Hübner brengt bezoek aan Galicië om groei en werkgelegenheid te bevorderen (en)
Regional policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner is visiting Galicia, Spain, to discuss with the regional authorities how to best take advantage of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy to generate growth and create quality jobs. The Commissioner will meet with the Galician government President, Emilio Pérez Touriño, hold a working meeting with the Galician Regional Government and discuss with Galician entrepreneurs the important role of the private sector in creating jobs and growth. During her two-day stay, Commissioner Hübner will visit projects which have received EU funding, among which the "Technological Automotive Centre" at Porriño, the motorway and the high-speed railway Coruña-Vigo, , and the outer harbour works at Punta Langosteira.
Commissioner Hübner outlined the critical importance of the months to come: "The new Cohesion policy for 2007-2013 has been tailor-made to support our common efforts to create more and better jobs and transform our regions to competitive, innovative and attractive places. It is now for the national and regional authorities to see that the resources made available be best used along these lines. I have come to Galicia to offer my help in this effort which will shape the future of our Union".
The Commissioner pointed out that regions would need to involve the economic and social partners and mobilise the private sector, universities and technology centres to be able to absorb effectively money earmarked for the growth and jobs agenda. Furthermore, it is of fundamental importance that preparatory work on the new programmes be done right now for Cohesion policy 2007-2013 to be ready to start on time, at the beginning of 2007.
Background
Galicia
During the programming period 2000-2006 Galicia falls under Objective 1 (Supporting development in the less prosperous regions) which focuses on convergence with the more developed regions. In the next programming period the emphasis will continue to be on convergence as Galicia will fall under that objective.
Parts of Galicia will be eligible for Cross Border Cooperation with Portugal, the two southern provinces of Orense and Pontevedra in particular, under the new European Territorial Cooperation objective. Galicia will also be eligible for the Cohesion Fund and the Technological Fund managed at national level.
The preparation for the new programming period has already started and as with other regions falling under the convergence objective, Galicia is expected to shift part of its resources presently allocated to basic infrastructure projects to the priorities of the Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth. The target for the Convergence regions is 60% of the allocation to be devoted to Lisbon strategy priorities.
Cohesion policy 2007-2013
For the new 2007-2013 programming period, a new structure composed of three objectives is foreseen: Convergence, Regional Competitiveness & Employment, and Territorial Cooperation. "Convergence" will stimulate growth and employment in the less developed regions. "Competitiveness" will help re-conversion and anticipate economic and industrial changes in the rest of the EU. There will be a regional component where each Member State will select the beneficiary zones, and a national component based on the European employment strategy. The third objective "Territorial Cooperation" will draw on the experience acquired in the past and encourage inter-regional exchanges and development throughout the EU.
The Commission is determined to work closely with the Member States to help them prepare for the new Cohesion Policy as it is the most effective means to realise EU's ambition to become a) a more attractive place to invest and work in; b) an area of high growth, competitiveness and innovation; c) a place of full employment and higher productivity with more and better jobs.
To help Member States with their preparations for the new programming period the Commission adopted, in July 2005, a Communication on the future Community Strategic Guidelines on cohesion policy. The guidelines set out a framework for programmes which will be supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund. The draft will be adopted in final form, possibly in July 2006 once the relevant legislative texts have been agreed by the European Parliament and the Council.
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