In 2024, the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), launched a broad reflection process on the future of Cohesion Policy within the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034).

This process included meetings, debates, and targeted consultations aimed at gathering opinions and strategic guidance from institutions, managing authorities, and territorial stakeholders.

In this context, the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR) promoted its own consultation, conducted by the EUSAIR Facility Point project (IPA ADRION 2021–2027) with support from the StEP – EUSAIR Stakeholders Engagement Point project (IPA ADRION 2021–2027).

The initiative enabled the collection of specific contributions from countries and communities involved in the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion, with the goal of presenting a shared vision and targeted strategic guidance to the European Commission.

The final report, titled “EUSAIR Perspective on the Future of Cohesion Policy Post-2027”, was submitted to Brussels in March 2025 and is now available online.

The report highlights several key strategic recommendations for the future of Cohesion Policy:

• Maintain a strong European perspective based on cooperation, territorial approach, and multilevel governance;
• Integrate the objectives of EUSAIR (and other Macroregional Strategies) into the regulatory framework of future Cohesion Policy instruments and the new Global Europe tools, ensuring that Macrostrategies are considered throughout the entire program lifecycle;
• Ensure that national partnership plans incorporate macroregional approaches, especially for issues requiring shared solutions;
• Enhance EUSAIR as a capitalization tool, capable of both expanding the impact of national projects and adapting European policies to local contexts;
• Strengthen administrative capacity at the national level, with particular attention to candidate countries and new Member States;
• Promote active participation of program authorities in EUSAIR networks;
• Encourage strategic alignment with the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR);
• Recognize the strategic role of EUSAIR in enlargement processes, leveraging its potential for convergence and regional cooperation.

The report also offers insights on how to strengthen the role of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy during the current programming period, contributing to the coherence and effectiveness of territorial development policies.

The recommendations in the report represent a concrete contribution for policymakers and territorial actors involved in shaping the future Cohesion Policy. Sharing these results is essential to ensure that the needs of the Adriatic-Ionian Area are well represented in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034).

The full document and the Summary Recommendations are available on the official EUSAIR website at the following links:

• Full Report
• Summary Recommendations