Hongaars voorzitterschap spreekt met NGO's over cohesiebeleid (en)

Deputy State Secretary for Development Affairs of the Ministry of National Development, Györgyi Nyikos, discussed regional development issues and changes in the EU’s cohesion policy, with NGOs on 2 May 2011. The reason for organising the meeting with the NGOs was for the upcoming informal meeting of Ministers on regional development and cohesion policy, to be held on 19-20 May in Gödöllo.

The Deputy State Secretary said that the course of the informal ministerial meeting will be irregular, because the Hungarian Presidency considers it important that the EU treat regional development and cohesion policy as a joint issue; and territorial approaches will feature in the next multi-annual financial framework, along with existing structural approaches in cohesion policy. The first day of the meeting will be devoted to regional development, which falls into Member State competence. On the second day, it will focus on cohesion policy issues.

Funds earmarked for cohesion policy account for 30 per cent of the EU’s budget, which clearly reflects the importance of the matter, Györgyi Nyikos explained. It is important though that in the future, funds should support sustainable projects, instead of only being spent. “But this is not at all an easy task,” the Deputy State Secretary said. “We have to harmonise territorial, Member State and community levels in the course of development.”

The Fifth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion, drawn up in autumn of 2010, also indicates this direction for Member States. It is aimed at coordinated, complex developments and enhancing the role of synergic systems. Cohesion policy should reach all regions, but the initial conditions and special features of affected territories should also be considered. The document was adopted by all Member States, at the General Affairs Council meeting in February.

The Deputy State Secretary said that the EU has laid down the foundations for regional development, back in 2007, during the German Presidency’s term. Member States formulated their common position in the “Territorial Agenda”, but its implementation was less successful than expected. Consequently, it was time to revise the document - which task was undertaken by the Hungarian Presidency. With the active cooperation of 16 Member States, the Presidency identified the new challenges on regional development, and examined possible solutions for tackling them. The different versions of the text were discussed at High Level Group meetings, in order to compile a document that is acceptable for all 27 Member States. This document will be submitted to the informal ministerial meeting for adoption. At the end of both days of the informal meeting Presidency conclusions are to be adopted.