T he Hungarian Presidency’s Priorities in Cohesion and Regional Policy

1. Ministry of National Development The Hungarian Presidency’s Priorities in Cohesion and Regional Policy Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Unionfrom 1st January to 30th June 2011

2. A new Cohesion Policy to meetthe challenges of a new decade Context • Cohesion policy is needed to meet these challenges in context of: • New EU budget post 2013 - discussions underway Cohesion Policy today = more than 1/3 of total EU budget • New EU goals - ambitious targets for 2020 to address new challenges • Massive economic, social & demographic upheavals in Europe over recent years

3. Impact of Cohesion Policy • Cohesion Policy has helped reducing economic, social & environmental disparities. • Cohesion Policy has benefited all regions through direct investments and indirect trade benefits. • Cohesion Policy supports investments in European priorities across the EU. • GDP per head 10% higher in poorest regions • Estimated 1.4 million jobs created across EU • Over 1.3 million SMEs received assistance • 4 700 km motorways and 1 200 km of high-speed rail built • 10 million people/ year participate in training and skills projects • Modernised waste water treatment for an additional 23 million people, access to clean water for an additional 20 million

4. Future of cohesion policy Overall aims • To improve visibility, transparency as well as to stress efficient and effective nature of Cohesion Policy • To strengthen Cohesion Policy on political level, due to particular relationship between Cohesion Policy and EU 2020 • Issues to be solved: • Lack of focus on priorities and quantified targets • Preoccupation with absorption • Complexity of delivery and administrative burden • Lack of administrative capacity to deliver the policy effectively • Challenges related to attaining reasonable assurance

5. Future of cohesion policy • MEANS of realizing overall and specific objectives • To underline the importance of Cohesion Policy at several forae.g. joint press event in January (Commissioner Hahn) • To place Cohesion Policy on the Agenda on the General Affairs Council (21st February 2011), to adopt Council Conclusions as well as to encourage orientation debate on political level • To have thematic discussions on key issues in SAWP and at academic and expert levels and to channel the outcomes into a political level debate of the ministers responsible • To provide a Presidency summary as input for the debate on the legislative package • To involve relevant stakeholders in the debate (European Parliament, European Commission, Member States, regional and local players)

6. The Revision of the Territorial Agenda Background: • Territorial Agenda 2007 (TA) evaluation and revision in 2011 (Art. 45.) • Territorial State and Perspectives of the EU (TSP)  updating before the TA review • Responsible: Hungarian Presidency • Process: • Evident based Evaluation (TSP) • Evaluation of frameworks and changing context • New Themes • Themes, which have to change • Irrelevant Themes • Experiences with the implementation of TA2007 • In the Memberstates • In the European Institutions

7. Changing policy context Most important milestones • Lisbon Treaty: territorial cohesion as third objective of EU • Shared competence between the EU and Memberstates • Discussions on the future of Cohesion Policy • territorial cohesion is an integral part of the Cohesion Policy • Europe 2020 Strategy • A vision of the European social market-economy of the 21st century

8. Priorities • Supporting polycentric territorial development • Integral development, strengthening partnership and cooperation between urban and rural territories • Improving territorial connectivity for individuals, communities and enterprises • Territorial integration in cross-border, transnational functional regions • Ensuring global and local competitiveness based on strong local economies • Connected ecological structures and diverse cultural networks, joint risk management

9. Implementation of the TAEU Thinking of different level • Important Conclusions of the Evaluation: Problems with the Implementation! • Recommendations for Sector policies • Territorial Cohesion in the EU level • Cross-boarder, transnational and interregional level • Memberstates Complex integrated development program with multilevel and multisectoral Implementation! *from Dr. Kai Böhme

10. Hungarian Presidency Events

11. Thank you for your attention!