of Roma people; however, the persistent situation of inequality and discrimination that many Roma still face require for further commitment and investments.
As Commissioner Nicolas Schmit stressed in his speech at the Forum, “We must also care for the weakest. For some people in the EU – and Elisa (Ferreira) and I have visited some camps with Roma people who are particularly discriminated against- our social model is not working anymore. We must fix and rebuild our model and ensure upward social mobility.”
Furthermore, significant efforts remain to be done when it comes to poverty reduction, there are still too many people in our Union that are at risk of poverty, especially kids (the Child Guarantee is a key instrument to this end).
On the 2024 Cohesion Forum website you can access the event programme, information on the speakers, and some practical information.
Further information
