Chryssohoidis on EU Cohesion Policy

Regional Development and Competitiveness Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis called at the informal meeting of relevant ministers on the European Union’s Cohesion Policy, that is taking place in Liege, for the fair allocation of Political Cohesion support for local development and in this direction there should be closer cooperation between the Political Cohesion, the European Investments Bank and the European fiscal sector.

“The Union must take into serious consideration one real fact, that the economic crisis brought about a serious and substantive decrease in the income per capita, that might not appear in statistical data that will be used. The lowest selection limits could be amended slightly, so that they can respond to the structural repercussions of the curent crisis as well as of the European enlargement,” the minister said.

“In our view the poorest regions of Europe (Target 1) must have the right to the due support, that keeps the grants for the transitional regions active,” he added.

In parallel, he stressed that “the territorial approach must be used further in shaping the cohesion policies. Greece, being a country with many islands, mountainous regions and many tens of small isolated islets, supports every effort in this direction. At the same time, local, urban and agricultural development is a crucial issue, where special weight must be given.”