Kirja edastamine

Mr Jürgen LIGI

Minister of Finance

Estonia

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Raffaele FITTO

Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms

Brussels, 13 December 2024

Dear Minister,

It is with great pleasure that I write to you, as a newly appointed Executive Vice President

for cohesion and reforms.

I took up my duties with a strong commitment to fulfil, together with Member States, the

mission I have been entrusted for the next five years. My task will be to ensure that the EU

continues to support long-lasting reforms and investments that directly contribute to

strengthening European growth. People in Europe’s regions – whether in cities, coastal

communities or rural areas – must have real opportunities to drive growth and productivity

across Europe. I will work to ensure that Europe invests in and supports Member States,

regions, local authorities and people in view of achieving upward economic and social

convergence across the EU and that all citizens have an effective right to stay in the place

they call home.

To this end, I consider it crucial to pay particular attention to dialogue with stakeholders

and the involvement of regional and local authorities. It is also essential to mobilise our

policies in key sectors for many of our regions. As part of my mission, I will work to

strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the food and farming sector,

and guide the work on sustainable mobility and tourism. I will also help ensure our fisheries

sector becomes more resilient, sustainable and competitive in the global market and guide

the work on boosting a competitive and sustainable blue economy.

Your role as Ministers is crucial in all these aspects. I am well aware of this given my

previous experiences of Governor of Puglia, a region strongly beneficiary of cohesion

policy, of Minister for Cohesion and European affairs, as a member of both the European

Parliament and the Committee of the Regions. Hence, I look forward to collaborating with

all of you to ensure the full and effective implementation of Cohesion policies, the RRF

and NextGenerationEU.

Since the 2021-2027 programmes were agreed with the Commission, absorption of

cohesion funding has started but is progressing slowly in most Member States, while the

EU has experienced turbulent changes. The upcoming mid-term review of cohesion policy

programmes offers the opportunity to review the plans to ensure that funding is absorbed

more rapidly while being focused on the most pressing priorities. This should also include

a focus on the key initiatives put forward by President Von der Leyen in her Political

Guidelines, such as the EU Agenda for Cities, access to affordable housing, and the New

European Bauhaus.

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I look forward to meeting you personally in the coming weeks to discuss how the mid-

term review specifically, and the cohesion policy funding more generally, could be better

aligned to the new and growing needs of a changed world, while also improving the quality

and speed of cohesion policy spending. In the meantime, my services are ready to engage

and help you develop programme amendments to align with the above priorities.

As concerns the organisation of a meeting, please be so kind to contact the office of my

Head of Cabinet, Mr. Vincenzo Matano (email: [email protected], Tel.

+32 229-86597).

Yours faithfully,

Raffaele FITTO

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Tiiu Noobel

From: TAVERNIER Marie <[email protected]> on behalf of MATANO Vincenzo <[email protected]>

Sent: reede, 13. detsember 2024 18:39 To: Esindus EL juures üldaadress Subject: Letter from EVP Fitto to Minister Jurgen Ligi, EE Attachments: Transition note_Estonia.pdf; 02_EE_Letter EVP Fitto.pdf

Dear Sir, Madame, Please find a ached a le er from the Execu ve Vice president of European Commission, On. Raffaele Fi o, addressed to Minister Jürgen Ligi, with a transmission note signed by his Head of Cabinet, Mr Vincenzo Matano to the kind a en on of H. E. Ambassador Kyllike SILLASTE-ELLING. We would be sincerely grateful for acknowledging receipt and ensuring delivery. With best regards, Marie Tavernier Assistant to Head of Cabinet Vincenzo Matano

European Commission Cabinet of Raffaele Fi o Execu ve Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms BERL 11/195 B-1049 Brussels/Belgium +32 2 29 13 606 +32 497 45 27 16 [email protected]

Rue Guimard 11/13 1040 Brussels Tel: +32 2 227 39 10 [email protected] https://eu.mfa.ee

Jürgen Ligi

Rahandusminister

Rahandusministeerium

16.12.2024 nr 10.1-13/1294-1

Austatud minister

Edastame Teile Euroopa Komisjoni asepresidendi Raffaele Fitto 13.12.2024 kirja.

Lugupidamisega

Kyllike Sillaste-Elling

Alaline esindaja

Tiiu Noobel +32 2227 4337 [email protected]