Brussels, 02/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Kicking off the regional development committee meeting on Thursday in Brussels chaired by Gerardo Galeote Quecedo (EPP-ED, Spain), EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner unveiled her work programme for 2007, commenting that the Constitutional Treaty was very important for regional policy. The commissioner started by noting: 'I very much hope that in seeking solutions for the new treaty, rules such as recognition of local and regional self-governance, extension of subsidiarity to local and regional government, extension of the concept of cohesion to include the territorial dimension will remain unchanged… This will be therefore our common task to make sure that the principle of multi-level governance has a prominent place in the new treaty for the European Union.'
Regional Policy Work Programme for 2007. Danuta Hubner announced 1) the adoption in May of the Fourth Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, which will 'update the situation and trends in the regions using the latest statistical data; discuss the key factors determining growth, job creation and competitiveness, thus contributing to reducing socio-economic and territorial disparities; assess the impact of Cohesion Policy, national policies and other Community policies on economic and social cohesion and their inter-linkages'; 2) the adoption of 27 National Strategic Reference Frameworks (NSRFs), 150 Operational Programmes (OPs, including ERDF and ESF) and some 900 projects expected for the period 2007-2013; 3) the publication of a European Commission communication in November on the new Cohesion Policy programmes, focusing on 'how innovation is taken into account both from a qualitative and quantitative point of view' in national programming. In May 2007, Hubner will present analysis at a ministerial meeting in Leipzig on 'how the territorial and urban dimension has been taken into account in the NSRFs and OPs.' In June 2007, the commissioner will unveil a communication on the EU's outermost regions, assessing the implementation of the strategy set out in the Commission's May 2004 communication, 'looking in particular at issues such as improving the competitiveness and accessibility of the Outermost Regions.'
Danuta Hubner announced several upcoming events: a Regions for Economic Change conference on 'Fostering competitiveness through innovative technologies, products and healthy communities' in Brussels on 7-8 March; Open Days in Brussels on 7-8 October, during the European Week of Regions and Cities, on 'Making it happen: regions deliver growth and jobs'; and a conference at the beginning of 2008 on the European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Hubner commented: 'I am very pleased that a number of border regions have expressed an interest in the EGTC concept, including Galicia/Norte (Spain/Portugal), Italy/France and Austria/Czech Republic. Partners of the 'Grande Region' (BE/LU/FR/DE) have already made a political commitment to manage their cross-border programme from 2009-2010.'
European Commission cooperation with the European Parliament's regional development committee. Danuta Hubner explained the new Code of Conduct defining 'the transmission of the most important documents between the DG Regional Policy and DG Employment, and between the relevant EP committees…. I have just sent Mr Gaelote the Maltese National Strategic Reference Framework, the first one to have been accepted by the Commission in December' (see EUROPE 9333/9341/9348). Hubner invited all the MEPs to be 'ambassadors of the European Cohesion Policy in all our regions… to highlight what the contribution of the Union I,s and what is expected of the programmes'.
Execution of Regional Policy budget in 2006. 'In 2006, budget execution rates as registered in the Directorate General for Regional Policy were close to 100% both in terms of payments and commitments,' explained Hubner. Answering a question from Constanze Krehl (PES, Germany), the Commissioner said: 'The performance of the new Member States improved compared with previous years: by the end of 2006 they have been reimbursed for 40% of their 2004-2006 envelopes, with nearly 20% paid in 2006. As far as EU15 countries are concerned, by the end of 2006, 64% of their total allocation 2000-2006 was used where 12.5% was paid in 2006.' All bar one of the new member states had managed to avoid decommitment. The only gap concerns Bratislava in Slovakia, where the amount concerned (0.09% of its 2004 commitment) is minimal.
NSRFs and OPs in 2007. Negotiations are continuing with the nember states over the NSRFs, and 48 OPs have been submitted online and are being examined by the Commission. Hubner added: 'One issue which is of great interest to all of us is the question of how member states apply the partnership principle… At this stage, the precise influence of the partners on the final shape of the programming documents is generally difficult to identify.'
Answering a question by German Green Elisabeth Schroedter on the agreement in the past between Regional Policy Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom on the implementation of EU environment law, Danuta Hubner explained that she was working closely with the current Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Poland's environment, transport and regional policy ministers to see how the EU's environment directives will impact on Poland and investment policy. 'This is a first,' she commented, adding that if any country failed to respect environment policy, its payments would be suspended or its projects would be blocked. (gb)