EU level

This report intends to clarify the importance of multilevel governance and reinforced partnership for policy making in the European Union, whilst explaining the virtues of both principles specifically in the context of cohesion policy in the second chapter. It summarizes main findings and recommendations following a first assessment of the Partnership Agreements of all Member States.

It gives recommendations as to how the review of the Europe 2020 Strategy can be used as an opportunity to ensure better coherence between the Strategy and the Partnership Agreements, whilst providing Europe 2020 with a genuine territorial dimension. Finally, the report proposes some guidelines as to how a culture of MLG and partnership can be further strengthened in other EU policies with a territorial dimension, not least in the Europe 2020 Strategy.