Romania may get more cohesion funds between 2021 and 2027, following
proposals made by the European Commission. The EU’s next long-term budget might
provide for Romania to receive over 27 billion euros, which is by 8% more than
the amounts allotted at present. The EU’s cohesion policy is aimed at reducing
disparities between the member states and between various regions.
The European Commission’s proposals for the 2021-2027 timeframe consist
in more funds for research, security and digital economy. We propose a cohesion policy for all regions
that should not leave anyone behind. We have increased this policy’s
flexibility in order to adjust it to the new priorities and increase the
protection of EU citizens, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina
Cretu, has said. She has explained that norms have been simplified to
everyone’s advantage, from small enterprises to entrepreneurs and from schools
to hospitals, which will be able to attract funds easier. Commissioner Cretu
has told Radio Romania:
The GDP per capita will continue to be the main
criterion for the allocation of funds to member countries. New indicators have
been taken into account, such as the unemployment rate, especially among young
people, an indicator regarding the fight against climate change and another
one, which is a kind of reward for the regions willing to take in migrants. In
keeping with these indicators, Romania is among the countries that get most
funds, alongside Bulgaria and Greece – by 8% more than in the previous period.
What’s important is to use these funds on concrete projects that improve
people’s lives.
Also, Commissioner
Cretu has mentioned some of the priorities of the cohesion policy, the EU’s
main investment policy:
Its main priority
is to support innovation, the small enterprises and digital technologies, so an
intelligent policy. Its second priority refers to investment in all regions. In
fact, in the new programming period after 2020 we will grant more support to
local authorities, both urban and regional, that will be more involved in
managing the European funds, because we believe that regions and cities know
better than we do, in Brussels, which are the sectors that need investment and
which are their needs.
We are counting on
a budget of 374 billion euros for all 27-member states. 75% of this amount will
be further allotted to the regions that need investment the most, Corina Cretu
has said.
