Representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States confirmed the role of the Cohesion Policy as a key investment instrument in Europe

“The Cohesion Policy of the European Union is a key policy to every Member State, but it is also an important topic for the Bulgarian Presidency because of its direct impact on the future development of the Western Balkans.” This was stated by the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in Sofia at the High Level Conference dedicated to the future of the Cohesion Policy and its priorities for financing in the next programming period. The Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Günther Oettinger, representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament, members of the European Committee of Regions, ministers from the Member States, etc. took part in the discussions. They all agreed that the efforts to increase the competitiveness of the EU and to reduce the disparities in the development of the European regions have to continue and that the Cohesion Policy should maintain its role as a key investment policy of the Union.

Prime Minister Borissov underlined that only integration can ensure stability in the region and that one of the important dimensions of convergence are the improved infrastructure and cooperation for energy and digital connectivity.

The Cohesion Policy conference, held as part of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, is the first high level event, which provides a platform to discuss the proposed budgetary and legislative packages for the 2021–2027 programming period. „Our goal during the next year is to find a balance between the potential budget restrictions and the need to continue to grow and develop“, stated Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev. According to him „If we want to have a strong Union, the Cohesion Policy should find a compromise between the new challenges and the traditional priorities of the EU so that there is a balance in financing reforms and at the same time to keep the level of investments which prevent the risk for marginalisation of the poorest regions.“