Brussels, 21/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - In Rome on Monday, the Commissioner in charge of regional policy, Michel Barnier, announced the outlines of the reform of cohesion policy post 2006 to be proposed by the Commission on 3 December. He hoped that the cohesion policy will continue to follow three objectives: "convergence and competitiveness for the Member States and the less-developed regions of the EU", as per the current Objective 1 and cohesion fund; the "competitiveness and employment for the other regions", of Objectives 2 and 3; "co-operation for all Member States", especially in the follow-up to the Interreg programme. The forthcoming cohesion policy- from 2007 to 2011 or 2013- will have to respond to the increase of disparities between the regions of the European Union, as a result of enlargement.
For the least developed regions and Member States, the three objectives to achieve will be "the knowledge-based economy", "basic infrastructures", "reinforcing the administrative capacity". The selection criteria will remain a GDP per inhabitant below 75% of the Community average for the regions (Objective 1) and a national GDP lower than 90% of the average for the States (cohesion fund). Extremely remote regions will benefit further from "special treatment". The regions which lose their eligibility by "statistical effect" due to enlargement (i.e. those which would not have made 75% with only 15 Member States in the equation) will benefit from gradually reduced aid over the period. The European Commission is to propose that the future Objective 1 and cohesion fund receive some 70% of the budget of the cohesion policy, as is the case at the moment.
In order to replace current Objectives 2 and 3, Commissioner Barnier proposes that "all regions be eligible", with "freedom" for Member States to choose which will receive aid, a simpler system than the "zoning" of the period 2000-2006. This new Objective 2 policy will make "a modest but significant proportion" of the global cohesion envelope available, indicated the Commissioner. The Commission plans two planks for this new and improved Objective 2: 1) a "regionalised plank" based around "innovation and the new economy; the environment and risk prevention; accessibility", focussing on territories which suffer from structural or natural handicaps (mountains, under-populated regions...); "a national plank centred on the European employment strategy": education systems and continued training, promoting involvement in the digital economy, integration of migrants, social inclusion.
Lastly, co-operation between regions "will be based on Interreg by simplifying it and trying to increase its means". Commissioner Barnier hopes in particular that the programme will facilitate co-operation between regions on either side of the EU's new external borders, but also the funding of transport networks.
Commissioner Barnier also spoke of simplifying the management method, proposing that the multi-annual programme be laid down in a single document ("getting rid of extra programming and of the Community support framework"), and that programmes be generally financed via a single fund.
Before the cohesion report is published, the European Commission as a whole is to confirm whether it wants the cohesion policy to continue according to these guidelines, after the seminar at the beginning of the month, during which it pronounced itself in favour of continuing with Objectives 1 and 2 (Europe of 3 October). The third seminar on the financial perspectives, on 29 October, then the adoption of the communication on the financial perspectives in mid-November, will allow the Commission the opportunity to raise this issue once again.
Commissioner Barnier also insisted in Rome on how important it is to have good management of pre-accession funds and regional funds by new Member States. "Reunification will be judged on the political level based on cohesion policy: it must be concrete and positive", he said on Monday. Generally speaking, the Commissioner stressed that the correct use of funding by Member States is essential for supporting his proposal to devote 0.45% of Community GDP to this policy, the "credibility threshold for the policy".
During the debate, on Monday, each Member State insisted on its own point of view, pending the Commission's presentation of its proposals on cohesion policy and financial perspectives. Most restated the declarations made during the previous informal regional meeting in Greece, in May (EUROPE of 17 May). The Presidency conclusions therefore remain somewhat general and cautious. According to these conclusions, "most countries" took a stance so that "the European Union's cohesion policy concerns all the European Union regions, whereas some" took a stance in favour of attributions depending upon the degree of poverty of States, and not depending on the regions. The latter countries above all included the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, authors of a joint declaration (EUROPE of 18 October, p.12), but also Denmark and Sweden. Germany, which takes a more mitigated stance, nonetheless insisted once more in Rome that the cohesion policy budget should be restricted. Poland distributed a memorandum giving details of its stance, one participant said. The ten acceding countries and the three candidate countries took part at the meeting. Director General of DG Competition Philippe Lowe was also there, and Commissioner Barnier stressed how important it was to coordinate cohesion and competition policies.
The Irish minister announced that his country will be organising an informal meeting on cohesion during its term of EU Presidency, on 26 and 27 February 2004.