Aarhus, 29/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU budget, and especially the part of that budget intended for cohesion policy, are the focus of debates at the general assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) in Aarhus (Denmark) on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 September.
Although, generally speaking, the CPMR welcomes the first Commission proposals on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020 (presented on 29 June this year) as setting a mark below which it would be impossible to fall, it still has fears when it comes to allocating a reasonable part of that budget to the regions. This is all the more so given the recent movements of hesitation from certain member states who aim to reduce their contribution to the EU budget in the crisis context. “I would like to oppose the idea that the European budget, with its 'small' 1% of European wealth, is only a drop in the ocean and that, if one undresses it a little to dress up a few national budgets, the face of Europe will not be changed. On the contrary, I believe that making the European budget the variable for adjustment of national budgets, as the 8 net contributor states have just suggested, is a political choice that would have adverse consequences on Europe, its territory, its business and its citizens”, said Hervé Jouanjean, Director General of the DG Budget. He expects that discussions will extend until the second half of 2012 during which time the economic and financial context should have calmed down, allowing governments to have a clearer idea of the future.
Going further with territorial pacts. Furthermore, the draft general regulation aimed at recasting cohesion instruments to be presented by the Commission next week (see EUROPE 10460) mirrors the vision of the peripheral maritime regions with a system of conditions to be met if funding is to be granted. The association even suggests in its final draft declaration that one should go further still by creating “territorial pacts”. These would act as political agreements sealed in each state between the central government and regional and local authorities taking part in implementation of cohesion policy. The agreement would be on the priorities for thematic and territorial intervention of cohesion policy at national level, on one hand, and on the means for implementation of the regional and local partnership, on the other.
No macro-economic conditions. The peripheral maritime regions are more critical towards institutional developments when it comes to the possibility of making subsidies conditional upon respect of the Stability and Growth Pact. Integrating macro-economic conditions within cohesion policy, as suggested by the German chancellor and French president in August, is quite simply counter-productive, the association believes. “Regions should not have to pay for the mistakes made by national budgets”, summed up Ramon Luis Valcarcel Siso, Vice-President of CPMR and Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions.
Very outlying regions. Hervé Jouanjean sought to reassure the CPMR regarding his request for an “appropriate financial budget” for insular regions and mountainous territories. He went straight to the point in specifying that, when it comes to outlying regions and the special characteristics and constraints of those regions, as recognised in the Lisbon Treaty, these have been taken into consideration in the Commission's proposals. (MD/transl.jl)