Greens/EFA welcome Commission back-track on partnership principle
MFF and Cohesion Policy
The European Commission has today presented its first sectoral proposals for the post 2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, starting with the European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund and Common Provisions Regulation.
Monika Vana, Regional Development spokeswoman for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, comments:
"We are pleased that the Commission has back-tracked on its plans to reduce the involvement of local authorities, NGOs and young people in planning how money is spent. It is crucial that these key stakeholders are involved in cohesion planning.
"It is a green success that the European Regional Development Fund will no longer allow investment in fossil fuels, airport infrastructure and landfill. However, we are most alarmed by the announcement that regional funding could be transferred into a new investment fund of the European Commission."
The European Parliament will vote tomorrow on a resolution on the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and Own Resources, which will criticise the Commission's cuts to cohesion policy. The Greens/EFA group has welcomed the Commission’s commitment to creating new Own Resources for the EU budget. Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur Jordi Solé comments:
"The proposed cuts to the cohesion spending are completely unjustifiable. Cohesion policy is one of the best tools we have to reduce the social and economic disparities between territories and social inequality. These cuts would put sorely weaken our ability to lift poorer regions up.
"The European Parliament and the European Commission are united on the need to reform the income side of the EU budget. Creating new and sustainable revenue streams would help stop the endless haggling over who will pay for what and enable us to align the way we raise revenue with our policy goals. I hope the Member States will also seize this opportunity to modernise the EU budget."
