Common Provisions Regulation: New rules for cohesion policy for 2021-2027

Briefing 20-09-2021

For the EU budget covering the 2021-2027 period, the European Commission proposed to update EU cohesion policy with a new set of rules. The proposal for a Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) set out common provisions for eight shared management funds: the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Just Transition Fund, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the Asylum and Migration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Border Management and Visa Instrument. Additional specific regulations add certain provisions needed to cater for the particularities of individual funds, in order to take into account their different rationales, target groups and implementation methods. The new CPR is of the utmost importance as it sets the main rules that govern the above-mentioned funds for the 2021-2027 period. While it builds upon the previous sets of rules covering the 2014-2020 period, it nevertheless introduces a number of innovations. It aims, amongst other things, to simplify and improve synergies between the different EU policy tools. On 23 June 2021, the Parliament voted to adopt the text of the regulation agreed with the Council. The final act was published in the Official Journal on 30 June 2021. Fifth edition of a briefing originally drafted by Vasileios Margaras. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.