Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-12-13-Speech-1-179"
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"en.20101213.20.1-179"2
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"Mr President, we have intended with this report to answer the question raised in the title, which is whether establishing economic, social and territorial cohesion is an absolute prerequisite for global competitiveness in the European Union, with a particular focus on the role played by the cohesion policy in this respect.
Therefore, fellow Members, achieving economic, social and territorial cohesion, along with strategic investments, is the absolute prerequisite for guaranteeing the European Union’s economic competitiveness globally.
It is alarming that there are such great disparities between the European Union’s 271 regions. While the most developed region has a per capita GDP which is 334% of the EU-27 average, this figure is only 26% in the poorest region, in other words, 13 times smaller.
Another adverse factor is the rate of economic growth in the European Union, which is slower compared to that of our international competitors. Therefore, as is also mentioned in the EU 2020 strategy, we need to develop strategic areas and look outside the European Union to become more powerful.
Europe is faced with a tough task as it will need to tackle, apart from the impact of the current crisis, other major challenges as well, such as adapting to globalisation, demographic changes, climate change and energy security problems.
The cohesion policy’s role in the EU 2020 strategy is unarguable. I think that this policy’s priorities must be aligned with the objectives of the future strategy, but it is worth mentioning that it still needs to remain an independent policy. The strategy’s objectives can be achieved more easily through increasing the synergy between the research, development and innovation programmes, on the one hand, and the cohesion programmes, on the other. We must support large projects with a major impact at EU level, which will generate economic growth, create jobs and ensure sustainable development for the regions.
Particular importance must also be attached to investments in any kind of infrastructure, be it transport, ICT, social, educational, research and development or environmental, which will help achieve a suitable level of accessibility for all European citizens, offering them equal opportunities to development potential.
The guidelines at local and regional level will be dictated by the specific features of the area, with the opportunity available to generate immediate added value. The application of the principle of decentralisation must be encouraged up to local authority level so as to improve the absorption of European funds.
While promoting economic competitiveness and creating jobs, the particularly important role played by SMEs must not be overlooked. They must enjoy increased access to EU funding, financial engineering instruments and other credit sources. Maximising the cohesion policy’s impact is an absolute must for boosting economic competitiveness. At this point, I would like to stress the need to continue simplifying the procedures for using EU funds, the guarantee of their flexible use, the continuing use of GDP as the main criterion for determining regions’ eligibility under the cohesion policy and the need for a specific proposal from the Commission on the use of public-private partnerships.
In terms of increasing the European Union’s global competitiveness, I think that part of the funds allocated to the cohesion policy should be used to establish and maintain Europe’s role as global leader in the sectors where it already enjoys a competitive edge and in the sectors where there is potential for it to become global leader."@en1
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