EU governments have agreed a partial negotiating position on new rules for the bloc’s main cohesion funds for the 2028–2034 EU budget, setting out how money for regional development, social support and cross-border projects would be managed.
The position covers two proposed regulations that establish the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — including the Interreg cross-border cooperation programme — the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Social Fund (ESF), the Council of the EU informed on Monday.
It said the agreement is “partial” because it does not cover financial and horizontal issues, which are being negotiated as part of the wider talks on the EU’s next seven-year spending plan, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), for 2028 to 2034.
Member states would have a “single strategic framework” for planning reforms and investments under the approach, Cyprus finance minister Makis Keravnos said.
What changes are covered
The Council stated that the new ERDF and Cohesion Fund regulation would set specific rules on what the funds can support, alongside National and Regional Partnership Plans, which are the planned framework for how countries and regions set out reforms and investments under shared management.
Interreg would have its own plan, separate from the National and Regional Partnership Plans, because it involves multiple partners and cooperation with non-EU countries.
Rules for Interreg would be set out more directly in the regulation itself, with fewer elements left to later secondary legislation by the European Commission.
For the ESF, the proposed regulation would set conditions for EU support for employment, skills and social inclusion from 2028 to 2034, the Council said, adding that it aims to clarify definitions and align provisions with the National and Regional Partnership Plans framework.
The Council’s partial negotiating position will be used as its mandate to begin negotiations with the European Parliament.
The size of the budget for the funds will depend on the final agreement on the overall 2028–2034 MFF.
The European Commission first presented its initial proposals for the 2028–2034 period in July and September 2025, the Council noted, adding that an EU agreement before the end of 2026 would allow legislation to be adopted in 2027 so funding can continue without interruption from January 2028.
