The Committee of the Regions and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 01 All Set for an Ambitious Presidency P
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The Committee of the Regions and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 01 All set for an ambitious presidency p. 3 02 Strong regions mean a competitive Europe p. 4 The Polish presidency, the Committee of the Regions 03 and the future of cohesion p. 6 Cohesion policy: a European policy that promotes 04 development p. 8 05 Why a Committee of the Regions? p. 10 06 The Polish CoR members at work p. 13 The Polish delegation to the Committee 07 of the Regions p. 18 08 Administrative Division of Poland p. 20 09 Cohesion policy works p. 21 10 OPEN DAYS - Seventeen local events in Poland p. 38 11 Calendar of events p. 39 12 Contact p. 41 01 All set for an ambitious presidency For the fi rst time in its history – and for the fi rst time in the history of the European Union Mercedes Bresso – Poland will be taking the helm of the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of President of the Committee the European Union. It will also be carrying out this role for the fi rst time within the new of the Regions structure put in place by the Lisbon Treaty. 184 days – that is how long Poland has been given to negotiate and fi nd a solution to the problems that lie at the heart of political debate in the European Union today. Poland has 4416 hours or 264 960 minutes to make its mark as a modern, creative and dynamic country. The challenge is on! Among the key items on the EU’s agenda – the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the future EU budget and major reforms of such areas as cohesion policy and the CAP. Poland has ambitious plans for its presidency: it has also included on its agenda such items as strengthening the single market, the EU’s neighbourhood policy and the Eastern Partnership in particular, the EU’s external energy policy as well as environmental protection. Local and regional authorities will naturally be closely following the progress of the negotiations on strategic issues relating to the future of cohesion policy and the draft regulations on cohesion policy beyond 2013. Indeed, Poland has proven itself to be an exemplary Member State as regards its use of structural funds. It has managed 3 to successfully demonstrate how the largest benefi ciary of EU funds has been able to (virtually) avoid the effects of the crisis thanks to the resources provided by cohesion policy and through intelligent governance at national level. The fact is that it is Poland’s citizens who have gained the most from the added value provided by cohesion policy. I have little doubt that the example of Poland will be useful for other players on the European arena who are actively searching for new sources of economic growth in Europe. The Polish presidency will also include a review of the Baltic Sea Strategy. This will provide the Committee of the Regions with an ideal opportunity to stress the important role of the regions in the implementation of macro-regional strategies and, accordingly, the importance of territorial cooperation instruments such as the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). And while Poland has its ambitions, the same is true for the Committee of the Regions, which will do all it can to make sure that the voice of the local and regional authorities is heard during all the political debates, which will already start getting underway in the second half of 2011. 02 Strong regions mean a competitive Europe As the largest benefi ciary of cohesion policy, Poland is aware of its responsibility for shaping the debate on the policy’s future. The Polish presidency of the Council which begins in July is therefore an ideal time to actually start the negotiations on the future EU budget. We are fully prepared to take up this challenge. The implementation of cohesion policy in Poland has been a success story. Partly thanks to this policy, in the few years that have elapsed since Poland joined the EU, per capita national income has risen from 45% of the EU average to 60%. Poland was the only EU country to avoid recession in 2009 and this was in large part due to the Donald Tusk effective implementation of the cohesion Prime Minister of the policy. Republic of Poland Cohesion policy ensures that participation in the internal market benefi ts all EU regions. In such diffi cult and uncertain times Europe needs solidarity, not egoism. For obvious reasons, the word “solidarity” occupies a special place in the hearts of the Polish people. With Polish membership of the EU, solidarity took on an additional European dimension. I am convinced that against the backdrop of the new economic and social challenges facing the EU, the principle of solidarity should also be understood as intergenerational solidarity. Decisions on the future of the EU budget’s fi nancial policies, including cohesion policy, will have a considerable impact on the quality of life of future generations and the competitiveness of the EU economy far beyond the lifetime of the Europe 2020 strategy. It is worth pointing out here that the projects being carried out as part of the cohesion policy are perfectly in line with the goals of this strategy, namely building an innovative European economy that makes use of all social resources. 4 Taking account of the various levels of development of Europe’s economies and the different avenues for achieving the EU’s strategic goals, the success of the Europe 2020 strategy will in large part depend on the fl exibility of the steps taken and the role of local and regional authorities. Cohesion policy ties in perfectly with these requirements as well. The measures taken are not standardised, but are geared towards the development needs and potential of a given region. In the southern countries, which over the past 20 years have had the opportunity to develop one of the highest levels of basic infrastructure in the world, the EU’s cohesion policy should help people to acquire new skills and to move to the knowledge-based economy. In the EU-12 countries, this policy should continue to be the main source of funding for public investment and innovation which is increasing demand. In future, the EU’s task will also be to construct infrastructure links with the regions of the Western Balkans in order to prepare for the integration of these countries into the common market. Measures also need to be stepped up to integrate the Roma community, migrants and other minorities into society. In uncertain economic times, the need for a smart cohesion policy is more relevant than ever. The economic downturn of recent years has had a very uneven impact from a territorial point of view. The most affected countries have been those which are furthest from the EU’s most developed regions, including the Baltic and the Balkan countries. It is for this The Committee of the Regions and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union reason that the additional benefi ts of cohesion policy cannot be overestimated. At a time of strong macroeconomic upheaval, the policy has acted as a mechanism for stabilising the economy and boosting the level of consumption, while calming the turbulence in local markets and throughout the EU. Cohesion policy should therefore be one of the EU’s key instruments to help it emerge from the crisis. The architects of the EU’s cohesion policy never intended it to be a tax on the rich and a social transfer for the poor. It was always intended, fi rst and foremost, to create a level playing fi eld and this should remain so in future. It is therefore important to maintain a strong cohesion policy as a key element of the European socio-economic model. I believe that cohesion policy provides mechanisms which work well and have proved effective in all 271 regions of the EU. They are based on sharing tasks and on cooperation among the various levels of government and local and regional authorities as well as local stakeholders. This unique system is characterised by a high degree of fl exibility, tapping the potential of local and regional initiatives and helping to develop civil society. The cohesion policy also embodies the subsidiarity principle, since development needs are assessed and implemented at the lowest possible level. For this reason, Poland is opposed to separating sectoral funds from cohesion policy or creating new funds. Those managed from Brussels never produce the same effects as structural funds implemented at grass-roots level. Only cohesion policy can guarantee a cohesive, overarching and territorial approach to the problems of economic development. The instruments of this policy make it possible to deal effectively with the new challenges facing the EU, such as improving energy effi ciency, adapting to demographic change, combating climate change and countering the negative aspects of globalisation. I fi rmly believe that the architecture of the EU’s cohesion policy should be based on the three existing fi nancial instruments, namely: the Cohesion Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. For this reason, at the initiative of Poland, the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group signed a joint letter addressed to the president of the European Commission, presenting a united front on the matter of maintaining the current architecture of the cohesion policy, which should encompass all EU regions. The forthcoming Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union will undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity to stress this position clearly in a European forum.