Following his election on Wednesday 10 July, the new chairman of the Committee on Regional Development (REGI), Younous Omarjee (EUL/NGL, France), met representatives of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), including its president, Karl-Heinz Lambertz.
Removal of macroeconomic conditions, general simplification of funds, maintenance of the principle of partnership in programme development, combating budget cuts were some of the key priorities of the new chairman of the REGI Committee. “We have to fight together against any cut to EU cohesion policy in the next long term budget”, Mr Omarjee stressed at this time. He also stressed his more personal priorities, relating to the fight against poverty and the development of islands in Europe and in the world.
His positions greatly pleased the CoR members present, including Michael Schneider (EPP, Germany), rapporteur on the CoR opinion on the future cohesion policy (see EUROPE 11787/4), as they are in line with the positions of the Cohesion Alliance and the Committee of the Regions.
Mr Schneider once again welcomed the European Parliament's positions and hoped that the Cohesion Alliance would be able to exert its full influence on the interinstitutional negotiations (trilogue) on the Regulation, laying down common provisions between the Structural and Investment Funds. They are set to resume in October.
Members of the REGI Committee and the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget (COTER) will meet in October for the Week of Regions and Cities. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)