On Tuesday, February 6, the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Karina Ploka, participates in the informal meeting of the European Union (EU) Cohesion Ministers. Discussions are held in the meeting, regarding the future of the EU Cohesion Policy and the strategic priorities of the Cohesion Policy after 2027, as well as plans to discuss additional simplification and flexibility measures that should be introduced in the next programming periods of the EU funds.
In Latvia's view, the Cohesion Policy is still the main EU-level tool for promoting equal growth. Its role is primarily to create a long-term impact in EU regions, especially supporting less developed regions.
"Countries bordering Russia and Belarus are currently facing significant challenges that are affecting business and transport, as well as supply chains and cross-border cooperation opportunities. Therefore, it is very important that the Cohesion Policy is sufficiently flexible and adaptable to the changing conditions of the future, taking into account the needs and increased risks associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine," says Parliamentary Secretary Karina Ploka.
Latvia considers it necessary to maintain the long-term focus of Cohesion Policy, ensuring predictable long-term investments to support structural changes in the economy. Similarly, the Cohesion Policy especially should especially support the less developed member states and regions in the future. At the same time, the Cohesion Policy must be able to respond to various crises and challenges and be able to flexibly adapt to them. In cohesion policy, it is essential to maintain as much flexibility as possible in the EU-level regulation, especially when discussing the minimum investment thresholds set for different investment objectives. Latvia supports that in order to achieve common EU goals, it is essential to determine the main investment directions, but it is important to maintain sufficient room for maneuver so that the member states can take into account territorial needs and be able to respond to new growth challenges and opportunities.
In Latvia's view, the creation of too many new instruments and funds for the implementation of the Cohesion Policy should be avoided in the future, or at least the need for their creation should be considered very carefully, because many problems can be solved with additional funding in the existing instruments. In order to ensure productive dynamics, it is essential that already existing and well-functioning administrative structures and procedures are used in the implementation of various instruments, including that differences in the implementation rules should be minimized as much as possible in order not to create an administrative burden for the beneficiaries of funding.
Photo: Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union