In a letter published in Brussels newspaper European Voice, European ministers said that cohesion funds can be brought to bear to spur investment and development in all of the EU, which is now searching for instruments to overcome the debt crisis.
"Let us be clear: cohesion policy is not charity. While it helps poorer regions, more developed countries in Europe are beneficiaries of the knock-on effects. Growth in poorer regions leads to increased demand for products and services in the EU's paymaster countries, increasing profits and wages there," reads the public letter.
Among signatories of the letter are Lithuania's Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis and his counterparts from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Portugal and Hungary.
According to the letter, as Europe is on the brink of a double-dip recession, there has rightly been an increasingly loud call from financial markets and economists for a renewed focus on jobs and growth but much of that analysis is presented as a false choice – the European Union must decide between growth and austerity.
In ministers' words, countries often understand that the EU already has a tool to promote creation of jobs – the cohesion funds. In their opinion, they can prevent emergence of bigger disparity between Europe's North and South.
"Cohesion policy has not been a panacea. Also, better use of funds is essential. There are cases of misspending, inefficiency and outright abuse. But those exceptions are not a reason to cut the program, particularly at a time of economic difficulty," reads the letter.
The ministers urged to focus the policy's resources upon underdeveloped regions, simplify the use of funds and not place excessive co-financing burdens upon the poorer countries, as they already incurred extensive economic losses.
Lithuania has already criticized the European Commission's (EC) proposals to the cohesion policy after 2014. Together with the other Baltic states, Lithuania objects the proposition to restrict the level of structural assistance to 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Lithuanian officials say that the rigid austerity measures pulled down Lithuania's GDP considerably during the crisis, therefore, the ceiling would be unfair, especially considering Lithuania's successful use of the EU assistance.
