Talking Europe devotes a special programme to levelling up – efforts to reduce inequalities and disparities in the European Union. Featuring extracts from our own reporting from around the continent, we take a comprehensive view of the EU's cohesion policy with Elisa Ferreira, the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. Join us for this second part of the programme.
Speaking of disadvantaged communities, and the Roma people in particular, Ferreira says: "We have put a lot of pressure on at the European level, not only in the case of Romania, but also, for instance, in the case of Slovakia. These communities are very numerous in eastern countries in particular. We have kind of forced – well, maybe the word forced is too strong – we have asked these countries to have special approaches to the development of areas where these communities live. There are positive examples of integration; I visited one in Slovenia. But we still have to try to create an alternative future for these communities."
Asked about whether she expects to hear populist messages in the European elections about richer countries paying too much to support poorer ones, Ferreira responds: "The purpose is not to pay into the budget as much as you get out of it! Because if you do that, If the budget is not redistributive, then it doesn't make sense to have a budget. Rebalancing growth is a precondition for the internal market to function. This is not charity."
She continues: "Note that all regions receive cohesion funding. The richer regions receive it too. They get support for innovation projects, projects with research, projects that have a lot of added value. What matters is that all of us together develop a multipolar economy in which everyone has a place to play for common wealth."
Asked about rule-of-law issues in Poland and Hungary, which have held up some EU cohesion funding to those two countries, Ferreira states: "We are in permanent dialogue with Hungary and Poland. Hungary's 27 "super milestone" reforms are a work in progress. I hope the problems will be solved. But let me just pour cold water on the idea that there is a lot of fraud in European funding. That is not the case. We have found that fraud represents less than one percent of funding. And this is being criminally followed. When there is a suspected irregularity, the issue is sent to OLAF, the anti-corruption body, and it is investigated. In the case of Hungary, more than one billion [euros] were reimbursed to the European budget from the previous funding phase. We have got to abide by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and make sure that we can protect taxpayers' money in the budget."
