Minister Jevšek stresses need to safeguard key goals and principles of Cohesion Policy

The ministers in charge of Cohesion Policy met in Brussels to exchange views on the long-term impacts of Cohesion Policy on EU regions. The ministers agreed that the fundamental role of Cohesion Policy should continue to be to reduce disparities in the level of development of the various member states and regions, despite recent crises.

The ministers agreed that Cohesion Policy is not a crisis instrument, although it has helped mitigate the effects of the recent crises. However, they stressed that Cohesion Policy should be able to adapt to new developments without compromising its structural and long-term objectives.

‘’During the crises that have hit the EU in the past 15 years, Cohesion Policy has always promptly responded or mitigated their effects, especially in hardest-hit regions, in accordance with the principle of solidarity. However, we should strive to preserve the fundamental role of Cohesion Policy as the main investment policy which ensures the EU's territorial, economic and social cohesion and contributes to the green and digital transformation of the EU,’’ stressed Minister Jevšek in his intervention.

The Minister continued that ‘’Slovenia will continue its efforts to preserve the importance of Cohesion Policy, a policy whose underlying principles and resources contribute to the prosperity of all European citizens.’’

The discussion also revolved around the 2021-2027 programming period. The ministers welcomed the fact that the 2021-2027 legislative framework provides for simpler and more flexible implementation rules and called on the European Commission to continue efforts to further simplify the rules in order to reduce administrative burden for all stakeholders in the post-2027 period. According to Minister Jevšek, Slovenia, too, will work hard to make the procedures simpler for both the beneficiaries and the management and control authorities.