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| Visit by José Manuel Barroso to Bratislava |
| Bratislava, 05.10.2012 |
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| The meeting of the heads of governments of the EU Member States associated in the informal group of Friends of Cohesion and Croatia as an acceding country will take place in Bratislava on Friday 5 October 2012. The meeting is aimed to create an effective pressure not to decrease the amount of funds for the cohesion policy (structural funds and the Cohesion Fund) for the elimination of regional disparities. This happens at a time when negotiations on the multiannual EU budget for the years 2014-2020 are entering a decisive phase during the Presidency of Cyprus in the Council of the European Union.
The meeting of Prime Ministers in Bratislava will take place at the initiative of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and is a follow-up on a previous first meeting in this format, which was held in Bucharest on 1 June 2012. European Parliament President Martin Schulz, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski will support the meeting in Bratislava by their presence.
For the majority of EU Member States, maintaining the cohesion policy is an essential prerequisite for growth and jobs. Slovakia has actively been supporting cooperation of the Friends of Cohesion with the ambition to promote the continuation of a strong cohesion policy. That’s why representatives of 15 EU Member States and Croatia will adopt a joint declaration at the summit in Bratislava to the effect that during the crisis – and now more than ever – the European Union needs to mobilise all the instruments that will enhance economic growth, job creation and competitiveness.
Slovakia considers the common EU budget as an important tool in dealing with a difficult economic situation. In addition to efforts at the national level and the improvement of public finances, it is necessary to involve all available resources at the EU level in order to successfully tackle the crisis and support economic growth. Slovakia shall endeavour to reach agreement on the multiannual EU budget by the end of this year, because otherwise drawing funds from 1 January 2014 would be at risk.
The Friends of Cohesion Group formed seven years ago, during the negotiations about the previous multiannual EU budget for 2007-2013, in order to coordinate the positions of countries that are the main beneficiaries of the cohesion policy. The Group consists of 15 Member States: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Croatia, whose accession to the EU is expected to be 1 July 2013, after the ratification of the Accession Treaty by all member countries of the Union, cooperates closely with the Group.
Press and Information Department
Government Office of the SR |
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Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
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