Examination of Witnesses (Questions 380-381)
Professor Danuta Hübner
6 MARCH 2008
Q380 Lord Kerr of Kinlochard: Supposing
there were not any Structural Funds and you arrived and there
was a decision that there should be Structural Funds, there should
be Regional, Cohesion and Social Funds, and you had the job of
doing it from scratch, like George Thomson 35 years ago, would
you construct exactly what there is now or how would you do it
differently?
Professor Hübner: I would probably keep
some things and I would change some things because the world is
changing. As you know, Lord Kerr, the history of Europe is that
this is a policy that has been evolving over time. We did not
discuss the issue of policy as allowing for internal market development
but it is helping the poorer to participate in the benefits of
integration that otherwise would be beyond their capacity and
there is this additional function of the policy. I must tell you
that very often on the ground we are the first group of people
coming to check the transposition of European law, especially
for procurement. There is a very tough conditionality with this
policy which some people say is the only effective conditionality
across the world. We are also exporting that to China and Russia.
We have signed Memorandums of Understanding with Brazil, China,
the West African Union and also Mercosur because they want to
follow the European example. We have had a lot of exchanges and
working together. I would certainly change the system in relation
to bureaucracy. This is something where we have to be really innovative
and think how we can protect the budget, which is one function,
and the other one is to contribute to growth and how to reduce
the cost of this policy. Do not ask me how I would do it and it
would not be accepted by anybody if I had my way. I would probably
change this. Incidentally, I would keep this policy for all the
regions. I travel a lot and have visited 60-something per cent
of the regions so far and I see the value of this policy on the
ground. Today people do not want to be informed, they want to
be involved in things and this policy gives them the chance to
be involved. It triggers innovative approaches to many, many things.
I probably should not say it here because one should not praise
the UK too much in this room, but the inspiration we get from
the UK on financial engineering and the approach to many, many
projects which you would never expect to find on the Continent
because of differences in economic culture is really very inspiring.
Learning from others, which I do taking examples from one region
to another, is something that this policy is bringing in terms
of change to the European economy.
Q381 Chairman: Thank you very much,
Commissioner, that was enormously helpful. I am very grateful
to you for receiving us. I would ask one favour. Could I have
a copy of your survey on the approval ratings of the policy because
it is particularly important to know that in the United Kingdom?
Professor Hübner: Yes.
Chairman: Thank you very much.
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