The Council of the European Union has adopted today its conclusions on making cohesion policy more effective, relevant and visible to the citizens. The ministers pointed out that cohesion policy is an essential policy of the EU, important now and in the future as a stable and predictable investment and cooperation framework to reduce the disparities between levels of development of Europe's regions. The EU ministers, after exchanging views with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Cori
- 25 April 2017
The Council of the European Union has adopted today its conclusions on making cohesion policy more effective, relevant and visible to the citizens. The ministers pointed out that cohesion policy is an essential policy of the EU, important now and in the future as a stable and predictable investment and cooperation framework to reduce the disparities between levels of development of Europe's regions.
The EU ministers, after exchanging views with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, acknowledged the significant results that cohesion policy programmes have achieved, specifically providing financial support to 121.400 start-ups and around 400.000 SMEs, supporting nearly 95.000 research projects, helping to build almost 5.000 km of roads and upgrade 1.500 km of railway, as well as connecting 6 million Europeans to new or improved drinking water networks.
Cohesion policy is a pillar on which the European project rests on, improving the European citizens' life and working conditions and the European ministers emphasized that the successes of the policy need to be made more visible. As an expression of solidarity, strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion, this policy delivers results that benefit all the inhabitants of EU's 274 regions and Member States bear a responsibility at their own ends, as well as the European Commission, to reinforce the positive image of this policy.