Bijeenkomst van nationale parlementsleden over toekomst Europees regionaal beleid (en)

On Monday, a meeting of commission chairman for economic, regional-policy and infrastructure affairs of European Union member states’ national parliaments was held at the Polish parliament. Also taking part were Polish Ministers of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The meeting was part of the parliamentary dimension of Poland’s EU Council Presidency. Talks concentrated on current matters such as the future of cohesion policy, particularly within the context to the European Union’s long-term budget and its Europe 2020 strategy.

‘A well-considered and efficiently implemented cohesion policy produces very good results indeed,’ emphasised Regional Development Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska, who pointed out the scope of positive effects brought about by European policy. ‘Cohesion policy functions throughout the European Union, even in countries that are not its direct beneficiaries. (…) For every euro in EU funds earmarked for Poland, on average 46 eurocents return to the countries of the old fifteen,’ she added.

‘We cannot allow a two-speed Europe to emerge,’ said Danuta Hübner i, the Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Regional Development Commission, warning against divisions in the EU. The MEP drew attention to the key role of sustainable economic growth: ‘We need the kind of growth which will improve the competitiveness of the European economy, strengthen its ability to create new, permanent jobs and lead the European economy onto the path of growing productivity.’

In the course of discussion the topic of the future 2014-2020 financial perspective was raised. Danuta Hübner noted that in the forthcoming period the national budgets of Member States will be consolidated, which all the more raises expectations as to the role of the European budget as a motor force propelling investments.

In that situation, a good solution could be to involve more private resources in combination with the investments of the EU budget. ‘In the long-term EU budget and the budgets of Member States there will not be enough money to create a European transport network, so other sources to finance those investments must be sought,’ said Infrastructure Minister Cezary Grabarczyk. The informal meeting of transport ministers in Sopot will be devoted to that topic on 5th-6th September.