Brussels, 27/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 March, the parliamentary committee on regional development held an initial debate on the cohesion policy and review of the strategy EUROPE 2020.
The Portuguese EPP member Fernando Ruas, the rapporteur on the subject, kicked off the debate by stressing a few key points he wishes to highlight in the final report. These include: the vital role of cohesion policy in achieving the objectives of the 2010 strategy, the additional role of the European Fund for Strategic Investments and the absolute need for multi-level governance, supported by the principle of partnership.
The shadow rapporteur, Germany's Constanze Krehl (S&D), pointed out that the principle of partnership had not always been scrupulously applied. “This is not something that we can take lying down”, she stressed. For her part, an Italian member of the same party, Mercedes Bresso, called for “structural changes” to the cohesion policy: following the crisis, “we need to question whether our strategies have the flexibility they need to adapt to the real economy and changes in reality”, she said.
The Lithuanian MEP Bronis Ropè, shadow rapporteur for the Greens, stressed two points: the importance of giving the local authorities a place at the forefront of governance in developing inequalities between the European regions. The representative of the European Commission also stressed this latter point, highlighting the need to “take account of the growing differences between the member states and within the member states”. This state of affairs is, he argues, “the result of the crisis”. The committee vote will be held on 14 September. (Jean Comte)