Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-12-13-Speech-2-447"
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"en.20051213.65.2-447"2
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".
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, when discussing the role of State aid as a tool of regional development, we should not forget that such aid always comes out of taxpayers’ pockets in one way or another. It should therefore be distributed on the basis of clear and transparent criteria, and targeted at areas where it really will produce the desired results. If these principles are followed, State aid will help individual EU regions to develop more rapidly.
I should therefore like to take this opportunity to ask the Commission to present an annual report on the actual amount of State aid granted by each Member State. After all, this type of aid is a clear-cut case of interference in the free market. It goes without saying that this interference is more often than not justified, but it is certainly not justified when it is used to support inefficient companies. We should bear this in mind in view of the growing interest in the use of public-private partnerships to implement a variety of infrastructure investments. Although such interest is otherwise legitimate, these partnerships offer a great temptation for all sorts of abuses, which we can only hope will be resisted.
According to the information at my disposal, around EUR 62 billion was spent on State aid last year in the EU as a whole. EUR 17.2 billion of this figure was spent in Germany, EUR 8.9 billion in France, EUR 7 billion in Italy and only EUR 2.9 billion in Poland. I have my doubts as to whether this money was spent in an entirely rational manner. There are not enough forms of aid for what are known as horizontal investments, examples of which include support for small and medium-sized enterprises, environmental protection measures, the development of research and the stimulation of innovation. The Commissioner herself said as much a few moments ago. This should be the main focus of State aid, as it is only by prioritising such goals that it will contribute to the real development of individual regions. Sectors or large companies that perform poorly should only receive public funds on a temporary basis, and only when these funds are genuinely used for restructuring activities and to increase the profitability of businesses. If this is not the case, public funds will simply go to waste.
State aid that directly or indirectly supports regional development should promote territorial, social and economic cohesion. It should serve as a unique tool for implementing a policy of alignment, which would be an expression of solidarity between the Member States and within the Community as a whole. In this context, I believe that the initiative of the Polish Government, aimed at launching a programme for Eastern Poland, is eminently sensible. Eastern Poland covers regions that have the lowest GDP per capita in the EU, such as Subcarpathia, Lubelszczyzna and Podlasie.
Urban conurbations act as metropolitan centres for local regions, and merit particular attention. The recent events in French cities are proof that the consequences of social exclusion can be truly dramatic. In addition, we should not neglect regions suffering high unemployment, which is an affliction that is sometimes passed from generation to generation.
Rural areas are another key focus of action, since an increasing number of challenging economic, social and demographic problems are encountered there. In my opinion, it is essential that a clear definition of ‘eligible costs’ be provided, so that the Member States are in a position to take final decisions.
I should like to conclude by voicing my support for the report that has been tabled on the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective, provided that the additional amendments to it are adopted."@en1
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