Danuta Hubner in the European Parliament

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Meeting of the Committee on Regional Development with the National Parliaments, July 13, 2010

Brussels

Meeting of the Committee on Regional Development with the National Parliaments
Prof. Danuta Hübner
Chair, Committee on Regional Development
European Parliament, Brussels, 12 July 2010

Prof. Danuta Hübner:
"On Monday 12, I have chaired the meeting between the Committee on Regional Development and representatives of the national parliaments, responsible for cohesion policy. This second meeting between REGI and national parliaments came in a crucial moment, as the debate on the future cohesion policy enters into its last stage.

The Lisbon Treaty brings substantial progress to the cohesion policy and parliamentary involvement in decision making. With regard to cohesion policy, the European Parliament becomes a full co-legislator, it sits together with the Council in the driver's seat. It is also more active in the political debate. National parliaments become more important partners for democratic and effective policy making in general, and cohesion policy in particular.

The Treaty implies a pivotal role of the cohesion policy in European integration. There is the new political objective of territorial cohesion identified as shared competence between the Union and Member States.

Subsidiarity, extended to local and regional level, should be seen as sharing competences, not competing. By making the parliaments and local and regional actors more accountable, the Treaty moves the EU closer to citizens, brings the level of governance at which cohesion policy operates - local and regional - into European decision making process.

We agreed to develop closer and better structured cooperation, we talked about enhancing the influence of national parliaments on EU decision making but in a way that would not lead to delays or blockage of EU legislation. We encouraged the national parliamentarians to strengthen their in-house expertise on EU affairs.

We talked about the need for active participation of national parliaments in the debate on future cohesion policy and in the process of decision making on the next financial perspectives.

The discussion has shown a convergence of views between national parliamentarians and members of REGI Committee on major aspects of future cohesion policy. In particular, the national parliamentarians endorsed the following characteristics of future cohesion policy: EU-wide regional policy, strongly contributing to EU 2020, well-financed, working towards economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union, with strong urban dimension, investing in linking strong and weak territories, based on multi-level governance, using good practice, including earmarking, with the European Social Fund as an integral part of cohesion policy, coordinated well with rural development fund, result-oriented, efficient, simple, with financial engineering playing growing role, with stronger role of cross border cooperation, addressing territorial specificities".

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