position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning the

2018/0199 (COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION

TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT



pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union



concerning the

position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments



1.Background

Date of transmission of the proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council

(document COM(2018) 374 final – 2018/0199/(COD)): 29 May 2018 Date of the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee: 19 September 2018 Date of the position of the European Parliament, first reading: 26 March 2019 Date of the trilogue (agreement on the final text) 2 December 2020 Date of adoption of the Council first reading position: 27 May 2021

2.Objective of the proposal from the Commission

The proposal for a Regulation on Interreg aims at setting up specific provisions governing the European territorial cooperation, specifying and completing the provisions entailed in Regulation (EU) 2021/… of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy – (CPR), which govern the delivery and implementation system of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Its main focus is on key implementation and cooperation issues, notably:

·the definition and geographical coverage of the various cooperation strands (cross-border, transnational, interregional and outermost regions);

·the definition of specific rules on thematic concentration;

·the set up of Interreg-specific objectives and scope;

·adaptations of the CPR rules on programming, programme authorities, management and control and financial management; and

·the integration of EU external financing instruments.

The provisional agreement respects the architecture of Interreg, split into four strands, including a new strand dedicated to the cooperation of the EU’s Outermost Regions. It also confirms the overall financial allocation and balance between strands, enabling the instrument to reach its objectives. It also includes several simplification provisions, consistent with the Commission proposal, on small project funds (Article 25), technical assistance (Article 27), the use of simplified cost options (Article 53 CPR) or audit and verification mechanisms (Chapter VI).

The two main modifications agreed by the co-legislators relate to the maritime cooperation, reinstalled under cross-border cooperation and the relaxation of thematic concentration requirements for Interreg-specific objectives. They do not undermine, however, the capacity of stakeholders to pursue maritime cooperation in a streamlined manner, neither to support priority capacity building actions under the “better cooperation governance”.

The concept of interregional innovation investments is retained but is transferred to the European Regional Development Fund/Cohesion Fund (ERDF/CF) regulation, with a reduced allocation.

3.Comments on the position of the Council

The Council’s position fully reflects the agreement reached in the trilogues. The most important changes introduced compared to the Commission’s proposal include:

·A revised architecture, maintaining cross-border maritime cooperation under the strand A (cross border);