Based on Council conclusions from 2016, European Commission is required to prepare a Report on the Implementation of Macro-Regional Strategies every two years.
The last report was issued on 23 September 2020 and although we recommend you to read the whole document with the accompanying working document, we offer you some appetizer below.
CONCLUSIONS
In the current exceptional circumstances triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent economic crisis, cooperation among countries and regions is needed more than ever. The crisis has economic, fiscal and social consequences that cannot be tackled by any single country alone. The EU is providing innovative tools and extraordinary financial means to ‘react and recover’: in the short term, to react and repair the damages caused to the European fabric by the outbreak of the pandemic; in the medium to long term, to recover through investing in a green, digital, resilient and socially inclusive economy. The recovery from the crisis represents a major opportunity for shaping the Europe of the future.
Against this background, the MRS have a significant role to play in helping participating countries and regions to tackle the economic crisis by implementing EU priorities such as the European Green Deal, the European Digital Strategy, ‘An economy that works for people’ and ‘A stronger Europe in the world’ in a coordinated manner. Sustainable tourism, SME support, transnational innovation need particular attention.
Member States have now a unique opportunity to promote the inclusion of relevant MRS priorities in the 2021-2027 EU national and regional programmes (ESI Funds, EAFRD, IPA, NDICI). This is vital to ensure the coordinated implementation of programmes and MRS in the macro-regions.
For the MRS to substantially contribute to the mid-to-long-term economic recovery and prosperity of the participating countries, stronger political ownership and drive needs to be sustained.
