Two European Parliament members have asked the European Commission whether it will integrate the Council of Europe's 12 principles of good democratic governance into the EU's cohesion policy after 2027, potentially linking funding to administrative quality standards. The written question, submitted on 7 May 2026 by Pasquale Tridico (The Left) and Brando Benifei (S&D), targets the link between governance quality and efficient use of EU funds, especially in less developed regions.
The MEPs' question references the Commission's High Level Group report on the future of cohesion policy, which highlighted that administrative capacity and governance quality are decisive for fund absorption. They also note that several local governments have already adopted governance quality assurance tools aligned with the Council of Europe's principles, which cover transparency, accountability, efficiency, and participation.
Concrete asks and policy direction
The question contains three concrete asks. First, whether the Commission will promote the integration of good governance principles into post-2027 cohesion programmes. Second, whether it will consider introducing reward mechanisms for bodies that adopt recognised standards of good governance. Third, what steps it will take to strengthen administrative capacity of local and regional authorities, including through technical support and exchange of good practices.
The policy direction is towards conditionality and incentives: tying cohesion funding to governance performance, rather than just economic indicators. This could shift power towards regions with stronger administrative systems, potentially at the expense of those with weaker capacity, creating a trade-off between rewarding efficiency and ensuring solidarity.
Expected follow-up
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether the executive is moving towards a more performance-based cohesion model, which could have significant implications for regional funding allocations and administrative reform priorities across member states.