During the 127th plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, members held a debate with the Portuguese Prime Minister Mr António Costa on the future of Europe. The EA group was represented by its 1st vice president ad Gdynia City Councilor Mr Stanisław Szwabski who highlighted the importance of the European Investment Plan (EIP) for growth and development and stressed that the EIP has triggered €225 billion worth of investment and granted loans to 450,000 small firms and more than 270 infrastructure projects so far.
Mr Szwabski said that "Brexit cannot and should not define our engagement in the Future of Europe debate. That said, there is no getting away from the fact that an EU without the UK will have an effect on the political dynamics within the EU and its budget. But we should ensure that the EU budget is at least as ambitious as in this period. Local and regional authorities have important powers and competences in policy areas such as research and innovation, education and skills, export support, infrastructure, SMEs and regulation and they must be involved in decisions on strategic areas where it is important to screen foreign direct investment."
He added that, in order to preserve social harmony, "endogenous growth must be possible everywhere so that all regions – including rural areas – can participate in value creation and have the opportunity to create and retain skilled local jobs" and supported the strategic objective of industry making up 20% of GDP as of 2020.
Mr Szwabski also called for more attention to be put on students and pupils who don't have the right attitudes "to face volatile job markets and fast changing societies" as recently remarked by EU education commissioner Tibor Navracsics. "Our educational systems are not adapted to the new reality and children should have at least one entrepreneurial experience before they leave compulsory education," Mr Szwabski stressed.
Mr Kieran McCarthy from the Cork City Council also took part in the debate, stressing in particular the uneven recovery from the crisis across the EU. "The deepening of the economic and monetary union is a key source of worry for EU citizens. All citizens have made sacrifices in their weekly budget. All local and regional authorities have been affected and have suffered cuts. As we emerge into a new space of economic recovery, it is clear that the recovery is spread unevenly. Most noticeably, there is a concentration of recovery in the capital cities with large scale de-population of rural areas as a result. The recovery needs to be spread evenly and should be for everyone", concluded Mr McCarthy.
