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Cohesion Fund 2014-2020

2011/0274(COD)

The European Parliament adopted by 617 votes to 39, with 31 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Cohesion Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1084/2006.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal as follows:

Subject-matter of the Cohesion Fund: Parliament noted that a Cohesion Fund was established for the purpose of strengthening the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Union in the interests of promoting sustainable development.

Investment priorities: the scope of the Cohesion Fund was broadened to include:

  • support for energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the housing sector;
  • promoting low-carbon strategies for all types of territories, in particular for urban areas;
  • support for high efficiency district heating and cogeneration of heat and power;
  • support of investment for adaptation to climate change including eco-system based approaches;
  • investing in the waste sector and in the water sector, not only to meet the requirements of the Union's environmental acquis but to address needs identified by the Member States;
  • soil protection and restoration and promotion of ecosystem services including through NATURA 2000 and green infrastructures;
  • actions for the revitalisation of cities, regeneration and decontamination of brownfield sites (including conversion areas), and promotion of noise-reduction measures;
  • environmentally-friendly (including low-noise) and low-carbon transport systems including inland waterways and maritime transport, ports, multimodal links and airport infrastructure.

A reference was maintained in relation to the support that might be granted by the Cohesion Fund to the Connecting Europe Facility's transport infrastructure projects in Cohesion Member States, and this for an amount of EUR 10 000 000 000.

Scope of application: Parliament foresaw the explicit exclusion of support for the manufacturing, processing and marketing of tobacco and tobacco products, and for undertakings in difficulties as defined under Union State aid rules.

Indicators: the Commission shall be empowered to adopt a delegated act to amend the list of common output indicators in the Annex to this Regulation, in order to make adjustments, where justified to ensure effective assessment of progress in programme implementation.