Brussels – Cohesion policies are at a crossroads, and the European Union must choose where to go. In terms of resources, procedures, and policy choices. “Cohesion funds are fundamental,” stresses Gianni Lorenzetti, president of the Union of Provinces of Tuscany (Upi), who, in the interview with Eunews, summarizes in a very significant way what is at stake for the post-2027 cycle. “You often throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they say. Here, we must try to throw out only the dirty water” and, in this task, European Commissioner Raffaele Fitto “can lend a hand. We need to convince the Europe of States to confirm the centrality of policies for territories, leaving them at the heart of agenda and decision-making because “we have differences not only between regions but also within the same region.”
Eunews: Germany is considering cutting cohesion funds due to a new need for defense investment and the inability to absorb resources. So argues Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Does the debate on the post-2027 cycle look bad?
Gianni Lorenzetti: “If you tell me that you are not able to absorb the resources, first of all, I would like to understand why you are not spending the money so we can solve the problem.
E: Is the problem the public administration, in your opinion?
G.L: “There is definitely a public administration problem. I’m thinking of the aging staff, the lack of IT people, the digital transformation. But the question remains: how to rebalance cohesion funds if they are not all spent.”
E: So, are Germany’s intentions a reason for concern?
G.L: “Of course we are concerned. We came to Brussels to better understand what direction we were going in, and to find remedies. The European Committee of the Regions represents us better than anyone else. It is the only instrument that brings us closer to the European Union. It seems to me that it is appreciated by the European Commission for its contribution to achieving the objectives given to us at the community level and spending the resources made available to the territories.”
E: Speaking of the Commission: Roberta Metsola has been re-elected president of Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen is close to reappointment. She is moving toward a new legislature ‘of continuity’ with the previous one. Does this help on the cohesion policy front?
G.L: “Continuity helps, in my opinion. Otherwise, we would have other orientations of a different kind. It is also true that we have a strongly renewed European Parliament. Standing firm in the defense of cohesion is central. So, continuity with this Commission certainly helps.
E: It seems, though, that the Cohesion Commissioner may disappear, with cohesion policies placed under the purview of the Budget Officer….
G.L: “There, that would be a very dangerous choice, which would mean getting cohesion out of the way. If you remove a Commissioner, then his cabinet and services also disappear. That’s why we came here to Brussels as a delegation, to put political pressure.”
E: To ask what?
G.L: “You see, on the one hand, we have concertation, which is a cohesion policy, and on the other, we have targets, which is the National Recovery Plan (NRRP). Do we really want to set cohesion on the NRRP model? Is that a useful approach? Frankly, the NRRP method does not seem to me to be the way.”
E: Raffaele Fitto’s name is circulating insistently for the role of Italian Commissioner. What about this way?
G.L: “Fitto can probably lend a hand. Due to his past, I think he cannot afford not to use cohesion funds.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
