EU urged to move faster on regional plans

National governments have failed to tell Brussels how they intend to use EU funding to boost growth and jobs in the regions, Danuta Hübner warned on Friday.

So far, only Austria and Latvia have transmitted their so-called cohesion policy plans to the commission, the regional policy chief commissioner said.

More than €350bn – or 35 per cent of the EU budget – will be available to member states between 2007-13 for projects designed to boost regional growth and prosperity, and time is rapidly running out for the remaining 25 member states to submit their proposals.

Each member state – including Romania and Bulgaria – is obliged to inform the commission of how it intends to spend the money, but Brussels has no final say in which projects should receive EU funding.

That task remains the responsibility of the national authorities – although some governments have devolved that responsibility on local and regional authorities, arguing that they are better placed to see where the money is needed most.

Under new rules, member states have been asked to link their cohesion policy expenditure to the broader Lisbon agenda goals of boosting jobs and growth.

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