Miltos Kirkos, a Member of the European Parliament representing Potami, participated in the round table organized in Brussels by the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Cohesion Policy. Costanze Krehl, S&D spokeswoman for regional policy, Isabelle Thomas, Vice-Chair in the European Parliament, Eider Gardiazabal, member of the Budget Committee and Stavros Arnaoutakis, District Governor in Crete, participated in the round table.
Miltos Kirkos pointed out that this latest crisis that is still ongoing shed light on structural weaknesses, especially in the more fragile economies of Europe, and in fact reversed many years of economic and social progress.
The Cohesion Policy and the Structural Funds by themselves are very important tools for the inclusive development of Member States and regions, especially in the current circumstances. A smart and prejudice-free strategic use of these tools could lead to revolutionary changes that would justify and balance the European venture in general. Besides, these are policies coming from the heart of the European Idea.
The new “Juncker” plan, along with the Cohesion Policy, can help Europe develop in a smart, sustainable and inclusive way, and find a way to create new job opportunities and give a new direction to our societies.
But, in order for these funds to have an added value, some bureaucratic obstacles must be tackled; there should be simplification in processes and transparency in their use. And above all, there must be a right political choice of the way in which funds will be used. This is where the big problem lies for our country, where the funds are used to buttress the client state and the parasitic economy, sacrificed for short-term propaganda purposes.
10 June 2015
