European territorial cooperation (Interreg) 2021-2027

Briefing 20-09-2021

On 29 May 2018, the European Commission adopted several proposals aimed at defining the EU cohesion policy for the post-2020 programming period. The package includes a proposal for the new generation of European territorial cooperation (ETC) programmes, commonly referred to as 'Interreg'. The proposed regulation would bring significant changes to the architecture of ETC, with the reshaping of the three traditional cooperation strands (i.e. cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation) and the creation of two new components, one dedicated to outermost regions, the other to interregional cooperation on innovation. Another major novelty is the incorporation of cooperation with countries other than EU Member States. The proposal was examined simultaneously by the Council and the European Parliament. In Parliament, the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) was responsible for the file. Parliament adopted its legislative resolution on the proposal at first reading on 26 March 2019, enabling trilogue negotiations to get under way with the Council. Agreement on the text was reached at the trilogue meeting of 2 December 2020, with Parliament adopting the draft regulation on 23 June 2021. Signed on 24 June 2021, the final act was published in the EU Official Journal on 30 June 2021.