n 2014, less developed states will have to comply with more stringent conditions if they receive money from rich countries with economies.
Representatives from most parts of the EU is in Brussels to explain the "new philosophy" of cohesion policy, namely the division of a quarter of the EU budget to cities, counties and villages of Europe.

Performance Bonus

In 2014, less developed states will have to meet strict conditions more and if they receive money from rich countries with economies - some before requesting funds on any project, and several others after related and how is driven from the country economically in question.

Thus, each Member State will assume a national target which will distribute the money from the EU. Do not touch? No more is allocated. Exceed? "There is a bonus of 5% for those areas of performance," said Ton van Lierop, spokesman for the Commissioner for Regional Policy. He added that there is no normal situation where some Member States are now where only permits for a large project takes two years. "They must change these things if they want to achieve their goal," said Lierop.

For the intermediate region?

Another puzzle was the representatives of European regions, "Why be a third category of regions' (most developed). More specifically, of what to draw money. Currently, there are two types of regions: convergence and competitiveness. Most money goes to the first, that EU funds should reach the next level. Since 2014, however, there are three such categories: less developed regions, intermediate regions and more developed. According to the Directorate for Regional Policy of the European Commission in Romania, Bucharest just out of reach convergence and the European regions developed category, which will mean that fewer will be able to access funds.

Do not invest in countries that go wrong

"But do not say anything about macroeconomic conditionality", asked yesterday the representative of Paris region. "To improve the effect of cohesion policy - which we see as an investment, if after several warnings and recommendations, things go all wrong in that country, must have can not invest there and, therefore, to suspend all five money funds, "explained yesterday the European Commission experts. According to them, such as was found so far in cohesion policy rules, only that it was not used again. Committee of the Regions announced that categorically oppose the suspension of EU funds to a country that has problems with the deficit.

The EU wants to give money

Romania still can and must solve, with EU money, basic problems such as running water provided jointly or regional roads. But the five funds will be financed from EU funds refocused priorities and especially to research, innovation and fostering entrepreneurs, areas for which, for example, Germany absorbs the most money.

Awards of Excellence awarded by the European Commission this year's successful EU regions concerned, for example, "promoting sustainable energy use in cities." Winner was a project called "cities in the sun", developed in the French-speaking Wallonia in southern Belgium, the region where it is dark nearly half the year. The project aimed to use solar panels to save energy. Another winning project, developed in the northern region of the Rhine, has funded the production of series of electric buses for public transport.

The best "wasteful" and best "donor"

Spain, one of the "good spenders" of EU funds, economic growth gained from the use of cohesion funds, but failed to reduce differences between rich and poor regions. He managed EU funds to build 1200 km of roads and highways we expanded high-speed train network with 850 km and 2600 km of renovated or built submarine pipeline. Germany, the largest contributor to EU cohesion policy, benefit less from them than other states with much less developed regions.

Condition

Member States will have to take national targets for budget European funds that want to receive it.