The Slovak delegation to the European Committee of the Regions is pushing for regions to be able to make direct decisions on EU funds, Prešov self-governing region head Milan Majersky stated during the ongoing March meeting of the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
On Wednesday (4 March), representatives of the regions of the member states, including a large delegation from Slovakia, debated the proposal for the future long-term EU budget for 2028-2034 and a reform of public procurement in the EU, with regions and cities calling on the EU to simplify rules and to prioritize people, innovation and sustainability.
Majersky emphasized that the multi-annual financial framework proposed by the European Commission is also vitally important for border regions, including Prešov Region. He welcomed the fact that last week the European Commission included the EastInvest financial tool in its strategy to support border regions with Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
"Last April, Slovakia was left out of this, including Prešov and Košice regions. But under pressure from various Ukrainian and Polish partners, as well as Slovak MEPs, European Commissioner for Reforms Raffaele Fitto recognised that this was very important," said Majersky, emphasising that it's crucial for the regions themselves to be able to make direct decisions about EU funds, as is common in other countries.
"This was discussed at the committee of the regions, and several countries pushed for decisions on EU funds not to be made by central governments and ministries, but by managing authorities directly in the regions. Poland is an example of good practice. It's managed directly by the regions there, and they are able to use up 100 percent of EU funds very quickly, and even get more added on top," he noted.
Source: TASR
