"In today’s geopolitical and economic context, cohesion policy must prove that it can deliver concrete answers to Europe’s most urgent challenges". This was the political message delivered by Marco Marsilio, President of the ECR CoR Group, during the CoR plenary debate on the Mid‑Term Review of Cohesion policy with European Commission Executive Vice‑President Raffaele Fitto.

Addressing Mr Fitto, President Marsilio welcomed the outcome of the mid‑term review as a necessary and pragmatic correction that restored flexibility and strategic direction to cohesion policy. “In a complex geopolitical context like the one we are experiencing, cohesion policy must continue to strengthen Europe’s economic, social and territorial cohesion, but it must also demonstrate its capacity to respond to new and urgent needs,” he said.

“Cohesion and competitiveness are not competing forces; on the contrary, cohesion policy plays a central role in strengthening Europe’s industrial competitiveness,” Marsilio underlined, recalling that €15.2 billion were specifically reallocated to support competitiveness as part of the mid-term review.

For the ECR Group, this shift confirms a broader political truth. “The mid‑term review proves two essential points: first, that regions and Member States urgently needed to invest in emerging priorities such as competitiveness, defence and energy security; and second, that cohesion policy works when it is allowed to adapt to local needs” Marsilio stated.

President Marsilio also highlighted the political significance of the Commission’s newly launched public consultation on the “right to stay”, praising Executive Vice‑President Fitto for placing territorial cohesion and demographic challenges at the centre of the European debate. “The right to stay is a powerful political signal for Europe’s internal areas hit by depopulation. Connectivity and transport will be decisive for making regions more attractive and competitive,” he said, announcing that the issue will feature prominently in his upcoming opinion on European transport systems.