Regional Policy

The European Commission will do everything possible to help the member states have as high as possible rate of the EU funds absorption by the end of next year, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu said on Thursday, adding the legislation does not for the moment allow extending the time by which the money may be spent.

The European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday elected S&D MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu as its Vice President replacing Corina Cretu, who left to join the European Commission, informs a release of the EP.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu announced on Friday after a meeting with deputy prime minister Liviu Dragnea, minister of Regional Development that specialists of the EC will come next Monday to Bucharest to help implementing the operational programmes from European funds.

BRUSSELS - European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn announced on Friday an aid package worth nearly EUR 80 million for flood recovery in Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria, out of which three-quarters will go to Serbia as the worst-affected.

The European Commission expressed its willingness to restart payments on the European programmes as soon as possible, said the press office of Bulgaria's Government in a statement. 

This became clear at a meeting of Bulgaria's caretaker deputy PM Iliana Tsanova and  the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn in Brussels. 

Ekaterina Zaharieva, interim Deputy Prime Minister on economic development, is due to hold talks with European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn in Brussels.

The European Commission has adopted a Partnership Agreement with Romania paving the way for investing EUR 23 B in total Cohesion Policy funding in the country over 2014-2020.

EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, has announced that the Partnership Agreement between Bulgaria and the European Commission is to be signed very soon.

The European Commission temporarily suspended payments to Bulgaria on the Operational Programme for Regional Development, report the Bulgarian-language media. 

The letter from the EC, notifying the Bulgarian authorities on this, has been sent on Tuesday afternoon, according to Shirin Wheeler, spokesperson of the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn. 

BELGRADE - European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn said in Belgrade Saturday that the EU treats Serbia as a member state and will do anything to show that and help Serbia in the difficult situation caused by the recent heavy flooding in the country.