COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMVIUNITIES 
C0M(93) 138 final 
Brussels, 2 Apr I I 1993 
Conclusions of the report pursuant to Article 25 
of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 
on ESF assistance in 1991 
(presented by the Commission) 
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Conclusions of the report pursuant to Article 25 
of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 
on ESF assistance in 1991 
1991 was the third year since the reform of the structural Funds. 
In 1989 most of the Community Support Frameworks were established for 
Objectives 1 and 2, and also for Objectives 3 and 4. 
ESF activities in 1990 were marked by three main aspects: adoption of 
the CSFs for the rural areas covered by Objective 5b, approval of most 
applications under the CSFs for Objective 1 (promotion of development 
and restructuring of the regions whose development was lagging behind), 
Objective 2 (conversion of regions seriously affected by industrial 
decline, and Objectives 3 (measures to combat long-term unemployment) 
and 4 (facilitating the occupational integration of young people). In 
1990 the Commission also decided to launch three Community initiatives 
promoting a transnational approach to human resources in the Community 
(Now, Horizon and Euroform). 
As far as the ESF is concerned, 1991 saw the following activities: 
adoption of the Community Support Framework and processing of 
applications for assistance for the five new German Lander and 
Eastern Berlin; 
preparation of new Community Support Frameworks for regions 
seriously affected by industrial decline (i.e. Objective 2 regions) 
for 1992 and 1993; 
implementation of the Community initiatives Now, Horizon and 
Euroform; 
approval of a number of measures which had not been approved by the 
end of 1990, particularly those for Objective 5b (encouragement of 
development in rural regions), implementation of which had fallen 
behind schedule owing to the delay in adopting the corresponding 
CSFs; 
implementation of a budget of ECU 4 516.6 million in commitments 
and ECU 4 030 million in payments, not including the appropriations 
committed and paid in favour of the new German Lander and eastern 
Berlin (ECU 270 million in commitments and ECU 156 million in 
payments); 
more detailed evaluation, checks and monitoring in respect of ESF 
assistance. 
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ï Préparât ion of CoumsurBity Support Frameworks 
Preparation of the CSF for the new German Lander and Eastern Berlin 
Following unification of Germany, the Community decided in 
December 1990 to extend the arrangements governing the structural Funds 
to the new Lander and Eastern Berlin. 
The measures planned by the three structural Funds in favour of these 
territories were the subject of a CSF (adopted on 13 March 1991) and 
operational programmes (approved on 17 May 1991), which make provision 
for a high level of financial investment (ECU 3 000 million, including 
ECU 900 million from the ESF, for the period 1991-93). 
ESF activities in the new Lander were concentrated on the most urgent 
matters in the field of vocational training and employment 
(qualifications for the unemployed, persons threatened with 
unemployment, persons employed in SMEs, help for groups at a 
disadvantage on the job market, training of instructors, etc.). 
Community technical assistance helped to counterbalance the lack of 
experience in the new Lander of the workings of the structural Funds in 
general and the ESF in particular. Both commitment and payment 
appropriations for these regions were fully utilised (100%). 
Renegotiation of CSFs for Objective 2 for the period 1992-1993 
The CSFs for the Objective 2 regions, involving ESF assistance to the 
amount of ECU 983 million, were negotiated in 1989 for an initial 
period up to 1991. 
54 new draft CSFs were prepared in 1991 for the two years 1992 and 
1993. They were adopted at the end of the year, following favourable 
opinions from the Advisory Committee on the Development and Conversion 
of Regions and the Article 124 Committee (ESF Committee). 
These CSFs provide for Community assistance to the amount of ECU 
3 296 million to be distributed among the Objective 2 regions during 
1992 and 1993. 
23% of the total budget (i.e. ECU 775 million) will come from the ESF. 
The measures in the field of human resources are mainly designed to 
support the development of new economic activities based on the 
endogenous potential of the regions concerned, promotion of tourism, 
improvement of the environment, support for small and medium-sized 
businesses, improvement of infrastructure, and cross-border 
cooperation. 
II Approval of applications 
Most of the operational programmes and global grants for Objectives 1, 
2, 3 and 4 involving the ESF were approved in 1990. 
Another 217 applications involving the ESF were approved in 1991, for a 
total amount of ECU 1.9 billion. These relate mainly to the following 
regions or areas: 
the new German Lander and Eastern Berlin, for which seven 
operational programmes were approved; 
Objective 5b, for which 56 applications were approved; 
the Community initiatives, for which 109 applications (operational 
programmes and global grants) were approved; 
technical assistance, the subject of a number of Commission 
dectsTons un991; 
a number of other operational programmes and global grants for the 
Objective 1 regions, which had not been approved by the end of 
1990, were approved in 1991. 
III Iapleaentation of the budget in 1991 
The figures reflecting implementation of the ESF budget in 1991 are 
very good, in terms of both commitment appropriations and payment 
appropriations, and represent a marked improvement over previous years. 
This improvement is a result of the efforts of the various partners to 
make full use of the budget available, and also of the programming 
potential. 
The resources available for commitments in 1991 amounted to ECU 
4 529.8 million (against ECU 4 100 million in 1989), and commitments 
entered into amounted to ECU 4 516.6 million, a sharp increase over the 
figure for 1990 (ECU 3 504.9 million). 
The percentage of commitment appropriations utilised went up from 85% 
in 1990 to 99.7% in 1991. This is explained by the rapid implementation 
of certain CSFs, allowing some of the 1992 tranches of certain 
operational programmes to be committed earlier. 
Payment appropriations available for 1991 amounted to ECU 4 059 million 
(compared with ECU 3 233.9 million in 1990, giving an increase of 
25.5%). The level of utilisation of appropriations was very 
satisfactory (ECU 4 030 million, or 99.3%). 
Commitments and payments for the five new German Lander and Eastern 
Berlin in 1991, though supported by the three structural Funds, are 
shown separately from the budgets for the Funds. ESF commitments and 
payments in 1991 amounted to ECU 270 million and ECU 156 million 
respectively. 
Since the financial systems affect the implementation of the budget, 
the reduction of payment times is one of the priorities of the 
Commission's current efforts directed at improving the procedures for 
implementing the reform of the structural Funds. 
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IV Implementation of CSFs since 1989 
The volume of commitment appropriations utilised for ESF assistance in 
the Community as a whole and for all Objectives over the three 
financial years 1989, 1990 and 1991 corresponds to the total amount of 
commitments according to the CSFs for those three years (at 1989 
prices). 
Financial implementation in respect of Objective 5b was less 
satisfactory, owing to the delay affecting this Objective. 
The high level of resource utilisation reflects the efforts of the 
partners to implement the CSFs and make full use of the available 
budgets, and is also a result of the financial and programming 
mechanisms, which made it possible to bring forward to 1991 financing 
of the 1992 CSF tranches, which were thus implemented earlier than 
planned. 
Cumulative budget utilisation as of the end of 1992 (for the years 
1989-1992) should constitute a more faithful reflection of the 
practical implementation of the measures financed, as commitments for 
1992, given the rules currently applicable to the ESF, will be effected 
on the basis of final claim reports for 1990 (and certificates of 
implementation for 1991). 
V Implementation of the Community initiatives Now, Horizon and 
Euroform 
Following the Commission's decision on these three initiatives in 
December 1990, 1991 was a year of implementation and learning. The 
support structures essential to the preparation and implementation of 
measures were introduced, aid applications were submitted by the Member 
States and approved by the Commission, and the first financial tranches 
were committed at the end of 1991 and beginning of 1992. 
These initiatives brought with them a large volume of administrative 
work, but they also seek to add value to the measures contained in the 
CSFs. 
This added value is first of all quantitative, the three initiatives 
adding a total of ECU 545 million to the financial aid available to the 
Member States. The initiatives should also generate qualitative 
benefits resulting from the transnational dimension of the projects 
financed, with each one involving a transfer of experience to an 
Objective 1 region. 
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VI More detailed evaluation 
Monitoring and evaluation activities, a priority as far as the ESF is 
concerned, were extended in 1991. 
Apart from analyses of Community assistance in the field of training 
and employment for certain categories of persons (e.g. women, the 
disabled and long-term unemployed) and assistance for certain types of 
measures (e.g. recruitment subsidies), evaluation exercises included 
the preparation of methods to be used for "ex-post" assessment of 
Community assistance. 
This type of assessment should provide a better picture of the impact 
and effectiveness of part-financed measures (in respect of CSFs and 
forms of intervention), together with a basis for the preparation of 
subsequent Community assistance for vocational training and employment. 
In order to organise evaluation of this type, never before undertaken 
at Community level, it was necessary for the Member States and the 
Commission to agree on the approach to be adopted, as the various 
partners' were not all equally familiar with the subject. 
In the Objective 1 regions, evaluation exercises also covered the 
impact of measures in the field of human resources. These exercises 
should provide a more accurate analysis of training and employment 
policies and structures in the regions and Member States concerned, as 
well as contributing to the development of indicators for use in 
preparing and evaluating subsequent CSFs. 
All these evaluation exercises involve close cooperation between the 
Commission and the national authorities. Three joint institutions were 
created in 1991, namely the Technical Support Group, the Working Party 
of the ESF Committee, and partnership meetings on evaluation. 
The report was presented to the European Social Fund Committee. 
Following the submission and insertion of modifications regarding 
points of detail, the opinion of the Committee was positive and was 
obtained on 23.12.1992. 
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ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(93) 138 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 05 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-93-162-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-54375-2 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg