Brussels, 28/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - No matter how difficult negotiations on the forthcoming multi-annual financial framework (2014-2020) may be, because of the difficult budgetary situation of all member states, EU cohesion policy must not be forgotten, “because this policy is perfectly in line with the objectives of the 2020 economic strategy”, which the European Council will approve in June, according to former Polish Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner, who now chairs the European Parliament regional development committee. “I don't see a real challenge for the regional and cohesion policies (Ed: in the upcoming budget negotiations for which the Commission is due to present its first proposals in the spring of 2011) because they are investing in exactly the areas mentioned in the 2020 strategy: energy, transport, innovation, education, the environment, etc.,” she said in an interview with EUROPE. Hübner, who was the Polish European Affairs Minister from 2001 to 2004 and played a key role in Poland's EU accession talks, also warned the net contributors which are always tempted to shave off a little from the Community budget, about re-nationalising regional policy. Within a context of globalisation, “every region, not just the poorest,” needs this policy to enhance their competitiveness and catch up with the rest of the world. “There is a very clear added value in the EU regional policy. Everyone benefits, it's a win-win situation,” she said.
Need for more Europe. Hübner is afraid, however, that the economic crisis will seriously affect budget negotiations. “I'm afraid that member states will be using this argument of budget deficit and public debt against a bigger EU budget. But we need a bigger budget and more Europe, not less. On this issue, I'm actually pessimistic. I'm afraid that we in Europe don't understand that our share of the global economy is in decline,” she said. The Commission is due to bring forward its proposals on the budget review by September and Hübner backs some “minor adjustments and simplifications in the delivery machinery of the cohesion policy”, but does not think that the mid-term review of the financial perspectives should be the opportunity to change cohesion policy priorities. She argues, too, for the retention of the common agricultural policy (CAP), but feels it should be reformed.
Poland. Since its accession in 2004, Poland has had some difficulty in finding its place within Community bodies and institutions (the weakness of Polish public administration has had its part to play in this, she said), but, as time has passed, “Poland has learned a lot on how to behave in the EU and how to best present its national interests”. The lack of “political continuity” during this critical period, with the coming to power of the Law and Justice party and the Kaczynski brothers knowing little about Europe as they were not involved in the process of accession to the EU, also helps explain why Poland took time to really join the EU club, said Hübner, who was elected to the EP in June 2009 as a candidate for the civic platform of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. She pointed out, too, that Poland “wasted” the opportunity to influence EU foreign policy when it enjoyed special relations with the United States and also with Russia and other countries among the EU's neighbours to the East. “Poland has missed the opportunity to bring into the EU its exceptionally good and robust and useful links with America. I think we missed it,” she said. “The same for Russia. The EU expected us to bring into the Union good and special relations with Russia. But, for years, we had tensions with Moscow.” “We did not use these advantages, we wasted them,” said Hübner, expressing nevertheless, the hope that Poland will play a central role in the new European diplomatic corps. (H.B./transl.rt)