Rasi: EU Countries Want to Streamline Use of Cohesion Policy Funds after 2027

Brussels, November 28 (TASR-correspondent) - Slovakia is among the EU countries that want to streamline the use of resources through cohesion policy, stated Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Minister Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) during Thursday's meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council focused on cohesion policy. According to the minister, the most recent negotiations on cohesion policy under the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council focused on how to set up EU funds after 2027 in the new programme period. "As much support as possible is being sought from member countries for a united stance. We are in the Friends of Cohesion group, there are about 15 of us, and we want to go through a system of shared governance. That is to say that as many participants as possible from one country should be involved in setting of EU funds and the preparation of the administrative process under which EU funds should be directed," said Rasi, specifying that this refers to the involvement of the regions, towns and municipalities and the people who live there. According to him, this is an effort to ensure that cohesion funds after 2027 are not "managed from above", as was the case with the national recovery plans, when decisions were taken only by officials at individual ministries. am/df