Towards a just transition in the national and regional partnership plans: Recommendations on regional chapters

Briefing    |    12 June 2026

From 1 January 2028, the EU will operate under a new budgetary framework in which the four existing cohesion policy funds will be merged into a single national and regional partnership plan (NRPP) for each Member State. The current legal framework for the NRPPs is set out in the European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Fund for Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, Agriculture and Rural, Fisheries and Maritime, Prosperity and Security (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Proposal’), together with the Template for the National and Regional Partnership Plan contained in Annex V to the Proposal. According to Article 21 of the Proposal, the NRPPs may include regional and territorial chapters, ‘where relevant’, but their inclusion is not obligatory.

This briefing highlights, if Europe is to maintain its strength and competitiveness, its key industrial regions must not become ‘blank spots’ on the map, mired in decline and continued dependence on outdated, unprofitable sectors of the economy. The only way to avoid this path is to ensure that the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework provides adequate funding for the regions concerned – funding that is targeted, well-planned, and placed in the hands of local authorities and communities, with state support where necessary.