The Provincial Council of Almería has backed in Brussels the common European front that urges the European Parliament to give the green light to the ERDF amendment, with the aim of intermediate governments having greater direct management capacity of European funds within the negotiations of the next community financial framework after 2027.
In this meeting, territorial administrations have sent a joint message about the future of the European Union's Cohesion Policy, emphasizing that "it is impossible to build a strong Europe by leaving aside the administrations that best know the day-to-day lives of citizens," as the provincial institution has stated in a press release.
The Provincial Council of Almería participated in the European Summit of Intermediate Local Authorities through a delegation made up of the Deputy for European Funds Acquisition, José Juan Martínez, and the Deputy for Tourism, María José Herrada.
At the meeting, the axes of this territorial front were detailed, which calls for a "shield for the rural world," highlights "the technical capacity of local governments to undertake projects," and opts for "efficiency over bureaucracy so that giving more voice to the provinces does not mean a greater administrative burden."
The session concluded with an express request to the European Parliament to ratify the amendment to the ERDF regulation, recently approved by the European Committee of the Regions.
With this initiative, the provinces intend to "safeguard the principle of partnership and ensure their right to design, monitor, and select European projects directly from the territories that need them most."