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General Affairs Council (Cohesion), 26 February 2026
Main results
Ministers responsible for cohesion policies approved conclusions on the EU agenda for cities and held an exchange of views on lessons learned from the2021-2027 cohesion policy’s mid-term review.
During today’s productive meeting, we approved conclusions on the new EU agenda for cities, a key component of our policy for social, economic and territorial cohesion. We then exchanged our experiences and best practices on the cohesion policy’s mid-term review, thus substantially contributing to the ongoing discussions for the EU’s future long-term budget in which this policy should be maintained as a top priority.
Makis Keravnos, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Cyprus
EU agenda for cities
The Council approved conclusions on the EU agenda for cities as a follow-up to the relevant Commission communication presented on 3 December 2025. The conclusions highlight the importance of cities along with their functional urban areas for economic, social and territorial cohesion, as well as their role in advancing social inclusion, competitiveness and innovation. The Council conclusions also recall the importance of ensuring long-term support for integrated urban development, building on the achievements of the current period, as described in the EU agenda for cities.
Based on a steering note submitted by the presidency, the Council held an exchange of views on lessons learned from the mid-term review of EU’s cohesion policy for 2021-2027.
Ministers discussed how incentives and flexibilities could be designed for the 2028-2034 period to further strengthen alignment of cohesion policy with EU strategic priorities, including competitiveness. Given the mid-term review experience, ministers explored how the future programming framework could strike the right balance between providing sufficient time for strategic reflection and ensuring rapid implementation, particularly in periods of economic and geopolitical change.
Moreover, given the broader scope of investments and the involvement of new actors, the Council discussed what lessons can be drawn from the mid-term review on strengthening administrative and implementation capacity to ensure that all member states and regions can effectively benefit from cohesion policy in the future. Finally, ministers reiterated the need to keep cohesion at the core of EU policies in full respect of the Treaty’s requirements, while avoiding rigidities that have led to continuous legislative amendments and reprioritisation.
The Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian delegations highlighted the importance of the Commission’s communication on Eastern border regions presented on 18 February 2026.
