Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-07-04-Speech-2-030"
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"en.20060704.5.2-030"2
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".
Mr President, Members of the European Parliament, it is a great honour to be able to speak here in your Parliament as a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The importance of the occasion is highlighted by the opportunity to participate in the final draft of the package of regulations, which is crucial to the Union’s coherence and regional development. The objectives of the Finnish Presidency will be set out by Prime Minster Vanhanen tomorrow.
I am certain that the proposed legal basis will provide an excellent starting point for implementing a European cohesion policy which is effective and takes account of the special features of the regions.
First, I wish to thank the European Parliament for the very high levels of cooperation it has shown with the Council. Talks on the cohesion policy regulations have taken two years of hard work on the part of the various institutions. If Parliament’s plenary today votes on the package of regulations in accordance with the recommendations of the committees, the reform of the cohesion policy and the implementation of the new programming period can go ahead as planned at the start of 2007.
The European Parliament has had a key part to play in deciding the content of the Union’s new cohesion policy. In the various ways in which it has approached the issue, Parliament has particularly stressed the importance of matters which are crucial for the public and civil society, such as partnership, paying attention to environmental values and the participation of disabled people in the implementation of programmes. It was a precondition for Parliament that the Member States should adhere to consistent practices with regard to the criteria for calculating cofinancing in the Community and management of VAT. Parliament was also active in establishing the regulations pertaining to European grouping of territorial cooperation.
I have mentioned here only a few examples of matters that Parliament has worked to promote. Most of the amendments that Parliament has proposed have been taken into consideration in today’s debate on the regulation proposals.
Besides the adoption of the regulations, we also need Community strategic guidelines on cohesion policy before the legal basis for implementing the programmes is finalised. The Member States will establish their national strategic frame of reference on the basis of such guidelines, and this will guide the drafting of regional development programmes.
We have proposed an ambitious timetable for the adoption of the guidelines on cohesion policy. I trust in the willingness of the various parties to cooperate, and I hope that the fruitful patterns of cooperation with the European Parliament will continue. Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development completed its report on the strategic guidelines back in May. Our objective is to establish the Council’s position some time in July, so that the European Parliament is able to discuss the document right at the start of the autumn parliamentary session. If all parties commit to a speedy schedule, there is every possibility that the strategic guidelines for cohesion policy will be ready by October. In such a case, the Commission can adopt the Single Programming Documents so that they can start to be implemented in early 2007.
Having the Community strategic guidelines on the regulations and cohesion come into force will be the most important regional development goal during the Finnish presidency.
The European Parliament has worked with great determination and flexibility in the reform of cohesion policy. At the same time it has been possible to hold negotiations on the interinstitutional agreement, the regulations and the strategic guidelines. I would like to thank you for your constructive cooperation. I wish to say a special thank you to the Committee on Regional Development for its expert approach.
I also wish to thank the preceding presidencies and the Commission and Commissioners for their valuable work in carrying out the cohesion policy reforms. The Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee are also to be praised in the way they have advanced the cause by raising issues that were close to the regions and the people."@en1
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