Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans has welcomed today's (Wednesday) National Assembly report on the future of the European Union's cohesion policy calling it, "a boost to the campaign to retain European regional funding."
The report states clearly that Wales will continue to need more support from European structural funds when the next funding round starts in 2013.
Published by the Assembly’s European and External Affairs Committee, the report backs an EU wide cohesion policy that gives continued support on the basis of need and transitional support for those parts of Europe moving out of the lowest levels of poverty. It also ‘utterly rejects’ the idea of ‘renationalisation’ of cohesion policy, or in other words, giving funding responsibility back to the member state.
Jill Evans MEP said,
“Plaid Cymru has a long track record of fighting for European funding for Wales and I will continue to champion our cause in the European parliament.
"European regional money has been essential to Wales because it is targeted at areas of poverty. But the hundreds of millions of pounds we have received already were not used wisely early on in the programme. It is shocking that West Wales and the Valleys could qualify for European money again because we still have some of the poorest areas in the whole of Europe. But that is how it looks at the moment so my main concern is getting the best deal for Wales and, if we qualify, ensuring we get the maximum amount of funding possible.
"I'm pleased that this time we have the support of the Assembly government. What I do regret is that we have to fight once again for what should be rightfully ours in Wales. We need fair funding for our communities and that includes European funding."
Diwedd/Ends.
