05.11.2019
"The Cohesion policy is a key instrument for EU investments. It supports the real convergence of the regions and Member States in the Community, as well as the functioning of the internal market, developing growth, competitiveness, creating employment, facilitating the transition to a low carbon economy."
This is what the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and 16 other leaders of the Friends of Cohesion group, whose summit was held in Prague today, wrote down in the declaration.
The document emphasizes that the Cohesion Policy must continue to be based on the objectives set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, while being an important tool to tackle the new challenges - including climate change, industrial transformation and demographic issues.
It is therefore vital to maintain the level of funding of the Cohesion Policy up to the size of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 in real terms, the Prague Declaration emphasizes. According to the leaders of the 17 EU countries that signed it, the significant budget cuts included in the MFF proposal 2021-2027 run the risk of hindering the achievement of goals important for the EU.
In this context, it is noted that flexibility in the programming and implementation phases is a prerequisite for ensuring the smooth, effective and efficient running of the Cohesion Policy. The document also states that a favorable environment for the beneficiaries and an adequate degree of flexibility must be ensured in order for regions and Member States to meet their priorities. In this way, they will also be able to meet their investment needs, taking into account their different economic conditions. This approach should be reflected in the implementation of the objectives of the European Semester within the framework of the Cohesion Policy, the Declaration states.
"We call on all EU leaders and institutions to strive for the conclusion of the negotiations and for achieving an agreement on a fair and balanced MFF compromise for the period 2021-2027," the Prague Declaration concludes.
