The Province of Friesland reportedly wants to apply for around 130 million euros of EU funding
Translated by Thomas Ansell
The Frisian National Party (FNP) wants the Province of Friesland to open a Europe Direct information point- which helps EU citizens, organisations, and companies take part in EU initiatives, including large amounts of funding. The FNP says that such an office would help the Province in obtaining the 130 million euros of funding that it wants. As reported by the Omrop Fryslân.
The European Commission is currently opening a series of new Europe Direct offices across the Netherlands, as up until now there was only a small number of the information points. One of the aims of the Commission is having a Europe Direct office in each of the twelve Dutch provinces.
Each Europe Direct office works as both an information centre and a place where people, companies, and organisations can find out about EU schemes. FNP member of the Friesland Provincial assembly Sybren Posthumus says: “with an eye on Friesland’s ambitions to bring in about 130 million euros of subsidies from Brussels for projects here, the FNP thinks that a Europe Direct office is a must.”
The new office could work to strengthen the existing ‘Europe Ready Fryslân’ network that’s already active in the Province. A Europe Direct office previously sat in Leeuwarden, but its activities were condensed into the Groningen office a few years ago.
The FNP also adds that during the Coronavirus pandemic it is more difficult to work with people in Brussels directly, and so put forward initiatives and projects in the Province that the EU could help with. A new Europe Direct office could bring the EU to Friesland, and mitigate the problem.
Image via Flickr user European Parliament. License here.