5.4.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 90/7 
Committee should be consulted when the assessment of 
methods and findings becomes possible. Only if it has 
been informed progressively and fully, will the 
Done at Brussels, 23 February 1983. 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the fourth paragraph of Article 20 of 
the Rules of Procedure conferring on it the right of 
initiative, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 
27 April 1982 instructing the Section for Regional 
Development to draw up an opinion on the ERDF's 
seventh annual report, 
Having regard to the delay in the submission of this 
report and the organization of Section work on 
12 November 1982 including the appointment of Mr 
Broicher as rapporteur, 
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Section 
for Regional Development at its meeting held on 
11 February 1983, 
Having regard to the discussions on 23 February 1983 
during the plenary session held on 23 and 24 February 
1983, Committee be able to assess the situation when the time 
comes for the final verdict on the experimental phase 
and the move to the operational phase. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois CEYRAC 
Whereas it was necessary to make the usual annual 
assessment of the activities of the ERDF, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. General comments 
1.1. Community regional policy and the economic 
situation 
1.1.1. 1981 saw a sharp rise in unemployment in the 
Community with the 10 million mark passed by the end 
of the year. Despite the hopes raised in the seventh 
annual report, unemployment increased in 1982 and 
will mount even further in 1983. Nor is it only the Opinion on the European Regional Development Fund's seventh annual report 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
At its 197th plenary session held on 28 and 29 April 1982 the Committee, acting on a 
proposal from the Bureau, decided to deliver an opinion on the abovementioned subject on 
its own initiative. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at is 205th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 23 and 24 February 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
No C 90/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 5. 4. 83 
problem areas that are suffering from the economic 
crisis and the serious rise in unemployment; even the 
more prosperous areas of the Community have been 
affected. This economic situation and the structural 
decline of certain industries has made it that much more 
difficult to iron out the major regional imbalances still 
existing in the Community. 
1.1.2. The economic decline of the relatively 
prosperous areas, combined with the budgetary 
problems of Member States and regional authorities, 
means that it is not going to be easy to make funds 
available for regional economic policy in the same way 
as before. However, steps must be taken to ensure that 
aid for the most disadvantaged regions is in no way 
jeopardized by the new aid needed to help regions 
affected by structural crises. Aid for the most 
disadvantaged regions in fact needs to be continued and 
expanded. 
1.1.3. In 1981 the funds available for the Community's 
regional policy were up 32 %, so such problems had 
not yet materialized. 
1.2. New ERDF developments 
1.2.1. In 1981 the European Commission presented 
new regional policy guidelines and priorities and 
submitted proposals on the revision of the ERDF 
Regulation. The Economic and Social Committee has 
already endorsed these proposals. It regrets that the 
Council has not yet taken a decision on these 
Commission proposals even though they were 
submitted more than a year ago. 
1.2.2. Funds from the quota-free section of the 
European Regional Development Fund were made 
available for the Community's regional policy for the 
first time in 1981. The Committee regrets, however, 
that only two out of the four programmes to be 
financed from this quota-free section had been started 
in 1982. 
1.3. Coordination between the Community's regional 
policy and other Community policies 
1.3.1. The annual report quite rightly points to the 
need for coordination with other Community policies 
(e.g. agricultural policy, social policy, measures in the 
steel and textile industries). The Committee would refer 
in this connection to its earlier opinions. 
1.3.2. Coordination is essential if measures taken in 
different fields are not to prejudice or neutralize each other. At the same time, it needs to be remembered that 
a healthy economic development of the regions is, in the 
long run, the best solution to the unemployment 
problem. 
1.4. Coordination between national and Community 
regional policies 
1.4.1. The Committee believes that national and 
Community regional policies should be coordinated. 
The more consistent the regional development 
programmes of the Member States are with each other, 
the more successful they will be. One way of achieving 
this would be for the Commission to be informed about 
the content of regional programmes before they are 
adopted by national governments. This is already done 
in certain cases. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. Infrastructure investments and investments in the 
industry and services sector 
2.1.1. In 1981, 88 % of the 1600 million ECU 
allocated for investment projects went to infrastructure 
projects and only 12 % to projects in the industry and 
services sector. This trend continued in 1982. The low 
rate of investment in industry offers an explanation for 
the high percentage of funds spent on infrastructure 
projects. Infrastructure investments can of course be 
very beneficial even in the present economic 
circumstances; they improve the investment climate and 
the general conditions for business activity and thereby 
increase the propensity to invest in the private sector. 
Preference should of course be given to infrastructure 
projects that improve the structure of the economy and 
have an impact on the labour market within a relatively 
short period of time. 
2.1.2. The Committee feels, however, that it is 
necessary to use ERDF appropriations to help 
job-creating investment in the private sector. It is 
therefore imperative in the view of the Section to 
stimulate and promote investment in the small-business 
sector, if necessary through the provision of risk capital. 
2.2. Integrated operations 
2.2.1. Integrated operations can play a most useful role 
in the development of specific areas of more or less 
homogeneous structure. Efforts must, however, be 
5.4.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 90/9 
concentrated on the economic development of such 
areas. It would be desirable if the new ERDF Regulation 
could provide greater scope for integrated operations. 
2.2.2. The Committee regrets that there is still no legal 
vehicle of integrated operations — which are of 
importance to the regional economy — even though 
the Commission, supported by the Economic and Social 
Committee, has already made proposals to this end. It 
considers that more funds should be made available for 
integrated operations and studies of integrated 
operations so that the experiences gained can be drawn 
on to vet selection criteria (also taking into 
consideration the ESC's study of 15 April 1982 — CES 
916/80 fin.) and further develop the methods to be used 
in carrying out integrated operations. 
2.3. Studies 
The annual report lists completed studies and studies in 
course which cover important areas of interest. The 
Committee feels however that there should be more 
emphasis on studies dealing with the economic 
problems of border areas and possible remedies. 
More attention was admittedly paid to such areas in 
1982. 2.4. Verification 
2.4.J. In its seventh annual report the Commission 
once more states that its relevant department does not 
have enough staff to monitor the projects assisted. 
Hiring more staff will — assuming it is feasible — pose 
financial problems. The Committee therefore 
recommends that independent experts, e.g. auditors, be 
brought in from the Member States to lend their 
assistance. Acting on behalf of the Commission such 
auditors would be able to carry out at least some of the 
monitoring. The plan to fund programmes rather than 
individual projects will no doubt also facilitate 
monitoring. 
2.4.2. The Committee welcomes the emphasis given to 
the monitoring of 'dormant' projects. It means that 
funds wrongly set aside for certain projects can be 
switched to urgently needed projects. 
2.4.3. In addition to inspection of the books, the 
Committee feels that the results of projects should also 
be monitored to find out whether any tangible 
contribution has been made to the economic 
development of the region in question and, above all, to 
learn how many permanent jobs it has been possible to 
save or create. The Committee is aware that monitoring 
of this kind is not easy, but feels that it ought to be 
feasible, and so introduced for future programmes. 
Done at Brussels, 23 February 1983. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois CEYRAC 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation determining the import duties applicable 
to fish fillets obtained on board Community vessels from fish originating in third countries 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 302 of 19 November 1982, page 6. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 19 November 1982 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community.