Cohesion policy is the best evaluated of all policies of the EU, stated Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the CoR, State Secretary of Saxony Anhalt, Germany, at the opening of the 8th Conference on the Evaluation of EU Cohesion Policy, which was organised by the European Commission and the Romanian Presidency on 20-21 June in Bucharest.
The positive results of cohesion policy-related investments are irrefutable, especially in Member States that have most recently joined the EU. "If we want cohesion policy to be even more successful in the future, we need to refocus on its original objectives as defined in the Lisbon Treaty," President Schneider stressed.
The results of recent elections and referendums around Europe have shown that a harmonious development of the EU as a whole is now more important than ever, Schneider said and continued: "Cohesion Policy provides every citizen in all our regions and cities an opportunity to benefit from the membership in the European Union and is therefore an important answer to the growing Euroscepticism in Europe."
Schneider highlighted the importance of finding the right balance between necessary reporting and reducing red tape in the application of the policy on ground. He agrees that there is a need for a mechanism to ensure the respect of rule of law and basic rights in EU Member States. Applying such a mechanism should, however, not be done at the expense of funding for local and regional authorities who are very often not responsible for the policies practiced by their national governments, Schneider stressed.
As the Committee of the Regions' co-rapporteur on Cohesion policy's Common Provisions Regulation, President Schneider expressed his concern over the fact that the Partnership Principle and the principle of Multi-Level-Governance – which ensure a better participation of cities and regions in the design and management of cohesion policy - have recently been weakened in the EU institutions' negotiations on the future of the policy.
Schneider urged Member States, including Romania, to work on strengthening the capacities of local and regional administration as well as on decentralisation. "Cohesion Policy's success depends also on the capacity of regions and cities to make investments where they are most needed, following the principle of subsidiarity and shared management" President Schneider concluded.
