Brussels, 16/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The regions are the European Commission's “primary partners” in implementing the reformed cohesion policy over the 2014-2020 programming period. European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn confirmed this directly to the Brussels-based regional offices on Thursday 16 January by urging them to spare no effort in setting out their draft strategy and programmes as soon as possible, which will be financed through structural funds.
The 320 regional representations in Brussels had been invited to a meeting with the Commissioner. This is an annual exercise that assumed particular importance this year, at the start of the new financial programming period and barely a month after the adoption of the new regulations bringing cohesion policy up to speed. The commissioner emphasised that the regions now had to put this reform into practice and to this end they had been given a central role to play. The local and regional authorities will now be the Commission's “primary partners” for several reasons. The commissioner told the regional representatives that “it is essential that the strategies and programmes reflect the needs and characteristics of the respective territories and that investment has a maximum impact”. The authorities will be expected to implement this investment and monitor it. The partnership code of conduct, recently adopted as a delegated act (see EUROPE 10991) sets in stone “a dialogue between the different levels of governance”, underlined the commissioner. Hahn stressed that the regions should be consulted by the member states and that the member states should make clear in their partnership agreements what has been done in this connection and how the different commentaries provided have been taken on board. The commissioner asserted that his services would be particularly attentive to this issue.
Recognition of the role of the regions, however, will come at a price. The regions will have to redouble their efforts to prepare their strategy with the states, so that the partnership agreements and operational programmes are approved and signed by the Commission as soon as possible, “before the end of my mandate”, explained the commissioner. He urged the regions to avoid making the mistake of delaying the preparations in the hope that the Commission, under pressure, would “validate summary or incomplete documents”. This would never be the case, he warned.
The commissioner also announced that other delegated acts would shortly be adopted that would set out the details for implementation of the performance reserve, the exchange of electronic data and any irregularities that occur. He said that everything had to be completed by Easter. (MD/transl.fl)