Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-12-14-Speech-4-115"
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"en.20001214.2.4-115"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the year 2000 is coming to an end and we are still debating the main guidelines, that is to say, the priorities in terms of innovative actions financed through the European Regional Development Fund.
If the Berlin reform for the 7 years dealt with by Agenda 2000, that is to say for the period 2000-2006, reduced the budgetary contributions for these actions by half in comparison with the previous period and, to that, we add the inevitable slowness with which we adopt decisions at a Community level, as a result of our complex institutional structure, it is not surprising that we are in a situation where we have not even been able to spend the budget laid down for the current year for innovative regional policy measures, and this is an example of political irresponsibility.
It is also a mistake to reduce the budget in a chapter such as this which was being dedicated to pilot experiments, to new ideas in the field of local and urban development – with some more than satisfactory results – which have formed the basis of Community programmes as cherished at local level as URBAN and INTERREG. If we have still not realised, in this increasingly globalised world, that the progress of any country or region depends on its investment in research and innovation, we are providing our voters with a bad service.
Furthermore, I would like to draw attention to another aspect of the new policy proposed by the Commission. Now, the local authorities, the municipalities and the mayors of the least-favoured urban areas can no longer go to Brussels to seek solidarity and aid from the European Union. The door is closed to them and we have lost that added value provided by the direct relationship between the European capital and the public institutions closest to the problems of the citizens. I have nothing against the regional authorities, which will channel the proposals and will take the decisions on the funding of the new programmes, but I believe that this a step backwards which destroys some of the freshness of the proposals born of the local bodies’ intimate knowledge of the real difficulties.
Commissioner, I would like to know your views on this. But I must say that it is not all going to be negative and, in this respect, we are pleased that our proposal to also introduce measures relating to energy efficiency and the diversification of renewable energy sources, as well as measures relating to climatic and environmental protection, has been accepted."@en1
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