Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-14-Speech-1-165-000"
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"en.20110214.17.1-165-000"2
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"Mr President, the Commission is very enthusiastic. That is why we were so pleased to take up the task of developing a strategy with the relevant regions and Member States. We have presented a draft with the aim of significantly intensifying cooperation between the regions and Member States and improving living standards. A broad consensus exists in relation to the priorities of the strategy, namely mobility, the environment and its improvement, and an increase in prosperity.
I am very pleased that Parliament has repeatedly approved and backed the integrated approach taken in this new macro-regional strategy. As the strategy for the Baltic Sea region also shows, the active engagement of all those involved is vital, from a local, national and regional level, to a European level. However, civil society, the business community, etc. must all play their part. This seems to be the case in the Danube region. What is required here is genuinely sustained development. Thus, for example, three of the eleven priority areas relate to the improvement of water quality, the protection of nature and the issue of risk management and ecologically sound flood prevention measures, not just on the Danube, but also on its tributaries.
We are faced with an incredible opportunity here. Let us not forget that the Danube is by far the most international river in the world. There are ten countries along this river. There is not a single river in the whole world with so many adjoining countries along its banks. For this reason, it is very important for us to exploit the opportunities for institutional cooperation and for establishing new institutions – particularly in view of the fact that this macro-regional strategy involves eight EU Member States and six non-Member States.
Let me talk about financing: the important thing here is that the resources already available should be used. There are plenty of opportunities for this in ongoing programme planning. The point is to link operative programmes together in an intelligent way, so that certain projects that can only be implemented on a cross-regional basis can be worked on in parallel. In many discussions, whether multilateral or bilateral, I tell people that they should start their preparatory work for the next round of funding applications now by considering which projects can be implemented on a joint basis and what financial resources these might require.
The point is also to make use of the existing additional resources, such as the EUR 30 billion provided by the European Investment Bank for three years, in the region. I am certain that we will still be able to address one or two of these specific issues directly today. For the Commission’s part, we shall supervise and support this strategy, which has evolved from the bottom up. A high-level group from all Member States will be convened to which regular progress reports will be made. There will be follow-up conferences, reports, etc. Above all, there will be a plan of action with specific measures and deadlines and it is important that these matters are supported.
Finally, I would call on you in your capacity as local representatives to ensure that the many measures already considered, assessed and approved today really do get implemented, so that all of our shared intentions actually bear fruit."@en1
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