Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-21-Speech-4-063"
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"en.20080221.3.4-063"2
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"Mr President, cohesion policy is not one of the key policies that have been present in the European Union since it was first established. It was no accident that cohesion policy was devised when relatively less developed countries acceded to the European Union as these countries did not cohere well with the six original Member States. From that time on, cohesion has gained importance, becoming a pillar of European integration and central to treaties and budgets. The allocation of more than EUR 308 billion to cohesion in the framework of the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective is evidence of this.
A tendency to question this fundamental Union policy has arisen of late. Curiously, the tendency has coincided with the expansion of the European Union to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The latter have the most ground to make up, for historical reasons. That is why it is not proposed to do away with cohesion policy outright, but to radically refocus it, due to alleged waste of Structural Funds and abuses in the area. That is the greatest mistake we could make! Irregularities must be detected and eliminated, but it is precisely regional policy that makes the Union's presence felt in all 27 Member States. Cohesion means creating equal opportunities and a sense of fellowship and must not be subsumed into other policies. The latter, competitiveness and combating global warming for example, ought to have their own budget lines. Assessment of what should be financed within the framework of cohesion should remain within the competence of countries and regions. They have a far better understanding of their own needs than the Brussels authorities."@en1
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