Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant endorsed a resolution at the European Parliament which calls for greater account of certain specific territorial characteristics, such as island and peripheral regions in the EU. Dr Sant voted in favour of the Resolution which proposes the strengthening of economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU.

Sant said he agreed with the importance of creating tailor-made strategies, programmes, and actions for different regions in the EU while exploring the possible launch of new specific agendas. While preparing for the place of cohesion policy within the next ‘Multiannual Financial Framework’, the priority should remain that no region or community in Europe is left behind the others.

“Significantly, the Resolution also recognises that to meet challenges to achieve socioeconomic cohesion across all EU regions, it is necessary to take into account indicators complementary to per capita GDP for the allocation of funds.”

Sant said EU citizens should benefit from such a growth through quality jobs, a tailor-made EU policy for education, and a growth that guarantees basic services such as transport and energy. This Resolution, he said,  recognises that the priority focus should remain to obtain environmentally friendly growth, based on both public and private investment.

The EP Resolution followed the Commission's Seventh Cohesion Report published on 9 October 2017, a few months before its proposal on the next Multiannual Financial Framework. In this report the European Parliament outlines its own ideas just before the presentation of the new MFF proposition on 2 May 2018, and the new Cohesion Policy regulation on 29 May 2018.

The Resolution was approved with 506 voting in favour, 71 against and 45 abstentions.