Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-21-Speech-4-015"
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".
The Fourth Cohesion Report and the report by Mr Guellec highlight the success of cohesion policy in narrowing disparities between Member States. They also note the growth in countries that were formerly lagging behind, for example Greece and Portugal. At the same time, however, they confirm the marked failure of this policy as regards approximating the level of development between regions.
Member States unfortunately condone undue concentration of investment and other elements of development in national capitals. A similar situation is true of the regions, where investment also tends to be concentrated in central areas, thus preventing the whole region from developing at an even pace. The differences within and between regions of the European Union are significantly greater than in the United States or in Japan.
Everything points to the need to introduce a mechanism that would stimulate decentralisation within the Member States. A long-lasting but dynamic regional policy for the next Financial Perspective is needed. The report by Mr Guellec points in a considered way to the need to forge appropriate links between the Lisbon Strategy and cohesion policy. The latter must not become simply an instrument of the former. Cohesion policy aims at sustainable and harmonious development, and is an important end in itself. It is the cheapest way of preventing what can later prove to be very costly situations from arising. I have in mind conflicts, mass emigration and immigration, relocation of companies and similar events, which all represent an upheaval for local populations.
In addition to the Lisbon Treaty, the report adopted today emphasises the importance of the territorial dimension. There is an urgent need to clarify this concept, however, and establish an unambiguous definition of what the territorial dimension involves. At present we are using this term somewhat blindly, and it can be understood as meaning many things. There are parts of Mr Guellec’s report where this notion takes precedence over the policy of economic and social cohesion, whereas in others it is presented as complementary. In certain instances it concerns equal access to services, and in others it involves the balanced distribution of research centres, for example.
I think it is unfortunate that the debate on the Green Paper on the territorial cohesion is planned for the autumn, after the report on cohesion policy. The Green Paper should be debated much earlier."@en1
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