#52026AA0009CoR Opinion 09/2026 on the European Fund for Cohesion, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Security (2028-2034)

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has issued Opinion 09/2026 on the European Commission's proposal (COM(2025) 565 final/2) to establish a single consolidated European Fund covering economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural development, fisheries and maritime affairs, and prosperity and security for the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework period. This represents a historic restructuring of EU funding, merging what were previously separate instruments — including the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund, European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), and security-related programmes — into a single regulatory framework. The proposal amends Regulation (EU) 2023/955 (the Social Climate Fund) and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 (the Financial Regulation). It is proceeding under the ordinary legislative procedure (codecision) with legal bases spanning multiple TFEU articles covering cohesion policy, agriculture, fisheries, environment, transport, employment, and external action. The European Parliament has assigned the file jointly to the Budgets (BUDG), Regional Development (REGI), and Agriculture (AGRI) committees, with over a dozen additional committees providing opinions. The CoR opinion reflects the perspective of regional and local authorities across the EU, who are the primary implementing bodies for cohesion and rural development funds. The consolidation raises significant governance questions about whether simplified rules will maintain adequate funding levels and tailored approaches for each policy area, or whether the merger risks diluting place-based cohesion policy in favor of centralized priorities like security and defense. The opinion addresses the balance between simplification objectives and preserving the partnership principle that gives subnational governments a meaningful role in programming and implementation.

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