Vice-Minister of Finance J. Kizenevič: "Cohesion Policy as an opportunity to address the pressing security and resilience challenges of the EU's eastern Member States"
Today, strengthening defence and security is a key new priority for the EU as a whole, and is more relevant than ever for the Member States bordering the aggressors, Russia and Belarus. "These challenges will not disappear in the future, so investment in improving the competitiveness, defence and security of the eastern EU countries should be among the priorities when considering changes in Cohesion Policy", Januš Kizenevič, Vice-Minister of Finance, stated at the EU Eastern Border Regions High-Level Conference in Białowieża (Poland).
The European Commission (EC) is already taking steps to propose a revision of Cohesion Policy ahead of the next Multiannual Financial Perspective. In this context, on 1 April the EC circulated a proposal for an amendment to the Cohesion Regulations aimed at promoting investment in new areas such as defence and security, promotion of affordable housing, protection of critical energy infrastructure, etc.
"As far as the regulation of future Cohesion Policy (post-2027) is concerned, it is important that its scope remains broad enough to take into account the different needs and capabilities of Member States. In order to ensure a more balanced development of the EU as a whole, Member States should be able to invest in areas that best suit their situation and priorities", Vice-Minister Kizenevič says.
The debate on the future of Europe post-2027 already shows that strengthening competitiveness, security and resilience will play an important role in all EU programmes.
According to the Vice-Minister, competitiveness and security are inextricably linked, and in light of the changing geopolitical context, Cohesion Policy should be seen as an opportunity to invest in innovative dual-use and defence solutions, cybersecurity, civilian resilience.
This includes investments in citizen preparedness, response to hybrid threats, information literacy, multifunctional public infrastructure and technologies needed to improve public services. Protected public service infrastructure and emergency preparedness are also essential.
"The challenges facing the regions bordering the aggressor countries are diverse and multifaceted, and beyond the Cohesion Programme, other opportunities offered by the EU, such as the Connecting Europe Facility or the European Defence Fund, should be actively used to address them", the Vice-Minister noted.
Looking ahead, when preparing the Cohesion Programme for the period 2028-2034, it is particularly important for Lithuania to clearly identify the specific needs arising from its neighbourhood with the aggressor countries, as ensuring security is not only a priority for Lithuania, it is an essential precondition for sustainable growth.
Additional information: The high-level conference, the main objective of which is to highlight the eastern border Member States of the EU and their challenges, brought together representatives of the Baltic States, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Committee of the Regions and the Polish Presidency of the Council, who unanimously agreed that investing in the eastern border states means investing in the prosperity and security of Europe as a whole.
This was the last event of the Polish Presidency of the Council, co-organised with the European Commission and addressed to the EU Eastern Border Member States. Vice-President R. Fitto, who participated in the conference, has repeatedly mentioned that the eastern border states are at the centre of his attention, and the expectations and insights expressed during this conference will be very useful for the upcoming pact on the present and future of the EU's eastern border regions, which the EC hopes to adopt at the end of this year.