Brussels, 02/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - Agreement on the general regulation on Structural Funds, continuing the work on the future of cohesion policy within the context of the budgetary debate, bringing forward, this autumn, a report based on the Barca report published by the OECD in May, assessing how the impact of the crisis across the EU (evaluation and methodology): these are the particular priorities the Regional Policy Commissioner designate Pawel Samecki told the EP regional development committee, chaired by Danuta Hübner, that he had set himself. He also said that he intended to work closely with Social Affairs, Employment and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, with the European Parliament, and also with the auditors, OLAF, and the Court of Auditors to reach a speedy decision on the proposal to simplify the management of European Funds to help regions face the crisis (see EUROPE 9946).
Expressing his views on what cohesion policy should be, Pawel Samecki said it “must continue to develop to keep in line with 21st century needs”. He pointed out that the EU needs cohesion policy with strong territorial anchorage that contributes to achieving the priorities of the EU. To have maximum impact, it is necessary to focus on integrated provision of public services and focus more on results. And the definition of the concept of territorial cohesion, he said, should be more operational. The new commissioner asked how cooperation may be reinforced with regard to geographic indicators. He said it is not enough to have an effective cohesion policy but that obligations of legality and regularity must also be set in place. It is necessary to bring down the annual rate of error, he said, and member states must agree on norms and standards to avoid uncertainty.
In response to concerns expressed by various speakers - especially on the impact that the crisis will have on the future of cohesion policy (Jan Olbrycht, EPP, Poland); on action that he plans to take to help regions in difficulty, the outermost regions (OR) and regions affected by disasters (Constance Krehl, S&D, Germany); or on the control of funds, or the working method to be set in place for the broadest consultation possible between Commission and EP (François Alfonsi, Greens, France) - Pawel Samecki said he had very clear ideas concerning the crisis and cohesion policy in the short term and in the future. He went on to say it is necessary to use cohesion policy as an instrument for reaction (…), modernisation and policy guidance in order to face up to the competition of new economies. The Lisbon Strategy remains valid, he said. It is necessary to pursue its objectives after 2010 and reflect on a new phase in this strategy by incorporating it into future cohesion policy. The most severely hit regions benefit from the Solidarity Fund, which has recently been used for L'Aquila in Italy, after it was devastated by an earthquake. It is also necessary to cut red tape. On the subject of audit procedure, Pawel Samecki said that, since his arrival in Brussels, he has learned that the Court of Auditors sometimes applies a different methodology to the Commission when analysing implementation of programmes. He said “it would be better to use one and the same method”.
As far as the EP's participation in discussions on future cohesion policy is concerned, Pawel Smecki said he was “ready to report to the parliamentary committee and provide MEPs with documents to be forwarded to member states for fuelling the debate”.
The commissioner said it is “difficult to give a definition of territorial cohesion. My feeling is that it would be necessary to use this concept to eliminate obstacles generated by geographic and territorial constraints due to the location of the obstacle; Cohesion policy should help us eliminate such constraints”. On the matter of eligibility criteria, “we shall look at this in the future. Figures depend on many things, such as scientific research or political negotiations. And it is up to the Commission to reflect on how such principles will be introduced in the future”.
As for the lessons he had drawn from being in receipt of European aid, Samecki (whose CV impressed MEPs) said that “the mechanism simplifying aid management should be less complex than a Swiss clock and produce results quickly”. Samecki said that he would not “diverge from the original philosophy of cohesion policy. But the world has changed since the Treaty of Rome. Basic needs have to be met, Europe has to be developed to be more competitive and the basic infrastructure has to be developed for there to be greater cohesion”. (G.B./transl.jl)