Brussels, 16/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - According to a resolution on structural funds adopted on Wednesday, 15 December, MEPs will be attempting to ensure that structural funds are used to their optimum effect in the energy sector during the forthcoming cohesion policy programming for 2014-2020. Under Commission proposals, European funding in this field is expected to increase from €5 billion to €17 billion.
Rapporteur Lena Kolarska-Bobinska (EPP, Poland) highlighted investment in decentralised energy sources and energy efficiency. She also said that cohesion also had to be used to fund energy infrastructure. In her report, she highlighted the need “to take into account the specific needs of the different regions in Europe because there is no one-size fits all model that can be used for every region”, mainly because levels of development are different. In order to invest appropriately, it is therefore necessary to discuss the matter with the local authorities, which should play a greater role in this connection. Kolarska-Bobinska argued that, “in the negotiations for the agreements between the European Commission and member states, the regions should be able to choose what projects should be invested in”. This point of view was fully supported by the commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn. (MD/transl.fl)