Council conclusions on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

(1) WELCOMES the third report on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies submitted by the Commission on 23 September 20201;

(2) EMPHASISES the urgency to further embed the priorities of the MRS in relevant EU funding programmes 2021-2027;

(3) UNDERLINES the importance of capacity-building, clear-cut and results-oriented governance of the MRS and, in that context, CALLS on the Commission to continue to play a leading role in the coordination of MRS and CALLS on participating countries/regions;

(4) CONSIDERS the COVID-19 crisis a crucial challenge to cooperation in the macro-regions, ACKNOWLEDGES the role of MRS in the territorial implementation of post-pandemic resilience and recovery;

(5) RECOGNISES the contribution of the MRS to European Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policies as well as to cross-border relations with non-EU participating countries/regions and, while recalling the ownership of the MRS by all participating countries/regions;

(6) REMAINS open to examine commonly agreed initiatives of Member States facing the same challenges in a defined geographic area, aimed at setting up new macro-regional strategies;

(7) CALLS on the Commission to review progress on the strategic and operational objectives outlined above in the next report on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies by the end of 2022.

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