Portugal’s secretary of state for planning and regional development has said “the country cannot accept” a reduction in funding for cohesion and agriculture that exceeds the European Union average in the next European financial framework.
“As a country that benefits from cohesion policy, our country cannot accept that the cut it will face in the areas of cohesion and agriculture should be greater than the European Union average,” said Hélder Reis at the close of a conference dedicated to the European Union’s future multiannual financial framework.
Throughout Wednesday afternoon, the city of Pombal hosted the conference «The Next Multiannual Financial Framework: The Future of Cohesion Policy», an initiative organised by the National Association of Portuguese Local Authorities (ANMP) which analysed the forthcoming long-term budget (2028–2034) and Cohesion Policy funds.
In his speech, which lasted over 30 minutes, Reis said the proposal currently under discussion for the next European financial framework points to a real reduction of 17.4% in the funds allocated to Portugal in the areas of cohesion and agriculture – exceeding the average cut of 12.5% forecast for the European Union as a whole.
“We accept a reduction because Europe must prioritise defence, but what we cannot accept is that the impact on Portugal should be more severe than the European average,” he stressed.
In Reis’s view, it is essential that the burden be shared fairly amongst the member states.
“We must fight to ensure that what we end up with is no worse than what other countries – which are not cohesion countries – end up with,” he said.
As he concluded his speech, Reis also took the opportunity to highlight the role played by local authorities in the country’s development over the last 50 years, noting that municipalities and parishes have been instrumental in improving the conditions of the population, modernising infrastructure and promoting territorial cohesion.
Despite the progress made, he referred to regional disparities that persist, including depopulation of inland areas, an ageing population and the difficulty in attracting investment and businesses to low-density areas.
“These are some of the challenges that they still face, that we still face, and where central and local government must, together, devise public policies – sector-specific and regionally focused – that will help to mitigate these disparities.”
According to the government official, the role of local government remains central, with local authorities “at the forefront of public action, whether in promoting environmental sustainability, supporting the most vulnerable, or creating the conditions for innovation and local entrepreneurship.
“The future of regional development in Portugal inevitably depends on strong, capable and innovative local authorities. Local authorities that continue to be the voice of communities, the promoters of opportunities and the guarantors of a more balanced and inclusive region,” he concluded.
The speech was a reminder that the ‘golden’ years of the PRR have well and truly come to an end (the Plan for Recovery and Resilience closes in August) – and, once again, Portugal will be left having to ‘fight its corner’ when it comes to increasingly restricted European funding.
Source: LUSA