State Secretary at the MEDT: “Cohesion Policy needs to be present in all regions”
Ljubljana, 7 May 2012 – State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc attended the expert conference on the priority tasks of Slovenia in the framework of EU Cohesion Policy for the programming period 2014–2020. The conference was organised by the member of the European Parliament and the member of the Committee on Regional Development Mojca Kleva, MSc. She discussed EU Cohesion Policy – one of the most important EU development policies – with Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc, Ms Constanze Angelo Krehl, member of the EU Parliament and the key negotiator of the European Parliament on the new EU Cohesion Policy legislative package and Ivan Žagar, PhD, the Mayor of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenian representative in the Committee of the Regions and vice-president of the Committee of the Regions.
The participants of the conference discussed the package of the European Commission legislative proposals which will define the extent of the cohesion funds of the EU and the conditions for their absorption in the following seven-year period. State Secretary Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc presented Slovenia’s positions and expectations and said that Slovenia welcomes the European Commission proposal. The proposal puts the EU Cohesion Policy in the forefront of realising the objective of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Focusing on the same objectives at the EU level and the results will, according to the State Secretary, further strengthen the effects of EU Cohesion Policy. What is extremely important for Slovenia is the recognition of a special status of those regions which were in the present programming period fully eligible to the resources of the EU structural funds and will, in the future programming period, exceed the eligibility limit. State Secretary said that Slovenia supports the lowering of the upper level of cohesion funds attribution but that she is, on the other hand, reserved towards the possible transfer of EU funds into the so-called instrument Connecting Europe Facility. In the case of its enforcement the Member States would lose part of their sovereignty over the management of the EU funds.
“Cohesion Policy needs to be present in all regions which enables the promotion of competitiveness by releasing the development potentials in each and every European region” underlined the State Secretary. Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc also said that Slovenia will do everything in this power to be prepared for the absorption of the EU funds in the beginning of 2014. Regarding the current conditions of the economy and the absorption rate, Slovenia will focus in 2012 on the activities to improve its absorption rate, the activities to simplify the administrative procedures and to plan more thoroughly the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy for the current programming period as well as the period after 2013.
The proposed European Commission package introduces certain simplifications; however, additional efforts are needed for reducing administrative burdens – especially for the beneficiaries. This is why Slovenia prepared a proposal of 99 simplifications referring to all levels in Cohesion Policy implementation in the period 2014–2020. Slovenia proposed excluding those proposals which are not necessary for the quality and adequate implementation of EU Cohesion Policy such as additional supervision institutions at the national level, the proposals which reduce the rigidness in the period of programme implementation, strict conditions in the field of financial management, shorter procedures and the additional demands for reporting and evaluating or shorter and clearer programming documents.
Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc also underlined that Slovenia strives for greater opportunities in the field of operational programmes, especially with their eventual changes as we today face long-term procedures of coordination and approval of the changes of the operational programmes at the European Commission level.
The European Commission proposal foresees 336 billion Euros for EU Cohesion Policy which means a slight reduction compared to the present programming period (from 355 billion Euros, i.e. a reduction for 5.3 percent). At the same time, Cohesion Policy remains an important element of the EU budget. The proposal foresees two priority objectives for EU Cohesion Policy – “Investing in Growth and Jobs” and “European Territorial Cooperation”. The first objective will be implemented in all regions and EU Member States with the objective of eliminating the obstacles of development. In accordance with the proposal the regions would be divided into groups according to their development level (more or less developed and the transition regions). In accordance with the development level the assistance intensity and the set substantive priorities would be determined. The second objective – European Territorial Cooperation – would receive 3.5 percent of the funds. This objective promotes cross-border, transnational and inter-regional cooperation, which is for Slovenia – a small and transition country – also of strategic importance.
State Secretary also said that Slovenia wishes that the legislative package would be adopted as soon as possible (in the programming period 2007–2013 the programming documents were approved as late as the first period of implementation) as this is the decisive factor for future procedures at the national level (drafting of partnership agreements, operational programmes). Slovenia also hopes that the working groups, which will deal with individual substantive parts of EU Cohesion Policy, will begin with their operational already in June 2012 when the first regional consultations will be realised. Slovenia hopes for active cooperation of all relevant parties which represent an additional assistance in the formation of the selection of priority projects. The EU Cohesion Policy funds will, indeed, be the only development funds available for Slovenia by 2020.
