Brussels, 19/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Concerns are still very much to the fore with regard to the cohesion policy budget in the next multiannual financial framework. The European Commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn, addressed MEPs on Tuesday 18 September to review amendments voted for in the EP regional committee this summer on the reform proposed for cohesion policy. He highlighted the threats there still were to the cohesion policy budget and warned against the policy being used as a means of, “dividing to rule”. He stated that if reductions are also to apply to regional policy, this needs to be done fairly and not to the disadvantage of any specific sector. He believes that they cannot reduce its budget any more and still talk about growth and job creation. The Commissioner pointed out that in 13 member states, structural funds represented a third of public investment and even more in a handful of other countries, saying that therefore these are really significant external amounts for public investment and funding that also supports the economies of other member states. The Commissioner also returned to the subject of the amendments adopted by the committee for reforming cohesion policy as from 2014. He regretted the fact that MEPs had watered down the thematic concentration and explained that if we add other priorities, we are in danger of having nothing at the end. (MD/trans/fl)