In Budapest, Lithuania's foreign vise-minister calls for not reducing EU support to less-developed member states
euro.lt
On 10 November at the meeting of the EU’s member states belonging to the Group of Friends of the EU Cohesion Policy in Budapest, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Egidijus Meilūnas voiced Lithuania’s position on the essential elements of the cohesion policy and during bilateral meetings presented the important for Lithuania issue of financing the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.
“The suggestion of the European Commission (EC) does not comply with the EU’s cohesion policy goals to assist the less developed regions. After reducing the EU support, it will be even more difficult for these regions to catch up with the more developed regions and to improve on their competitiveness,” said E.Meilūnas.
The EU member states constituting the Group of Friends of the EU Cohesion Policy aim to make joint effort to protect and maintain a strong and effective EU cohesion policy in the negotiations, because the EC has proposed to reduce the EU financing for cohesion policy for 2014-2020.
The EU cohesion policy aims at reducing social, economic and territorial disparities between the EU member states. Lithuania and other EU member states receive financial assistance from the EU Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund.
The greater part of the financial assistance from the EU Structural Funds is allocated to less-developed member states or regions, where the GDP for 1 inhabitant is less than 75% of the EU average. Currently, Lithuania’s GDP reaches only 58% of the EU average.
15-11-2011
