GUE/NGL MEPs on the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) met with EU Commissioner Corina Crețu on Tuesday for an informal exchange of views.

This is set to be a crucial year for the future of the cohesion policy with EU institutions likely to take up their early positions on several aspects of this policy.

Tuesday’s informal meeting thus served as an opportunity for GUE/NGL MEPs on the committee – headed by Younous Omarjee, first Vice-Chair of the Committee, Martina Michels, Dimitrios Papadimoulis and Martina Anderson – to express the group’s views and concerns about the cohesion policy.

In addition, they relayed to Commissioner Crețu how strongly GUE/NGL believes it should be reinforced as a tool of European solidarity, with Omarjee commenting:

“With the threats to weaken the EU becoming serious, a strong cohesion policy is needed more than ever.”