Brussels, 12/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 12 October, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu and the President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Markku Markkula, reached an agreement on launching the Open Days, the annual event dedicated to the regions and cities, and the need to draw the lessons from the previous period and optimise the use of funding in the future.
The president of the CoR explained to an audience full of journalists that the shortcomings identified during the 2007-2013 period, such as the lack of qualified human resources, were combined with optimum use of the structural investment funds made available.
Cretu pointed out that the initiatives launched since the beginning of her mandate, including: the setting up of a group for helping fund absorption, as from November 2014, as a means of helping the eight other states experiencing absorption difficulties (see EUROPE 11284); the creation of a high-level group to promote simplification, officially launched last July (see EUROPE 11356), under the guidance of the former Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas; the launch last March of an intranet exchange platform for all the different actors involved in implementing regional policy on the ground; an initiative that appears to have experienced a certain success, as confirmed by the institutions.
The two representatives from the institutions also highlighted the need to introduce greater flexibility in the use of funds. The Commissioner therefore illustrated that “a year ago, we were not facing the same situation as today, particularly with regard to the migration question”. She also indicated that it was possible for member states to mobilise European funding available as part of regional and cohesion policy, in an effort to respond to the refugee crisis. She regretted, however, that “so far, we have not received any request from the member states, despite there being a real need”. She also highlighted the difficulties in providing information from the different actors concerned.
The Open Days week is being organised by the Committee of the Regions for the 13th time since 2003 and seeks to bring the different actors involved in this field who are working with the respective European institutions and regional policies. The President of the Committee of the Regions explained “Open Days are not just another conference in Brussels but, on the contrary, a place for promoting exchange”.
During the four-day event, the 6,000 participants expected will meet up and exchange ideas on three main themes: how to modernise Europe and the role of the regions in the context of the Energy Union and a digital single market; how to provide a boost to the regional economies by helping SMEs, innovation and job creation and exploring different areas for ensuring urban and rural development and greater integration of these two areas. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)