Prospects for Cohesion Policy in 2014-20 and Beyond: Progress with Programming and Reflections on the Future

The report reviews the development of Cohesion policy over the 2013-14 period. It begins by assessing the economic, political and institutional developments at EU level with a bearing on Cohesion policy. It then reviews the finalisation of the 2014-2020 legislative framework and changes in geographical eligibility and allocations, followed by an overview of the state-of-play of programming, the key issues in the negotiations between the Commission and Member States and the expected shifts in thematic allocations across the EU. Looking forward, the report summarises recent studies exploring post-2020 reform scenarios and section concludes by reflecting on some of the key implications of the 2013 reform and questions that will inform the debate on the future of Cohesion policy.