The funds for cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy are not reduced in Ireland's new proposal for the next long-term budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2034. The exception is one small sub-fund. This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister for Management of European Funds Atanas Pekanov.
“This proves that when we are active and have a solid group of countries with common views with those of Bulgaria, the right decisions are made in the EU“, Pekanov wrote. He described the document presented by the Irish Presidency as a “step in the right direction“.
Cohesion remains among the protected policies
The “Friends of Cohesion“ group includes 17 countries. They insist that the traditional role of the policy should not be further limited. It finances infrastructure, health and education projects, environmental protection measures and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to Pekanov, Bulgaria will continue to actively participate in the group. He points out that protecting cohesion funds is important against the backdrop of the growing tasks that the EU must finance, including competitiveness, technology, science and defense.
The overall budget framework for the seven years has been reduced by another €100 billion and reaches €1.6 trillion. This means approximately 230 billion euros per year for the entire EU, or just over 1% of the union's gross domestic product.
Criticisms of deadlines and crisis reserve
The Deputy Prime Minister criticized several elements of the proposal. One of the changes provides for the deadline for the final use of the funds to be shortened from three years to one year. According to him, the longer deadline is important for infrastructure and other complex projects, which are often delayed due to environmental assessments and court appeals.
It is also planned that 25% of the funds for the countries will be withheld for crisis situations. According to Pekanov, this would mean that a significant part of the funding cannot be used from the beginning of the new programming period.
He defines as a “big mistake“ the continued reduction of funds for the scientific programs “Erasmus“ and “Horizon Europe“, which are among the most well-known European initiatives.
Negotiations continue
Pekanov notes that the European Commission's initial proposal was for a budget of nearly 2 trillion euros, but its size has already been reduced for the second time. According to him, the countries have not yet reached an agreement on how to finance the new EU priorities.
Talks on the next multiannual financial framework will continue in the coming weeks and months. A final agreement will require consensus among the member states so that funds are provided both for the regions and agriculture, and for the competitiveness and security of Europe.
Sources: bta.bg