“Cohesion funding is vital for many of the regions and Member States still rebuilding their economies after communism."

Speaking after the European Commission released their proposals for Cohesion Policy under the EU’s next MFF, ECR Group regional development coordinator Ruža Tomašić said:

“Cohesion funding is vital for many of the regions and Member States still rebuilding their economies after communism.

“We are all aware of the challenges under the next EU budget. The best way forward is to redirect cohesion money towards those countries that genuinely require structural spending. The Commission also needs to remember that not all post-communist countries joined at the same time – those joining later have therefore not had the same amount of time to benefit from EU support.

“One thing must be clear: the cohesion budget should not be used to bribe countries into taking asylum seekers or to try and punish the actions of Member States.”