What does the Presidency mean for the Czech Republic, what is our role and what are our goals for Cohesion Policy?
For six months, the Czech Republic will run European meetings and create compromises and agreements among Member States, a role known as an honest broker - an honest distributor of information among all players while maintaining neutrality of a presiding Member State. But if we are to be neutral, can we enforce or change anything? We can, because it will be us who will organise and plan the meetings, prioritise the agenda, negotiate, represent the EU Council and communicate in general.
Now, the Czech Republic is in a different position than when it presided the EU in 2009. We are not a newcomer - not when it comes to the Presidency, nor Cohesion Policy. We have years of experience of project planning, managing and closing. We have gone through the economic and pandemic crises with Cohesion Policy proving itself as a fast and effective tool. It is also proving itself now as a flexible and indispensable mechanism that helps to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Last but not least, Cohesion Policy will play a key role in meeting the goals of European Green Deal and other critical areas, such as digitalisation or the transition of coal regions. We aim to present Cohesion Policy as a long-lasting, flexible and modern EU policy of great importance.
The Czech Republic sees Cohesion Policy as a key investment policy. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain it in the future as well. It is a key instrument not only for reducing disparities among regions, but also for digital and green investments, which are becoming a priority in the EU.
What negotiations are ahead of us?
In the course of the Czech Presidency, discussions will include the direction of Cohesion Policy after 2027, negotiating amendment of existing legislation, special reports of the European Court of Auditors, or other EC initiatives related to Cohesion Policy and the agenda connected to the regional and urban development. Given the current political situation, discussions about the impacts of war in Ukraine must also be taken into consideration.
The political debate about the future of Cohesion Policy will also touch on tools of Just Transition, Green Deal for Europe and Recovery and Resilience Facility, which should result in the preparation of the Council conclusions regarding Cohesion Policy and their approval at GAC Cohesion in November 2022.
Advocating for Cohesion Policy: The Czech Republic is the only classic cohesion country of the Presidency TRIO, which allows us to use specific examples to demonstrate how Cohesion Policy contributes to increasing the citizens' standard of living and economic competitiveness. We would like to present our experience and benefits at events organised in the course of the Czech Presidency.
What does it mean for the citizens?
EU funds allow us to modernize hospitals and classrooms in every region. Firefighters, police officers and medical staff get new equipment. We are improving the environment by refreshing natural pools, returning rivers to their original riverbeds and investing in modern technologies reducing harmful emissions.
Projects financed from European funds allow us to modernize railways and transport terminals to make travelling faster and more comfortable, and build safe bypasses for cities. Thanks to EU funds, we modernise town squares and save cultural monuments.
In the course of the Czech Presidency, we want to launch debates about the future characteristics of European funds for the development and competitiveness of regions. We want to show their benefits and the significance for all regions, not only the poorest ones, so they can be still enjoyed in the upcoming years. Moreover, to negotiate the amendments to existing legislation to help mitigating the impacts of the current crisis produces by the war in Ukraine.