Interview with Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary of Slovenia Cohesion policy is typically a shared-management area within the EU policy framework. The Member States’ decisions and aims at Council level are therefore most relevant. This is even truer with the advent of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), where Member States…

Cohesion was one of the drivers of the creation of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 1958, and remains one of the Bank’s top priorities today. The Bank supports cohesion in the European Union by financing projects in regions that have a lower-than-average gross domestic product per capita and by…

Economic convergence is one of the key objectives of EU cohesion policy. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has had precisely the opposite effect. With a focus on green and digital transition, the Von der Leyen Commission is trying to gear several policies towards transition in the EU. Gert Jan Koopman has…

Major shocks can lead to substantial societal changes, as illustrated by the 2008 financial crisis and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Often, they also matter for accountability as they change citizens’ expectations as regards the work of public sector auditors and public scrutiny bodies using auditors’ work for their oversight responsibilities…

By Lilyana Pavlova, Vice‑President of the European Investment Bank Cohesion was one of the drivers of the creation of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 1958, and remains one of the Bank’s top priorities today. The Bank supports cohesion in the European Union by financing projects in regions that have a lower‑than‑average gross domestic product per capita and by complementing EU grants with loans. To adapt to the challenges of climate change and the transition to a modern, digital and low‑carbon economy in a fair way, the EIB adopted a new Cohesion Orientation in October 2021. Lilyana Pavlova is the Vice‑President of the European Investment Bank responsible for overseeing the Bank’s support for cohesion. Below she explains how the EIB plans to expand and modernise its investment in EU cohesion regions over the period of the EU’s current long‑term budget, 2021‑2027.

Editorial By Gaston Moonen — When interviewing the various contributors to this ECA Journal on cohesion and the NextGenerationEU (NGEU), one of my first questions was often about their perception and understanding of the concept of cohesion. This was instigated by the fact that the concept has puzzled me for several years. Personally, since I…

By Professor John Bachtler, European Policies Research Centre Cohesion policy is one of the oldest EU policies, dating back in one form or other to the 1960s. The mission, diversity, complexity and major budget of this EU policy has generated extensive research interest on the part of think tanks, evaluators…

Interview with Elisa Ferreira, European Commission for Cohesion and Reform — With the transition goals it presented in its Green Deal and Digital Strategies, the Von der Leyen Commission made it clear from the outset that multiple instruments, both traditional and new, would be used for targeted investment and inclusive growth. Cohesion is one of the core EU policies which, from…

Interview with Elisa Ferreira, European Commission for Cohesion and Reform — By Gaston Moonen With the transition goals it presented in its Green Deal and Digital Strategies, the Von der Leyen Commission made it clear from the outset that multiple instruments, both traditional and new, would be used for targeted investment and inclusive growth. Cohesion is one of the core EU policies which, from its early days, has aimed to support transition and promote convergence. Elisa Ferreira, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, not only has many years of experience in various economic and social convergence roles, but is also very much aware how essential cohesion investments and reforms can be to achieve the overall goal of ensuring that no one is left behind. An interest that should motivate all Member States and one which, in her view, is essential to the democratic fabric of the Union.