27/03/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Friday, 23 March, the members of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) adopted an opinion submitted by Dainis Turlais (ALDE, Latvia) on the Commission proposal to set up a European Defence Fund (see EUROPE 11933). The members support the project and highlight the regional dimension in the financial distribution of the projects. They are requesting that 20% of the fund’s budget be allocated to the cross-border participation of SMEs. The CoR also highlights the importance of maintaining cohesion policy given the possible legislative attempts to reduce the cohesion policy budget. Local and regional delegates insist that financial management is done in total transparency and that the Commission is accountable to the European Parliament, as well as the other European executive agencies. To consult the opinion please see: https://bit.ly/2GhxHXT . (PH)