WRITTEN QUESTION E-2056/98

by Felipe Camisón Asensio (PPE) to the Commission

(7 July 1998)

Subject: Prospects for reform of the Structural Funds

With reference to the above topic, could the Commission provide the following information:

1. Are the planned reforms intended to bring greater simplification and decentralization? If so, in what way?

2. Is the Commission still intending to continue applying the Cohesion Fund beyond 1999 without making any changes to the existing procedure?

3. Are there any plans of the Structural Funds to be used to finance the future European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP)?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(11 September 1998)

Simplification and decentralisation in each area of implementation and at each stage are among the principal aims of the reformed system for implementation of the Structural Funds proposed by the Commission, which the clarification of the responsibilities of all the partners involved through a definition of their roles and responsibilities is intended to simplify. Their respective responsibilities for programming, monitoring, evaluation and checking will in future be clearly established, which will also facilitate relations between the Commission, the Member States, the regions and economic operators. The Member States will have general responsibility for implementing the Funds and detailed programming will in future be decentralised, hence implementation, financial management, monitoring and evaluation of this part of programming will, in the first place, be their responsibility. Financial management is an area which has been greatly simplified. While the current system of Community commitments and payments is based on a series of instalments, several advance payments and thresholds triggering payments as work is carried out, the proposed system will involve only one annual automatic commitment, the payment of a single advance when the programme is adopted, the refund of the expenditure certified by the Member State and payment of the balance. Another important field for operators, the eligibility of expenditure, has also been simplified. Whereas the current rules make no provision for this aspect and experience has shown the need for rules (see the 22 datasheets on eligibility adopted by the Commission in March 1997 under SEM 2000), the principle is that the relevant national rules apply, except if a need appears at the Community level (e.g. harmonisation, legal vacuum), in which case the Commission will adopt common rules.

The Commission is proposing that Member States should be eligible for the Cohesion Fund if their per capita gross national product (GNP) is less than 90 % of the Community average, whether or not they take part in the third phase of economic and monetary union.

Article 9(4) of the proposal for a Regulation containing general provisions on the Structural Funds(1) requires the Commission to draw up guidelines setting out Community priorities for each Objective of the Structural Funds.

These guidelines will have therefore to take account of the provisions of Article 1 of the above proposal for a Regulation, which stipulate that in pursuing these Objectives, the Community shall contribute to promoting the harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of economic activities. In doing so, they may take over some elements of the European Spatial Development Perspective.

The Commission is also proposing that one of the three Community Initiatives should cover crossborder, transnational and interregional cooperation and so contribute to balanced regional planning in the European Union. Lastly, certain studies or innovative measures connected with regional planning can be launched at the initiative of the Commission.

(1) OJ C 176, 9.6.1998.