For the first time, a regional Minister-President has appeared before the General Affairs Council of the European Union
On Tuesday, at the General Affairs Council of the European Union, Rudy Demotte presented the conclusions of the informal meeting of Ministers devoted to the Cohesion Policy, which was held in Liège last November.
This was a first: so far, no region ever had the opportunity to speak directly at the General Affairs Council. It was the credibility generated by the success of the meeting in Liège which allowed the Belgian Presidency to excel in this respect.
In the course of this meeting, Rudy Demotte took pains to present the results of the discussions among the representatives of the 27 Member States concerning the future of the Cohesion Policy.
Essentially, the Walloon Minister-President noted that the Member States had agreed on the following principles:
- all European regions should continue to benefit from Structural Fund interventions;
- a first step was made towards the establishment of a specific regime favouring regions in transition;
- another step was taken in the direction of greater accountability for the regions, reinforcing a results‑oriented approach.
Based on these conclusions, Rudy Demotte now hopes that the Council of the European Union will seize the issue of the future of Structural Funds in order not to reduce this policy to a purely financial matter – as happens all too often. The Walloon Minister-President strongly encourages the future Hungarian Presidency to ensure this.
