In the debate on Cohesion as Value within the Conference on the Future of Europe, at the European Committee of the Regions' last COTER commission meeting, held in Brussels on 28 October, Mr Guido Castelli called for the creation of a new EU Agency dedicated to social cohesion, to enable emergencies to be dealt with more quickly and without bureaucracy.

Mr Castelli, a new Member of the ECR Group and Regional Minister in Marche (Italy), explained that, while EU cohesion policy has a vital role to play, it is not sufficient on its own, and a wide range of EU policies need to be underpinned by a stronger spirit of cohesion. This includes discussions on long-term guidelines for Europe, using strategic foresight to help future-proof EU policy-making for a resilient Europe, and the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

In his statement, Mr Castelli declared, "It is important not only to analyse cohesion in theoretical terms, but also to try to learn from our experiences of the current pandemic and to do more for EU cohesion in practical terms." 

In the previous debate at the COTER commission meeting on alternative fuels infrastructure and emissions standards, ECR COTER Coordinator Pavel Branda called for a territorial dimension to be added to the just transition framework to overcome the territorial and regional blindness of the European Commission proposals, especially the Fit for 55 Package. Mr Branda, Deputy Mayor of Rádlo in Czechia, highlighted the three key principles for applying these changes: cohesion, sustainability (including in economic terms) and resilience. 

In his statement, Mr Branda also referred to the dramatically increasing energy prices in Europe and the associated risks: "For efficient EU energy policies, we need to move from a top-down approach to a bottom-up one, where regions and cities actually shape policies, instead of just implementing them".