The President of the Committee of the Regions Valcárcel shares European Parliament commitment to improve EU budget

20-3-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The President of the Committee of the Regions, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, welcomes the resolution on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 adopted today by the European Parliament: “This vote is a first important step in the institutional mobilisation to improve the next EU budget and make it equal to the task of supporting economic recovery and fostering competitiveness and job creation. A timely agreement between the European Parliament and Council is crucial to EU regions and cities in order to ensure an effective start of the 2014-2020 operational programme period”.

EU Regions and Cities share the Parliament’s view that the MFF agreement reached by Member States on 8 February requires some improvements. According to the CoR President Valcárcel: “Some conditions included in the resolution seem feasible and are capable of allowing a better implementation of the EU Budget in order to achieve our EU agenda for growth and jobs”.

More specifically, Mr Valcárcel stresses that: “A wider flexibility can be an effective way to deal with the decreased overall financial allocation, limit the risks connected to the gap between commitments’ and payments’ ceilings and ensure that all available resources are used to achieve Europe 2020 objectives”. President Valcárcel highlights that: “Flexibility cannot be a tool to divert funds from regional policy, since cohesion policy has shown to be Europe’s main tool to boost recovery and to invest on innovation, research and competitiveness with the necessary involvement of local actors”.

As regards the request of a relevant mid-term review of the MFF, the CoR shares the position that the financial framework should be adapted to the developments of the economic and social scenario. Furthermore, the Committee fully agrees on the need to change and strengthen the current own resources system of the Union.

Finally, the day after meeting with the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, Mr Valcárcel reiterates the CoR call on the European Parliament and Council to come to a swift agreement, since regional and local authorities require the stability and financial security provided by the MFF in order to initiate the 2014-2020 operational programming period.

For more information, please contact:

Pierluigi Boda
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Martin SCHULZ – EP President meets with Ramon Luis VALCARCEL, President of the Committee of the Regions