Brussels, 21/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - Commissioner Danuta Hübner expressed her satisfaction on Tuesday that all the Member States (including Bulgaria and Romania) appear to agree on placing a priority on innovation and competitiveness in their national programmes for structural funds for 2007-13. In a press briefing at the informal EU regional policy ministers' meeting (EUROPE 9309), Hübner affirmed that “We are only at the beginning of negotiations with Member States on the national operational programmes for the use of regional funds for the next financial period 2007-13 but we have already been able to see that all Member States, including Bulgaria and Romania, have established a very strong synergy between their national programmes to implementing the Lisbon objectives and their operational programme projects for using Community regional aid”. She added that it was very encouraging to see that innovation represented “one of the priority objectives” and that Member States are ready to put more money into this area. This is the conclusion in the analysis document of the Commission presented on Tuesday to ministers. The new framework regulation last July obliges “older” Member States to earmark at least 75% of their Community regional funds in 2007-13 to carrying out the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs. “This percentage should be attained everywhere and is not opposed by anyone”. It will even be respected by most new members, including Bulgaria and Romania on a voluntary basis.
How can innovation and competitiveness in the regions by stimulated through cohesion policy? This was also the main subject at the ministers' meeting where they held an exchange of view on their experiences and respective projects in this field. Acting president of the Council, the Finnish minister for regional affairs, Hannes Mannien, insisted to colleagues on the fact that it would not only be important to support innovation projects in operational programmes for regional funds but also that the regions should succeed in transforming these innovations into competitive commercial products. (hb)