No C 175/56 Official Journal of the European Communities 4. 7. 88 
Opinion on the amended proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) on the tasks of the 
structural funds and their effectiveness and on coordination of their activities between 
themselves and with the operations of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the other 
existing financial instruments 
(88/C 175/17) 
On 18 April 1988 the Council of the European Communities decided to consult the Economic 
and Social Committee on the abovementioned amended proposal. 
Substantial amendments have been made to the original Commission proposal [doc. COM (87) 
376 final], on which the Committee issued an Opinion in November 1987(*). 
In view of the urgency of the matter the Committee chairman decided to invoke Article 46 
of the rules of procedure and asked Mr Dassis to submit a draft Opinion as rapporteur-
general. 
At its 255th plenary session (meeting of 28 April 1988), the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted unanimously the following Opinion. 
1. The Committee welcomes the amended proposal 
for a Council Regulation on the tasks of the structural 
funds. The new proposal clarifies and confirms major 
points in the light of the agreements reached at the 
European Council in Brussels on 11 to 13 February 
1988. 
2.1. The Committee notes with approval that the 
Commission has taken account of a number of sugges­
tions contained in the Committee's Opinion of 19 
November 1987 (rapporteur: Mr Serra Caracciolo), in 
particular: 
— the references in the recitals to action designed to 
strengthen cohesion, including the coordination of 
economic and social policies, 
— the reference to the 'decisive importance' of the 
European Social Fund (ESF) for the 'promotion of 
consistent employment policies', 
— the precise delimitation in Annex I of the regions 
concerned by objective No 1; this is to be welcomed, 
— the use of NUTS level III territorial units for objec­
tive No 2, as advocated by the Committee, and 
the definition of criteria for determining the areas 
eligible, 
— the division of objective No 5 into two sub-objec­
tives (adaptation of agricultural structures and rural 
development respectively), 
— the inclusion of a new Article dealing with tran­
sitional provisions. 
2.2. The Committee would, however, reiterate that 
at least 80% of resources of the European Regional 
Development Fund (ERDF) must be made available for 
objective No 1, instead of taking this percentage as a 
ceiling. 
(!) OJ No C 356, 31. 12. 1987. 2.3. As regards both objective No 1 and objective 
No 2, the Committee again stresses the need: 
— to concentrate the Funds' resources, 
— to work out more specific criteria for this purpose, 
— to extend and strengthen the integrated approach 
by turning to good account the commitment of 
regional and local authorities and economic and 
social operators, 
— to promote new forms of share holding capable of 
stimulating development in less favoured regions. 
2.4. The Committee is concerned about the restric­
tive criteria laid down for assistance to the regions 
covered by objective No 2. It fears that the regions in 
industrial decline will be further disadvantaged. 
2.5. The Committee also points out that there should 
be precise criteria for the regions covered by objective 
No 5 concerning the adaptation of agricultural struc­
tures and rural development (taking particular account 
of the specific problems of upland areas and less-favou­
red island regions which are excluded from objective 
No 1). 
3.1. The draft Regulation confirms the doubling in 
real terms of the resources of the structural funds as 
regards objective No 1 by 1992, and of the resources 
of the funds as a whole by 1993. The Committee 
welcomes this necessary step forward although it con­
siders it to be the bare minimum for the attainment of 
an internal market with a minimum degree of economic 
and social cohesion. Indeed the Committee fears that 
the resources may still be inadequate, particularly if 
they are not sufficiently concentrated. 
3.2. The Committee would therefore reiterate its 
earlier comments on the need to reinforce the machinery 
for assessing the regional impact of the other Com­
munity policies, and to continue and step up studies on 
4. 7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 175/57 
the impact of the internal market on regional dispar­
ities. 
3.3. With regard to the degree of economic and social 
cohesion that will be achieved by 1992, the Committee 
calls on the Commission to submit a specific supplemen­
tary report before the end of 1991 and if necessary to 
make provision for appropriate additional measures for 
achieving the objectives of the Single European Act. 
3.4. The Committee urges that the increase in the 
Funds' resources be phased evenly over the period up 
to 1992 and that regions eligible to benefit under Objec­
tive No 1 receive additional funding at least pro­
portional to this increase. 
4. The Committee notes the role assigned in 
Article 4 to partnership between the Commission, the 
Member States and the competent regional and local 
authorities, which it considers to be particularly essen-
Done at Brussels, 28 April 1988. tial if structural operations are to be successful in prac­
tice. The Committee would, however, lay great stress 
on the vital role of economic operators as participants 
in this process. 
5. The Committee reiterates its recommendation for 
the setting-up of a single advisory committee for all five 
objectives along the lines of the current ESF committee. 
6. The Committee draws the Council's attention to 
the urgent need for the Framework Regulation to be 
adopted within the deadlines fixed by the Summit to 
ensure that the Single Act mandate is successfully car­
ried out. The Committee awaits with interest the pro­
posals for Regulations on the technical coordination of 
the structural funds and other financial instruments 
and the three vertical implementing Regulations, which 
should amplify and clarify many aspects of the reform 
of the structural funds which are still unclear and which 
cannot be tackled until the Framework Regulation has 
been adopted. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT