Csaba Sógor: If current development regions remain, the use of European funds will not become any easier
Csaba Sógor was one of the MEPs who took the floor at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, on Tuesday the 16th of April, in the debate started with the question addressed by Polish EPP MEP Danuta Hübner to the European Commission on regional development subsidies.
The Hungarian representative from Transylvania expressed his concern regarding the situation in Romania, and warned against an inadequate division of the administrative regions, urging decision makers to take the economic indicators of the regions into account when developing the regionalisation strategy. The complete speech of DAHR MEP Csaba Sógor can be read below:
"The Romanian government wishes to reorganise the administrative regions of the country by the end of the year. Its justification is that the current development regions are not efficient enough in the allocation European funds. While this is true, I sincerely doubt that vesting regions drawn up 15 years ago, with no professional input and without thorough analysis, with administrative power will help at all in this matter.
This deficient regionalisation plan will be justified with arguments on the efficient absorption of European Union funds. Though the territorial, regional reorganisation of a member state is of national competence, as long as the use of EU funds are used as a reason, I think it appropriate for the European Commission to express its views on the matter.
I doubt that the primary principle taken into account when creating a strategy for a country’s regional reorganization should be the minimization of the damage to the local political interests of the governing party. Economic indicators should be a far more important factor.
We should draw regions that have formed naturally and organically during the course of history. These regions can be easily identified in Romania."
"The Romanian government wishes to reorganise the administrative regions of the country by the end of the year. Its justification is that the current development regions are not efficient enough in the allocation European funds. While this is true, I sincerely doubt that vesting regions drawn up 15 years ago, with no professional input and without thorough analysis, with administrative power will help at all in this matter.
This deficient regionalisation plan will be justified with arguments on the efficient absorption of European Union funds. Though the territorial, regional reorganisation of a member state is of national competence, as long as the use of EU funds are used as a reason, I think it appropriate for the European Commission to express its views on the matter.
I doubt that the primary principle taken into account when creating a strategy for a country’s regional reorganization should be the minimization of the damage to the local political interests of the governing party. Economic indicators should be a far more important factor.
We should draw regions that have formed naturally and organically during the course of history. These regions can be easily identified in Romania."
