The Regional Development and Employment Committee debated the cohesion policy reform proposals tabled by the Commission. Among the conclusions drawn from the debate, MEPs welcomed the regulation on provisions common to the various EU structural funds as a big step forward which should enhance the efficiency with which regional policy is implemented by better integrating its components.

The Regional Development and Employment Committee at the European Parliament debated the cohesion policy reform proposals tabled by the Commission. MEPs agreed that Parliament will see that cohesion policy is not diverted from its primary aims as it is adapted to new economic and budgetary needs. MEPs want the reform negotiations completed by the end of 2012.

MEPs welcomed the regulation on provisions common to the various EU structural funds as a big step forward which should enhance the efficiency with which regional policy is implemented by better integrating its components. According to them, the key topics of negotiation will be greater flexibility to achieve objectives, fewer rigid quotas, recourse to conditionalities, notably macroeconomic, capping national allocations, and the link with the Connecting Europe Facility. Additionally the responsible for one of the proposals of the cohesion policy reform's package, Lambert van Nistelroij, stressed that the number of proposals, including that one capping and macroeconomic conditionality, rejected by most MEPs, must be considered in the light of their specific projections for the Member States and regions concerned.

Among the issues discussed at the debate, Riikka Manner rapporteur on the European territorial cooperation regulation, welcomed the concentration of programme objectives, but cited three issues should be clarified: the fate of themes that are not chosen by various territorial cooperation programmes; the precise role of macro-regions and better use of neighbourhood policy instruments.