Brussels – Juraj Droba, chairman of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region (BSK) and head of the Slovak delegation, emphasized the need for the EU’s cohesion policy to be directly connected to enhancing competitiveness during the October plenary session of the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
Juraj Droba addressed the assembly on behalf of Marcos Marsilia, chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group within the Committee of the Regions, at the start of Regions Week. “I articulated a vision linking cohesion policy to competitiveness and stressed the importance of involving local and regional governments in EU funding decisions. This process has become overly centralized, and we are pushing back against it,” he explained.
He insisted that regional representatives want decisions to be made at the lowest possible level rather than from a distant government office. His remarks resonated strongly, highlighting a significant issue affecting all regions within EU member states.
During the afternoon plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, participants also discussed how the Committee of the Regions can effectively advocate for regional interests in the upcoming long-term EU budget for 2028 – 2034 and resource allocation for various policies and programs.
In this regard, Droba revealed that he was appointed as the rapporteur for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) on Monday, a program that finances the preparation and implementation of projects of mutual interest under the Trans-European Networks (TEN-T) policy across transport, energy, telecommunications, and digitalization sectors.
CEF will provide EU countries with 83 billion euros
“This anticipates 83 billion euros to be distributed soon. I have about seven months to prepare this opinion and will present it next May at the following plenary session for a vote,” he noted. He clarified that this funding will facilitate improvements in transport, energy, and digital infrastructure, particularly benefiting Slovakia in modernizing its railways and developing highways. (October 14)
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