Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-23-Speech-4-049-000"
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"en.20110623.5.4-049-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a priority debate on cohesion policy is rare, and today’s one is extremely important.
This report contains concrete and pragmatic proposals, stemming from the demands on the ground, from the numerous stakeholders met and from citizens’ expectations.
First of all, an explicit reminder of the added value of European territorial cooperation and of its potential for increased competitiveness. A proposal to increase its funding to 7% of the next budget for cohesion policy. Maintaining the overall structure and the key role of the cross-border dimension in order to meet the local needs of border communities. A provision of funds for each cooperation programme, carried out using harmonised criteria, so as to prevent some Member States from calculating financial returns. A more strategic programming of the funds, in connection with a territorialised Europe 2020 strategy.
Incentives so that the regional operational programmes play a part in large cross-border or transnational projects, such as the trans-European transport networks. Enhanced coordination between the transnational dimension and the macro-regional strategies, simplified implementation by adopting a separate regulation. A better use of European groupings for territorial cooperation, which are the only purely Community-wide tool for multilevel governance. Finally, improved visibility and enhanced clarity of territorial cooperation among local government and among citizens.
To conclude, I would say that territorial cooperation is one of those purely European policies with high added value. It is the simplest, fastest and cheapest way to achieve lively and practical European integration.
Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we have the duty to strengthen the most European objective of the cohesion policy.
Regional policy has had many successes during its long history and in 2009 it became the European Union’s main item of expenditure, with EUR 350 billion invested in our regions between 2007 and 2013. Today, Parliament is going to vote on the future of this policy and define its priorities in preparation for the forthcoming budgetary and regulatory negotiations for the next financial framework.
For my part, I had the honour of working on the future of European territorial cooperation – Objective 3 of cohesion policy – and I should like to thank the shadow rapporteur and the European Commission for their fruitful collaboration.
What is territorial cooperation? What purpose does it serve? What are the issues at stake? How prominent should it be within regional policy? These are the questions we need to answer.
Today, 196 million European citizens are living in border regions. These regions reveal, through the disparities they are confronted with, our countries’ difficulties in adapting to the challenges of open borders, the completion of the European Common Market and globalisation.
Europe is divided into 27 Member States and 271 regions. As a result, European territory is divided and split by a great many administrative borders which define different political and legal systems. To paraphrase a French sociologist, a border is a political object which creates distance where there is proximity. Conversely, the European Union wishes to create proximity where history had created distance, misunderstanding and sometimes hatred.
As a matter of fact, the preamble to the 1957 Treaty of Rome is the common thread in our role as European elected representatives. The aim of the European Union is ‘the ever closer union between nations’. Without erasing borders or calling into question their legitimacy, Objective 3, with EUR 8.5 billion, is seeking to reduce the negative impact of borders in the everyday lives of our citizens, in order to turn these dividing borders into connecting borders.
That is what makes European territorial cooperation the embodiment of European integration and an extraordinary source of competitiveness.
What future do we want to give it?"@en1
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