Conferentie over territoriale ontwikkeling bespreekt veranderingen in regionaal beleid (en)
The conference served as a forum for an exchange of opinions about possible changes in cohesion policy after 2013.
Opening the conference ‘Effective Instruments for Territorial Development’ (Warsaw, 24th-25th October), Polish Regional Development Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska noted: ‘Earlier this month, the European Commission published draft regulations concerning the functioning of cohesion policy after 2013. Thus, discussion has been launched on concrete issues. One of them, of exceptional importance to the Polish Presidency, is the territorial dimension of European Union policies.
‘This is one of the first opportunities to talk about the territorial dimension since the unveiling of the draft regulations. We wonder how to tap the potential inherent in the Union's regions. The Cohesion Policy has the instruments that can help us,’ Bienkowska commented.
The conference was conceived as a vehicle for swapping opinions about possible changes in cohesion policy after 2013 with a view to refocusing the European funds so that they can solve the problems of specific territories, help them capitalise on their advantages and thus contribute to the attainment of the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy. On the first day of the gathering, the participants discussed the development of urban areas.
‘It's no accident that we are highlighting instruments dedicated to the development of cities. After all, cities are the driving engine of economic growth. It is there that enterprise flourishes and innovation is born. The same cities that have to cope with such problems as unemployment, social exclusion and degradation of the environment. So it our task to develop solutions that will let us respond to these challenges,’ Bienkowska emphasised.
EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn i presented the Commission's proposals to strengthen the urban dimension of cohesion policy after 2013. The Commission wants Member States to earmark at least 5 percent of their European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocations for sustainable development of cities. The relevant objectives could be attained through integrated investment projects, financed simultaneously by the ERDF and the European Social Fund (ESF i). Other provisions introduce a special platform for cooperation between cities at the European level. ‘Our proposals are the effect of reflection on the role of cities in the future. And I don't mean the immediate future, but a perspective of several decades,’ Hahn observed. He further underlined the importance of an integrated approach: ‘We can fulfil the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy by coordinating European policies. If we implement the development policies separately, we won't get the effect of synergy.’
Committee of the Regions President Mercedes Bresso identified the Commission proposals that require in-depth discussion. At the same time she confirmed that sustainable urban development was a priority for the Committee of the Regions: ‘We shall strive to ensure that the needs of cities are taken into account in European development policies. On the other hand, we won't be forgetting the importance of rural areas, either’.
On the second day of the conference, discussion focused on local development, functional areas and the urban-rural relationship. The conclusions and recommendations from the conference will provide significant input to the debate at next month’s meetings of general directors and ministers responsible for urban development, cohesion policy and territorial cohesion.
The event, held in the framework of the Polish Presidency, was complemented by a press conference attended by Minister Elzbieta Bienkowska, Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Committee of the Regions President Mercedes Bresso.