Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-21-Speech-2-278"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031021.9.2-278"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, despite Commissioner Barnier’s undoubted competence, it is undeniable that one of the most intriguing features of European politics is the persistence of a significant level of under-execution of the Structural Funds, as measured by the execution rate for payment appropriations. This becomes stranger still in view of the fact that the first objective of structural policy is the sustainable development of the Union. It is quite true that the persistence of high and rising levels of outstanding financial commitments does not necessarily mean that none of the final objectives of cohesion policy can ever be reached. In any case, those objectives must be reached – and fast – so that the lion’s share, at least, of the outstanding commitments does not become lost through the bureaucracy of the institutions or through the political and administrative incompetence of the governments of the Member States. Moreover, the blame can and should be shared by the two decision-making tiers. That is a logical consequence of the disparities in the breakdown of executions between the countries of the Union, and between the different Structural Funds. Rendering regional policy and Structural Fund management more effective, therefore, depends on the right choices being made at national level, but it also stems from regulations and from the elimination of pointless bureaucratic requirements.
The report, moreover, recognises the Commission’s role in introducing simplifying measures, but also argues that those measures are inadequate and proposes, quite rightly, that they be revised. Furthermore, cohesion policy is on the agenda and the tabling of the Sapir report means that its reevaluation cannot be avoided. Without wanting to pre-empt a separate political debate at this stage, it is important to emphasise that the fastest and easiest way to render political policies superfluous is to make them incomprehensible and impracticable in advance by administering the prescribed dose of bureaucracy and red tape.
The Commission, therefore, must urgently enhance and emphasise its strategic function in defining priorities, leaving the responsibility for implementing and managing funds to the Member States. Hence I welcome Mr Pittella’s report, acknowledge its timeliness and support its proposals."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples