Brussels, 25/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - Deadlock in the talks on the European Union's budget for 2014-2010 (the multiannual financial framework or MFF) looks ever more on the cards and on Thursday 25 April, EU Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn and the president of the Committee of the Regions, Ramon Valcarcel, are putting pressure on the Council of Ministers, EU member states and the European Parliament to rapidly find a solution that will not endanger implementation of the Cohesion Policy.
After the announcement of an emergency budget meeting, Johannes Hahn tweeted on Thursday that he “shares Lewandowski's concern about the European Parliament decision not postpone the MFF budget talks. We need a deal soon to invest for growth”. Cohesion policy will have a heavy price to pay if there are any further delays in agreement on the MFF, and delays would also prevent agreement being reached on reform of cohesion policy as national and regional authorities prepare to begin new cohesion policy operational programmes in January 2014. Valcarcel explained these concerns to representatives of the trio of rotating EU Council Presidencies (Ireland, Lithuania and Greece) on 23 April, urging them to meet their commitments as soon as possible (meaning adoption of the amending budget for 2013, which is the precondition for the EP entering talks on the MFF. Valcarcel told this newsletter: “We call on the EU Council and on the European Parliament to find an agreement as soon as possible on the amending budget 2013 and to avoid an accumulation of the standing bills and a deepening of the planned gap between payments and commitments in the next financing period. For regions and cities financial stability is vital to conclude 2007-2013 programmes and to start and implement the 2014-2020 investment plans. Local and regional authorities cannot be left alone in dealing with an unsustainable further deficit”. (MD/transl.fl)