The European Union is a club that needs to be improved but has brought us and continues to bring us a development that further reduces disparities between regions, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of European Funds (MFE), Mihaela Toader told the "Friends of Cohesion" conference in Dubrovnik.
"One of the messages of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU for the European citizens is that our main source of prosperity and investment is at home, in Europe! Our growth depends on us, on everybody. The European Union is a club that needs to be improved but which has us brought and continues to bring us a development that further reduces disparities between regions. Competition begins at home, cohesion makes us stronger within the Union, and stronger as a family, outside it," the Secretary of State said, according to a a release of MFE sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday.
Addressing the member states and the European Commission, represented at the meeting by European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu, the MFE official brought to mind that the Cohesion Policy remains the main investment policy in the European Union.
"We want to be effective, and I hope the results we have so far confirm our ambitions. The Romanian EU Council Presidency seeks to make progress on the dossier on the future European funds allocated through the Cohesion Policy, about whose future we are talking today, said Mihaela Toader.
Referring to the concrete steps taken by the Romanian Presidency, the Secretary of State in the MFE stressed that the main objective is to achieve substantial progress in the negotiations at the Council level and in the continuation of the trialogue with the European Parliament. In the context of the consolidation of the European project, the Romanian official reminded in her speech the importance of the Summit to be organised in Sibiu on 9 May 2019.
"For their part, the Member States have firmly supported the continuation and consolidation of the Cohesion Policy, invoking the need for greater flexibility, so that European money does not lose its initial role within this policy. The high-level conference "The Friends of Cohesion" was hosted by the Croatian Minister of Regional Development and European Funds, Gabriela Zalac. Present in the event were the EU Member States, representatives of the Committee of the Regions and of other relevant European institutions," the Ministry of European Funds press release further informs.
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