Brussels, 25/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn is seeking the support of the member states to establish a European urban agenda. The issue was on the menu of the informal meeting of the European regional development ministers, which was hosted in Athens by the Greek Presidency on 24 and 25 April. Access to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was also a subject of concern for the ministers, who discussed the issue with representatives of SMEs and of the European Investment Bank (EIB). The possibility of establishing formal meetings of the Council on the subject of cohesion was also discussed at the meeting.
The ministers started their meeting on Thursday 24 April with a debate on the relevance of a European urban agenda that the Commission would like to see. The European commissioner stressed the purpose of an initiative of this kind: to ensure greater integration between the urban policies carried out at national and European levels, and also greater coherence between the measures taken at European level which affect cities in various areas. However, Hahn laid great emphasis on the need to respect the principle of subsidiarity and on the fact that his institution had no intention of “producing new legislation” on the subject, or of “interfering with policies which remain the responsibility of the member states”. According to a source close to the dossier, the commissioner is seeking the European ministers' blessing to move forward with the European urban agenda, but is also hoping to initiate a more in-depth reflection on urban policies in the member states, particularly those which do not yet have a strategy on the subject. The commissioner stated that a public consultation would take place on the subject soon and that a communication was being prepared (autumn 2014).
The next day, 25 April, the ministers were invited to exchange views on the best ways of responding to the issue of access to credit for European businesses and for the economy in general. Banks remain too reluctant to lend money to SMEs, which is a considerable obstacle to business creation. Commissoner Hahn pointed out to the ministers that the initiative for SMEs should be made use of without further delay. This was created in collaboration between the Commission and the EIB. The European ministers, he said, tend towards the view that financial instruments should make it possible to remedy the problem. As the Commissioner confirmed, these instruments can “serve as catalysts to attract private investment in areas where returns are lower and/or risks are higher”, but also to “offer the necessary financing to achieve public policy objectives where market players shy away from such investments”. Synergies between the European regional development fund and the European social fund are another area worth developing, to provide the best possible support to SMEs and overcome their problems in obtaining bank credit. However, this should be carried out as part of smart specialisation strategies, which should be established in the framework of cohesion policy, the commissioner added. (MD)