Evgeni Kirilov (S&D). - Mr President, let me commend the efforts of our rapporteurs, Mrs Krehl and Mr van Nistelrooij, and the whole negotiating team for their hard work and persistence in their negotiations with the Council and the Commission. As a result of this, cohesion policy legislation for the next period seems to be fairer and less complicated, thanks to Parliament’s role. Yes, there are critical points but I feel that we have reached the optimal result at this stage and should support it.

The input of cohesion policy is priceless for the less-developed European regions and highly beneficial for our citizens. However in order to achieve tangible results, it is necessary for all stakeholders at all levels to work in partnership. That is why I call on the Member States and the relevant authorities to draw up suitable programming documents and rules allowing timely and smooth implementation of the projects, better spending and the reaching of policy objectives. We should look into the future and we should rely on our efforts to control the whole process.