Pauk and Geblewicz: Cohesion Funds Must Recognize Regional Specificities

Ahead of the 7th Forum of Croatian and Polish Regions, which will be held from April 10 to 13 in Poreč, Goran Pauk, president of the Croatian Association of Counties, and Olgierd Geblewicz, president of the Association of Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland, discuss the importance of this regional cooperation.

The seventh Forum of Croatian and Polish Regions, which will take place from April 10 to 13 in Poreč, will be thematically dedicated to the strategic planning of the development of Croatian and Polish regions until 2030, balanced development with incentives in rural areas, and investments in the regions. Successful cooperation between Polish voivodeships and Croatian counties has been ongoing since 2011, and the Forum is an important part of that cooperation. Ahead of the Forum, we spoke with Goran Pauk, president of the Croatian Association of Counties and Šibenik-Knin County prefect, and Olgierd Geblewicz, president of the Association of Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland and West Pomeranian Voivodeship prefect.

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• Are Polish and Croatian regions preparing for the new financial perspective that follows after 2020? We know that Polish voivodeships have drawn more than 82 billion euros of European money under the European Cohesion Policy.

Pauk: – Balanced regional development is a goal we set long ago, and with the help of regional development agencies, or regional coordinators, we are slowly achieving it. Their task is to draw more money from EU funds, with an emphasis on improving cooperation and effectively preparing projects at the regional level. In addition, the initiative to involve counties in negotiations with the Union has borne fruit, and the Croatian government has recognized us as partners in programming operational programs. We participate in the Working Group at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds in preparing operational programs for the next financial perspective, and I can responsibly say that no one except us who work in the field knows the real needs of our people.

Geblewicz: – The purpose of cohesion policy is to eliminate economic, social, and territorial disparities across Europe. With the idea of a common market, we strive to achieve the competitiveness of the European Union on a global level, and therefore EU money should be used for the development and strengthening of regions. It is most important that cohesion policy recognizes the specificities of the regions to which the money is intended and strengthens the territorial dimension by increasing the effectiveness of interventions. With two financial envelopes, the most has been invested in research, innovative entrepreneurship, transport, renewable energy sources, and environmental protection in Poland, and we will continue in that direction.

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• How should the strategic goals for regional development be defined?

Pauk: – In a similar way to how it has been done in Poland, primarily by recognizing the importance that local and regional self-government has in the development of the country and their inclusion in the planning of tenders and operational programs. Cohesion policy is the most important European policy for us because its three pillars – convergence, competitiveness, and employment, as well as European territorial cooperation, lead to reducing disparities between regions and creating a competitive European economy.

Geblewicz: – The goals of regional development in the context of EU funds should be closely linked to European, national, and regional strategic documents that are mutually consistent and form a common vision. It is most important that the strategic goals of regional development ensure a sustainable and adaptable investment framework that supports development in the long term without losing the territorial dimension, as it leads to thematically integrated and spatially oriented utilization of EU money. In addition, it allows for the application of the principle of subsidiarity and reducing the distance between the European Union and its citizens.

• Representatives of Croatian and Polish regions will meet for the seventh time in April in Poreč. Why is this forum important?

Pauk: – We have been cooperating with Poland for years in various segments, and we nurture and develop that cooperation into a true friendship. At one of the meetings, they told us that when we entered the EU, they viewed us as a little brother who needed to be held by the hand and guided, but that the situation is now changing. We are aware of the difficulties we have faced since joining the EU, but we can and want to use this opportunity to influence cohesion policy in the financial perspective after 2020. That is precisely why we eagerly await meetings with the Poles to learn from examples of good practice, aware that models cannot be transferred from country to country, but seeking inspiration for some new, our models. We will discuss strategic planning for regional development until 2030, developing rural areas, investments, and education and culture in the regions.

Geblewicz: – The exchange of experiences, good practices, and new European policies is certainly beneficial for both sides, and the Forum brings us new opportunities to learn from each other every year. Both voivodeships and counties face different challenges but strive for the same goal, which is regional development.