European Union News - Regional Policy

The European Commission published a new Neighbourhood Transport Action Plan to strengthen transport links with neighbouring regions to the East and South of of the EU, which proposes more than 20 concrete measures, such as extending the EU's internal aviation market and Single European Sky to neighbouring regions and joining up the Trans-European Transport Network with infrastructure of the EU's neighbours through priority transport projects.

The CoR believes that the European Commission has presented an ambitious, well integrated proposal budget proposal post 2013. Indeed, according to the CoR most of the proposals made by the Committee in its opinions on the budget review and the future cohesion and agricultural policies have been taken on board.

The Committee of the Regions adopted an opinion in which calls for a multi-level, cross-border approach to the management of river basins in order to ensure the sustainable use of water. The Committee also proposed extending the Covenant of Mayors to include sustainable water use.

The Committee of the Regions plenary agreed in given the green light for a greener and more competitive transport sector by 2050. However, the CoR also added that these plans need more concrete interim targets and adequate funding. Also, the Committee supports the Commission's main goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector by 60%, contrary to some national governments.

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Commission Vice President, Catherine Ashton, selected Bernardino Leon and officially proposed that the Council appoint him as the EU's Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Region.

The Agriculture Committee at the European Parliament amended a draft EU regulation on milk contracts to boost dairy farmers' bargaining power. According to this Committee, farmers should be able to join producers' organisations that can negotiate raw milk deliveries for them and ensure that they get a fairer share of the price paid by consumers. In addition, the Committee also proposed a supply management system in order to improve the working of the market for dairy products registered under a protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI).

The European Commission welcomed the positive outcome on the new progress report on the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. In addition, the European Council met on 23 and 24 of June and gave its endorsement to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, adopted by the Commission last December.

On the future of the Common Agricultural Policy the Parliament is staking out its position for the next long-term budgetary period, running from 2014 to 2020. MEPs want to keep the EU agriculture budget unchanged until 2020 so that farmers have incentives to provide secure food supplies, environmental protection, create new jobs and provide for a competitive EU farming sector.

The European Parliament approved four non-legislative resolutions on regional development which ask the EU's cohesion policy budget for 2014-2020 should at least equal the current one. The vote on the consolidated report on strategy for cohesion policy post-2013 has been postponed to the next plenary session in July.

Commissioner on Regional Policy Johannes Hahn stated in a discussion held on 21 June in the Regional Development Committee that “intermediate” regions, i.e. regions with a GDP of 75% to 90% of the EU average are on an equal footing. Mr Hahn also presented the legislative package on cohesion policy for 2014-2020.

In a meeting held in Brussels between the presidents of associations representing local and regional authorities, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Mercedes Bresso, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, local and regional leaders asked Barroso to put forward ambitious EU budget proposals in order to stimulate the economy. In addition, they called to consider their role in Europe 2020 strategy.

The President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Mercedes Bresso welcomed the positive recommendation from the European Commission regarding the future EU accession of Croatia. She also stated that the CoR would also support Croatia's local and regional authorities in their decentralisation and administrative reforms.