Vice-Minister of Finance V. Česnulevičiūtė-Markevičienė: "Cohesion Policy must pay greater attention to the countries bordering the aggressors"
At the 6th Regional Policy Forum in Plungė, Vice-Minister of Finance Vaida Česnulevičiūtė – Markevičienė stressed that Cohesion Policy must pay increased attention to the countries bordering the aggressors. The debate on the future of Cohesion Policy is an essential part of regional policy, as it allows countries to contribute to shaping the investment direction of the European Union (EU) funds according to their specific needs.
“Cohesion Policy, as the main long-term investment instrument of the EU, cannot ignore the changed geopolitical reality – it is necessary to pay increased attention to the EU countries that are on the external border and border the aggressor countries. This negatively affects the economic and social prospects of these countries, therefore, Cohesion Policy must take this into account,” Vice-Minister of Finance Vaida Česnulevičiūtė-Markevičienė said.
According to the Vice-Minister, the new programming period for Cohesion Policy would seem far away, but there is an increasing discussion in various formats on how this period should look in the future. In preparation for the new EU investment period post-2027, it is important to have a strong position of Lithuania on the future of the new Cohesion Policy, which is as favourable as possible and meets population needs.
Lithuania takes an active position on the post-2027 perspective of Cohesion Policy. In November last year, in Vilnius, together with the finance ministers of other Baltic States, and in May this year, together with another 10 Eastern and Central European countries, a declaration on the future of Cohesion Policy was signed. In the near future, a new declaration will be prepared together with Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland, highlighting also the challenges related to the aggressor countries.
The Vice-Minister underlined that the essence of the declarations is the specificity of the border countries and the challenges that need to be addressed. It is the Cohesion Funds that prioritise investments that should allow regions to find new growth opportunities. We are also stronger when we act together with other countries in coordinating our joint international action within the EU. Only solidarity and unity will help to respond effectively to fast-growing threats.
"Compared to the EU's previous investment outlook, regions will directly benefit from significantly higher levels of investment alone. In the 2014-2020 period, around EUR 972 million of EU funds were allocated to regions. In the new perspective, more than EUR 1.6 billion of EU structural funds have been allocated for the implementation of the programme. The Regional Development Programme provides unique opportunities for municipalities to agree on their own contribution to state objectives and on specific investments at regional level. It is very important to turn these investments into additional opportunities for our people”, the Vice-Minister of Finance stated during the discussion.
To date, the calls for proposals in the amount of nearly EUR 500 million of EU funding for regions have been published. The calls for proposals already published amount to EUR 3.3 billion of total funds allocated to Lithuania, and the contracts signed amount to EUR 1.8 billion.
Among the most active regions, Alytus, Marijampolė and Tauragė have already planned all EU investment funds for these regions for 2021-2027.
The event was attended by mayors, representatives of municipalities, ministries, the Government, social and economic partners, experts.
The Regional Policy Forum is a traditional event dedicated to regional policy issues and has been organised since 2017.
Last updated: 16-09-2024
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