Commission should be prepared to have Multiannual Financial Framework operational by early 2021, defends Vasco Cordeiro
The President of the Government participated today in a debate with the Commissioner responsible for the Community budget, Johannes Hahn, as part of the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions. On the occasion, he defended the need for the European Commission to be prepared to have the next Multiannual Financial Framework operational early next year.
“If, as we hope, an agreement is reached at the next European Council to be held this month and if the national parliaments that have to speak out, it is important that the Commission be in a position to have the next Multiannual Financial Framework fully operational as of January 1, 2021,” said Vasco Cordeiro, who is also the First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions.
At the plenary session of this body, which encompasses more than 350 representatives from EU regions and cities, the President of the Government considered that an agreement should be reached between all Member States and that the necessary regulation on the Community policies for the next seven years should be stipulated by the Commission chaired by Ursula von der Leyen.
During this debate by video conference, Vasco Cordeiro considered that the Commission's proposal for the 2021-2027 Community budget is a “bold step in the right direction.” However, he warned of the need for the Cohesion Policy to be the tool of excellence in the promotion of social, territorial and economic cohesion between European regions.
As for the cohesion support mechanism - REACT-EU, with an overall allocation of 55 billion Euros available for this year, the President of the Government stressed that the Cohesion Policy should not be only limited to accommodate the budget aspects of this new Commission initiative.
The Cohesion Policy must continue to be the matrix on which the social, economic and territorial cohesion responses will be built,” defended Vasco Cordeiro, who welcomed the “renewed interest that seems to exist” about the importance of this investment policy in the regions.