Sixteen member states of the European Union, including Greece, are forming a common front to prevent the so-called “frugal” states from redirecting funds poured into traditional policies to new key priorities, such as defense and competitiveness, Kathimerini understands.
The issue is expected to be on the agenda of Tuesday’s General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels, where European Affairs ministers will discuss the EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2028–2034, and prepare the June European Council.
The so-called “Friends of Cohesion,” which also includes Italy, Poland, Portugal and other countries of southern and eastern Europe, have co-signed a non-paper which reiterates their concern that the European Commission is attempting to reallocate resources from the Cohesion Policy – the EU’s primary investment strategy, aiming to reduce economic and social disparities across member states – and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), towards other priorities.
In the non-paper, seen by Kathimerini, the 16 countries are calling for an increase in national distribution of cohesion funds and insist that decisions on the allocation of resources should remain the responsibility of the member states and not be transferred to a more centralised management mechanism from Brussels. They also attach particular importance to maintaining favorable financing conditions, such as high pre-financing and co-financing rates.
