14
Mar
2024
Watch
Cohesion policy 2014-2020 – implementation and outcomes in the Member States (A9-0049/2024 - Andrey Novakov)
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I voted in favour of this resolution, but I cannot help but point out those national practices which effectively nullify the effectiveness of cohesion policies at territorial level. Why has Germany narrowed the gap between East and West? Why has cohesion policy worked in other EU countries, while southern Italy is increasingly moving away from European standards? And then I will never tire of repeating that, if on the one hand, European funds are allocated to the most difficult territories, on the other hand, Italian governments have always taken away ordinary resources, nullifying any cohesion policy. First, the government will halve your staff. the regions and municipalities are therefore unable to absorb European funds; At that point the government says that you are incapable and implements the replacement power with the side projects, which transform the resources destined for the South into resources spread throughout the national territory. We say that we must restore the criterion of additionality of European resources and introduce a territorial constraint that must be enforced directly by the European Commission, because Italian governments can no longer be trusted.