WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1510/97 by Joaquim MIRANDA to the Commission. Budget outturn for structural operations
Date: 1997-04-30
Institutions: European Parliament, MIRANDA
Subjects: Community support framework, EU financial instrument, Structural Funds, coordination of aid, economic and social cohesion, financial management, implementation of the budget, public expenditure, structural expenditure

25. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 60/23

(98/C 60/43)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1510/97

by Joaquim Miranda (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(30 April 1997)

Subject: Budget outturn for structural operations

It is common knowledge that the amounts earmarked for structural operations under the present Community
support frameworks are slow to be disbursed and difficult to implement.

Little has been said, however, about the reasons for this situation although there are points in urgent need of
proper clarification.

Will the Commission therefore say:

What has been the real trend in the unduly low budget outturn in the various years as regards the individual
Funds, objectives, and Member States?

What are the main contributory factors involved in the low outturn in this area?

To what extent does the low outturn stem from restrictive national policies aimed at ensuring compliance with
the  nominal  convergence  criteria  and  from  an  attempt  to  cut  Community  spending  in  anticipation  of  future
enlargement of the Union?

How far is it due to systematic opposition and delays on the part of the Commission in approving major projects
submitted by the Member States with a view to obtaining aid?

Why is the Commission not proposing measures to remedy the difficulties and delays?

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

(11 June 1997)

Since 1994 the annual reports on the Structural Funds that the Commission presents to Parliament have contained
quantified  information,  broken  down  by  Fund,  Objective  and  Member  State,  on  the  trend  of  the  budgetary
implementation of structural assistance.

Under-implementation is the result of delays in certain Member States in implementing assistance. These factors
are described in the working paper (cid:145)The implementation of the budget of the Structural Funds 1989-95(cid:146), which
was sent to Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on Budgets in July 1996, and more briefly in the first Report on Economic
and Social Cohesion. Delays arise for a very wide variety of reasons, including administrative or institutional
shortcomings, the increased difficulties of providing national matching funds and macroeconomic difficulties of
various types.

The Commission is aware that, in certain Member States, there may be a link between efforts to consolidate
public expenditure and delays in implementing structural assistance. In this context, it tends, in its contacts with
the Member States, to give priority to safeguarding the programmes connected with structural expenditure.

The Commission, in its analysis of applications for assistance part-financed by the Structural Funds submitted by
the  Member  States,  takes  account  of  the  points  listed  in  Article  14  of  Regulation  (EEC)  No  4253/88,  as
amended (1).  In  this  respect,  the  efforts  made  by  the  Commission  in  its  (cid:145)Sound  and  Efficient  Management(cid:146)
exercise (SEM 2000) should improve the quality of the financial management of the Structural Funds.

The  Commission  endeavours  to  cooperate  with  the  Member  States  in  order  to  help  them  achieve  the  goals
defined in Edinburgh. Examples of this cooperation include special agreements on the adjustment of national
administrative structures to improve the effectiveness of the management of structural assistance and agreements
on the reprogramming of certain structural assistance to take account of actual implementation on the ground
without altering the objectives to be achieved.

(1)  OJ L 193, 31.7.1993.