The General Affairs Council meeting ended with an agreement on the new rules for EU cohesion policy of the 2014-2020 period. However this first agreement is pending on the European Parliament's position in first reading. Overall, Council's position is aimed at strengthening results orientation and improving the quality of cohesion spending.
 

Ministers reached a first agreement on the new rules for EU cohesion policy for the 2014-2020, whose proposal was presented by the Commission in October 2011. The Council's partial general approach is aimed at strengthening results orientation and improving the quality of cohesion spending. It also seeks to contribute to the integration of cohesion policy in the economic governance of the EU, according to Ministers. It may however be subject to change as a result of the negotiations with the European Parliament.

The Council's compromise text covers some of the more technical features of the future cohesion policy. In particular, it includes programming, ex ante conditionality -means that certain conditions must be met before funding may start, management and control, monitoring and evaluation, eligibility, and major projects. The Council will held in the coming months further discussions on these features.

The goal of cohesion policy is to reduce disparities between the levels of development of the EU's various regions. The new cohesion policy rules are closely linked to the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020 negotiations; they are only expected to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council once an agreement on the MFF has been reached.