Brussels, 13/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The future of regional policy in the post-2013 period - and its ability to promote recovery, growth and employment by then - was at the heart of a debate between MEPs of the European Parliament regional development committee and their national counterparts, held in Brussels on Wednesday 11 February under the chairmanship of Gerardo Galeote (EPP-ED, Spain). In its report on the work, the EP underlines the following aspects:
On the subject of post-2013 employment, Ewald Stadler, a member of the Austrian parliament, said that there will be “massive unemployment, at an unprecedented scale”. As a result, he went on, “the policy must aim to help young unemployed persons, women and those over 50 without work to re-enter the labour market” as, he said, “if they have no work, they will not be concerned about the climate!”. Danuta Jazlowiecka, MEP from Poland, took the view that tomorrow's cohesion policy “must be built on human capital”. She underlined the fact that the necessary technical and social infrastructure to improve employability “may cost as much as a motorway”.
On the subject of gender equality for access to services, MEP Mieczyslav Edmund Janowski (UEN, Poland) asked: “Why not write to EU citizens asking them to explain how funds allocated to cohesion have been used?” She added: “It is extraordinary what a euro can bring!” “It is by reaching equality of access by all citizens to public services such as education and health that one will be able to measure the success of cohesion policy”, she asserted.
When it comes to funding, Oldrich Vlasak (EPP-ED, Czech) and Director General of DG Regio at the European Commission, Dirk Ahner, stressed the need to modernise funding on the basis of subsidies by extending the use of “renewable credit” allowing the investment of receipts generated by regional development projects in other, similar projects.
Competitiveness and/or cohesion? Czech Senator Ivo Barek was of the view that “strengthened economic and social cohesion gives impetus to competitiveness”. “Ensuring that cohesion is a complement to the Lisbon strategy should be a key objective”, went on Vytautas Kurpuvesas, a member of the Lithuanian parliament, specifying that Lithuania allocates 50% of the cohesion funds that it receives to the Lisbon goals. Italian Senator Luigi Lusi for his part believes that “Italians could consider cohesion as a test for verifying whether Lisbon works”.
Is a European policy or a national policy needed, or something between the two? In answer to this, Marie Weilbull Kornias, who belongs to the trade and industry committee of the Swedish parliament, said that “member states must carry final responsibility when it comes to cohesion policy”. “We need real Community cohesion policies, not renationalisation”, replied Ambroise Guellec (EPP-ED, France), expressing doubt that national crisis plans are necessarily compatible with a European approach. “Renationalisation would be a step backward and would not help us gain collective success!”, agreed Meritxell Batet, member of the Spanish parliament, specifying that “all regions must take part in defining cohesion policy and ensure that it can be reconciled with the other policies”. Her compatriot, Eugenio Nasarre, said “Community funds are not a bottomless pit”. She felt success depends on better coordination of national and Community cohesion policies.
Is a cohesion policy needed for all or only for the poorest countries? Jan Olbrycht (EPP, Poland), who is deputy chairman for the EP regional development committee, pointed out that “some member states would like to see Objective 2 abolished”. Klaus Zeh, from the German Bundestag, said: “Sudden cuts in funding are to be avoided and an adjusted transition period is needed for the countries concerned”.
Finally, Eugenio Nasarre sounded a note of caution against protectionism which, if implemented, as he pointed out, could “sound the knell of cohesion as a coherent policy”. “The EU has always recommended free trade, and must resist the temptation of protectionism”, Lord Haskins, British MP, said. (G.B./transl.jl)