On Wednesday 18 February, the European Commission presented a plan to make the European regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine safer, more resilient and more attractive places to live and work (see EUROPE 13694/12). This concerns nine Member States: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
“The EU has more than 3,500 kilometres of land borders with Russia and Belarus and almost 1,500 kilometres with the Ukraine, plus 600 kilometres bordering the Maritime Black Sea Basin, also shared with the Ukraine and the Russia”, explained Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, at a press conference.
“Many communities face a combination of higher insecurity, weaker economic activity, and demographic decline”, he said. “Supporting these regions is therefore not only technical, but a political responsibility”.
“With the midterm review, we have shown that cohesion policy can adapt to new needs and the results, I will present in the coming weeks, will confirm this trend”, announced the Vice-President.
The plan proposes measures in five priority areas.
Security and resilience. This includes several initiatives already announced by the Commission, which are due to be presented later this year: the ‘Eastern Flank Watch’, the European Drone Defence Initiative, the European Air Shield and the European Space Shield (see EUROPE 13732/1; 13795/21). A network of practitioners in the eastern border region will be created to enhance preparedness and encourage cross-border resilience cluster cooperation.
Growth and regional prosperity. The Commission’s ambition is to facilitate access to funding, including through the ‘EastInvest Facility’, designed to help the countries concerned access lending and advisory support. The European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) aim to provide at least €28 billion in 2026-2027 in the form of private and public investments in the Member States concerned. The regions concerned will also be able to cooperate with the World Bank under the ‘Catching-up Regions Initiative’ to boost economic development in the most affected areas.
Local strengths. The Commission plans to prioritise the Baltic States’ electricity integration with European networks and develop cross-border hydrogen infrastructure, such as the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor. It also wants to support circular economy initiatives, including industrial symbiosis valleys and regional bioeconomy hubs.
Connectivity. This will involve upgrading transport networks, including dual-use road, rail and port infrastructure, as well as cross-border connections with Ukraine and Moldova.
People. Finally, the Commission wants to address depopulation and labour shortages through education-to-employment pathways, and strengthen communities through the Media Resilience Programme and the fight against disinformation.
The Commission will initiate an annual high-level political dialogue on the subject starting on Thursday 26 February. A declaration launching the ‘EastInvest Facility’ will be signed by financial institutions on that day.
Support to local representatives. “Supporting us is not charity – it is a strategic investment in the EU’s security, resilience and future reconstruction of Ukraine. These regions are natural logistical and economic gateways for Ukraine’s recovery and integration into the Single Market”, said Milan Majerský, Governor of the self-governing region of Prešov, in north-east Slovakia, and member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
“Enhancing the resilience of transport infrastructure in Podkarpackie and other border regions is likewise of pan-European relevance. Transport investments in these areas should be recognised as strategic for the security and resilience of the European Union”, added Władysław Ortyl, Governor (marszałek) of the Polish region of Podkarpackie, also a member of the CoR.
Read the Commission Communication: https://aeur.eu/f/ksr (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)