COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER Accompanying the22ND ANNUAL REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS (2010)
Date: 2011-10-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Community budget, Structural Funds, financial year, structural expenditure

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 31.10.2011 
SEC(2011) 1308 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER 

Accompanying the 

22ND ANNUAL REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF  
THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS (2010) 

{COM(2011) 693 final} 

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Part 1: General analysis of activities 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

As required by Article 45(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, this report 
sets  out  to  give  an  overview  of  the  implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds 
(2000-2006) in 2010.  

2010 was the eleventh year in which Structural Funds programmes and projects for 
the 2000-2006 programming period were implemented. Altogether 226 Objective 1 
and  Objective  2,  47  Objective  3,  12  Financial  Instrument  for  Fisheries  Guidance 
(FIFG)  (outside  Objective  1),  81  INTERREG,  71 URBAN,  27  EQUAL,  73 
LEADER+ and 181 Innovative Action programmes were managed in 2010. 

Even though no further commitments could be made in 2010, sums were disbursed in 
respect of 2000-2006 Structural Funds assistance. Implementation of the 2010 budget 
was  excellent.  In  terms  of  payment  appropriations,  100.0 %  of  the  European 
Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  ,  97.0%  of  the  European  Social  Fund  (ESF), 
30.7 %  of  the  European  Agricultural  Guidance  and  Guarantee  Fund  (EAGGF)-
Guidance budget available at the end of 2010 (after a reduction of EUR 13.9 million 
— see section 2.1.3 below) and 100.0% of FIFG resources were used (compared to 
100.0 % ERDF, 97.0 % ESF, 97.9 % EAGGF and 69.5 % FIFG in 2009). 

The low budget execution of EAGGF-Guidance in 2010 was due to the fact that 112 
out of a  total of 152  programmes  had already reached the 95 % ceiling for interim 
payments  at  the  beginning  of  the  year.  In  these  cases,  no  further  payments  were 
possible in 2010 until closure (see section 2.1.3 below). The Commission proposed 
in  September  2010  the  transfer  of  another  EUR  345.4  million  of  payment 
appropriations, but this transfer was ultimately not accomplished. 

In  2010,  the  closure  process  started  for  most  2000-2006  ERDF  operational 
programmes.  Most  of  the  related  closure  documents  were  submitted  by  Member 
States  in  September  2010.  The  general  framework  for  the  closure  of  2000-2006 
Structural  Funds  assistance  was  set  out  in  Commission  Decision  C(2006)3424 
in 2006, amended by Commission Decisions C(2008)1362 and C(2009)960.  

In  view  of  the  financial  crisis  and  the  recovery  package  proposed  by  the 
Commission,  an  extension  of  six  (or  twelve)  months  has  been  granted  on  a 
programme-by-programme  basis  for  those  Member  States  which  opted  for  it.  This 
flexibility  allowed  Member  States  and  regions  to  maximise  the  absorption  of  the 
allocated  funds  by  addressing  unexpected  programme  implementation  challenges 
and, consequently, achieve the objectives of the programmes. 

For  those  programmes  that  an  extension  of  the  eligibility  period  was  granted,  the 
deadline  for  the  submission  of  the  closure  documents  was  also  extended  to 
September  2010.  Some  Greek  and  Cross-border  programmes  were  granted  a  12-
month  extension.  Their  closures  documents  will  have  to  be  submitted  to  the 
Commission by end of March 2011 

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The  Commission  has  5  months  to  asses  the  Final  Report  and  the  winding  up 
declaration and once declared acceptable it can proceed to make the final payment. 
The closure of operational programmes is an important and time-consuming process 
involving audit and operational units of DG Regional Policy, to assess the quality of 
the results delivered by programmes and to check the legality and regularity of final 
expenditure  declared  to  the  Commission  for  reimbursement  (final  clearance  of  all 
payments made).  

The ERDF 2000-2006 closure task force, set up in autumn 2009, closely monitored 
the  process.  As  of  31  December  2010,  a  proposal  for  closure  was  sent  to  Member 
States  for  25  programmes.  The  closure  of  the  remaining  354  is  a  work  in  progress 
and it is expected that the majority of these programmes will be closed within 2011.  

As regards the 2000-2006 Regional Innovative Actions Programmes, 24 were closed 
in  2010  bringing  the  total  number  of  programmes  closed  so  far  to  176.  Only  5 
programmes remain to be closed (2 in France, 2 in Portugal and 1 in Italy) out of a 
total of 181 programmes adopted 

Concerning  Cohesion  Fund  projects,  some  348  projects  out  of  a  total  of  1143 
projects were closed by the end of 2010. The closure process will intensify in 2011-
2012 since the deadline for expenditure on the ground was 31 December 2010. In the 
light of financial crisis, the Commission decided in April 2110 to give the possibility 
to a limited number of projects to extend their eligibility in 2011 or 2012.  

For  the  projects  still  open,  the  financial  implementations  generally  improved 
throughout  2010.  The  incidence  of  high  risk  projects  (projects  with  a  serious 
possibility of not being completed within the currently valid eligibility deadline) was 
concentrated  in  a  relatively  small  number  of  countries.  Similar  to  2009,  high  risk 
projects continued to be mainly in the environment sector (16% of high risk projects 
for environment compared to an average of 13% of all projects).  

In  addition  to  the  implementation  of  2000-2006  Structural  Funds  programmes  and 
projects and preparation for their closure, in 2010 the Commission was also heavily 
involved  in  implementing  434 programmes  (317  ERDF,  117  ESF)1  for  the 
2007-2013 period.  

In 2010, the Commission completed the ex post evaluation of ERDF interventions in 
objective  1  and  2  regions.  The  synthesis  report  of  the  all  work  was  published  and 
presented  to  the  public  in  April  20102.  The  ex  post  evaluations  of  the  ESF  and 
EQUAL were completed in 2010, and their results presented to the Member States. 
The  European  Agricultural  Guidance  and  Guarantee  Fund  (EAGGF)  Guidance 
Section  and  LEADER+  are  evaluated  separately.  In  2010  the  ex  post  evaluation  of 
LEADER+  was  completed  and  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  2000-2006  rural 
development  programmes  was  launched.  As  for  the  Financial  Instrument  for 

1 

2 

See Communication on the results of negotiations on strategies and programmes for the programming 
period 2007-2013. 
published on: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/expost_reaction_en.htm. 

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Fisheries  Guidance  (FIFG),  the  ex  post  evaluation  was  undertaken  in  2009  and  is 
available on the website3. 

Sharing  of  experience  was  promoted,  notably  through  interregional  and  urban 
networks  and  the  conference  "Regions  for  Economic  Change:  building  sustainable 
growth"  on  20th  and  21st  May  with  755  participants  from  all  27  countries.  At  this 
occasion, three papers were drafted on: i) Good practice in the use of ICT, ii) Good 
practice  in  promoting  energy  efficiency  and  iii)  Good  practice  in  managing 
Brownfield  sites  and  buildings.  Also,  RegioStars  awards  were  granted  for  the  third 
time to good practice innovation projects from the periods 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 
in  different  categories:  ICT  (Applications  for  e-inclusion  &  for  SMEs,  Broadband 
coverage  in  less  developed  regions  of  rural  areas)  –  CityStars  (Innovative  use  of 
brownfield  sites  in  an  urban  context  &  Integration  of  migrants  or  marginalised 
groups in urban areas). 

The 8th edition of OPEN DAYS ‘European week of regions and cities’ took place 4-
7  October  2010  and  brought  together  5,900  local,  regional,  national  and  European 
decision makers and experts in the field of regional and local development (including 
330 journalists). In addition to this 263 local events were organised in 33 countries. 
The OPEN  DAYS,  organised jointly by the Commission and the Committee of the 
Regions,  is  an  arena  for  cooperation  and  networking,  for  sharing  knowledge  and 
experience,  and  offers  regions  and  cities  a  possibility 
their 
achievements. It also offers the ideal opportunity to highlight the synergies between 
cohesion policy and other EU policies. 

to  showcase 

The Belgian presidency organised a two-day conference (18 and 19 November 2010) 
on  "The  role  of  the  ESF  in  the  fight  against  poverty  and  social  exclusion".  Work 
sessions  were  organised  over  two  half  days.  The  conclusions,  among  others, 
highlighted the role of the ESF as a policy instrument in the fight against poverty and 
social  exclusion.  The  focus  of  the  ESF  on  the  development  of  competences  with  a 
special attention to those furthest away from the labour market was also underlined 
as well as the need for the ESF to continue to pay attention to gender equality and 
equal opportunities as transversal points of attention. 

2. 

ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTATION 

2.1. 

Budget Implementation 

2.1.1.  ERDF 

In spite of the financial downturn, 2010 was an excellent year in terms of budgetary 
execution.  The  overall  absorption  rate  reached  100.0%  or  EUR  1,694  million 
reimbursed to operational programmes.  

the  execution  under  Objective  2  was  higher 

initially  voted 
While 
(EUR 230 million instead of EUR 104 million), payments to Objective 1 and Interreg 
programmes were lower than originally foreseen (for Objective 1, EUR 1,348 million 
instead  of  EUR  2,077  million  and  for  Interreg  EUR 90 million  instead  of 

than 

3 

Published on: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/studies/fifg_evaluation/index_en.htm 

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EUR 202 million),  mainly  due  to  a  transfer  of  appropriations  during  the  global 
transfer to reinforce the 2007-2013 appropriations.  

In  total  for  other  programmes  (Urban,  Innovative  actions),  EUR  25  millions  were 
paid.  

DG REGIO is managing previous and current programming periods in parallel. After 
a  slow  start-up  of  the  2007-2013  programmes,  payment  claims  have  been 
accelerating  during  2010.  This  trend  combined  with  the  fact  that  most  2000-2006 
programmes  had  reached  the  95%  ceiling  for  interim  payments  led  to  a  transfer  of 
appropriations from the 2000-2006 period to the 2007-2013 period. This allowed for 
the  100.0%  execution  of  payment  appropriations  for  ERDF  programmes  financed 
under both programming periods.  

Closures 

In  2010,  the  closure  process  started  for  most  2000-2006  ERDF  operational 
programmes. The bulk of the related closure documents were submitted by Member 
States in September 2010. This was due to the extension of six months granted by the 
Commission for the final date of eligibility of expenditure. Some Greek and Cross-
border  programmes  were  granted  a  12-month  extension.  Their  closures  documents 
will have to be submitted to the Commission by end of March 2011.  

Out of 379 programmes, 281 (or 74%) representing 90% of ERDF funds have chosen 
to extend their eligibility dates. As at 31 December 2010, closures documents were 
received  for  356  programmes.  The  responsible  units  are  currently  analysing  the 
Winding-up Declarations and Final reports.  

A proposal for closure had been sent to Member States for 25 programmes while the 
remaining 354 will be closed during 2011 and 2012. 

Programmes closed at end 2010:  

Objective 
Initiative 
Interreg 

Objective 1 
Objective 2 

Urban 

EN 

/ 

Country 

File Reference 

File title 

Amount paid 

CB 
CB 
CB 
CB 
CB 
CB 
CB 
DE 
AT 
AT 
AT 

AT 
AT 

SE 
GB 
IT 

2000CB160PC020  Karelia 
2000CB160PC001  PIC Interreg III 
2000CB160PC002  PIC Interreg III 
2000RG160PC020 Alpine Space 
2000RG160PC019 Wallonie-Lorraine-Lux 
2001RG160PC013 ESPON 2006 
2000RG160PC016 IT-AT 
2000DE161PO001  PO obj. 1 Transport 
2000AT162DO007  DOCUP obj. 2 Tirol 
2000AT162DO004  DOCUP obj. 2 Salzburg 
2000AT162DO002  DOCUP obj. 2 

Niederösterrreich 

2000AT162DO001  DOCUP obj. 2 Kärnten 
2000AT162DO005  DOCUP obj. 2 

Vorarlberg 

2000SE162DO001  DOCUP obj. 2 Öarna 
2000GB162DO001 Gibraltar 
2001IT160PC010 

Torino-Italy 

376,306.86
77,658.23
214,931.63
716,562.38
344,477.01
20,042.19
1,739,158.10
83,050,000.00
2,332,700.00
926,650.00
9,248,350.00

4,249,550.00
861,378.51

335,379.85
437,180.00
544,647.45

4 

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DE 
DE 
DE 
DE 
IT 
DE 
FR 
FR 
DE 

2000DE160PC107  Leipzig 
2000DE160PC108  Luckenwalde 
2000DE160PC103  Dortmund 
2000DE160PC100  Berlin 
2001IT160PC001  Carrara-Italy 
2000DE160PC106  Kiel 
2000FR160PC007  Strasbourg 
2000FR160PC006  Le Havre 
2000DE160PC102  Dessau 

TOTAL 

25  

210,190.72
711,206.41
163,066.31
755,987.60
448,855.90
387,156.69
14,946.99
538,488.29
755,987.60
109,460,858.72

As regards the Regional Programmes of Innovative Actions, 24 were closed in 2010 
bringing  the  total  number  of  programmes  closed  so  far  to  176.  Therefore,  only 
5 programmes remain to be closed (2 in France, 2 in Portugal and 1 in Italy) out of a 
total of 181 programmes adopted.  

For  the  entire  2000-2006  period,  EUR  123,339  million  have  been  paid  to  Member 
States  as  of  31 December 2010.  This  represents  an  average  absorption  rate  for  all 
Member States of 95.2% of the EUR 129,600 million overall allocation. Most of the 
remaining payments concern payments of balances for the closure of programmes.  

RAL 

At the end of 2010, commitments from previous years on which payments were still 
to  be  made  (RAL)  amounted  to  EUR  6,751  million  for  ERDF  compared  with 
EUR 8,400 million at end 2009. This represents 5.2% of the total amount committed 
for  ERDF.  A  further  decrease  of  the  RAL  is  foreseen  with  the  payment  of  final 
balances in the coming years.  

‘n+2’ rule 

In 2010, as in the previous year, the so-called ‘n+2’ rule did not apply. As a general 
rule, the last commitment tranche (i.e. 2006) will be used to execute final payments 
once  the  closure  of  the  programme  is  agreed  between  the  Member  State  and  the 
Commission. Accordingly, the amount to be decommitted will only be calculated at 
the closure stage of the operational programme4.  

2.1.2.  ESF 

Budget Implementation 

For  the  2000-2006  programming  period,  the  payment  credits  consumption  during 
2010 reached EUR 318 million. This corresponds to 26, 42 % of the annual payment 
credits allocation. 

This is due to the fact that the closure exercise for 2000-2006 programmes has begun 
and  the  first  submission  deadline  for  closure  documents  was  March-2010.  Interim 
payments  have  been  therefore  processed  for  the  programmes  that  did  not  reach  the 
95% treshold before closure then interim payments execution was rather limited. 

4 

Article 105(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. 

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The  under-execution  is  due  to  the  low  consumption  of  the  OPs  from  2000-2006 
period. It amounts to EUR 882 million (or 73, 58 % of 2010 payment appropriation), 
of which EUR 259 million concern C1 payment appropriations and EUR 623 million 
C2 payments appropriations  carried  forward  from 2009..  The suspended/interrupted 
payments, following the audit results, for 21 out of 38 programmes put into reserve 
(AAR  2009) 
financial 
and, 
suspension/correction  procedure  is  foreseen  to  be  merged  with  the  final  payments 
processed in the context of 2000-2006 closure. 

remained  blocked 

cases, 

those 

the 

in 

The  total  outstanding  commitments  (RAL)  at  the  end  of  2010  stood  at  EUR  3  002 
million  (compared  to  EUR  4  700  million  in  2009).  This  represents  4,  38%  of  total 
commitments  for  the  period  2000-2006.  The  RAL  has  been  consumed  by  interim 
payments, a few final payments and an automatic de-commitment of the unused RAL 
has been processed for an amount of EUR 1,461 million under closure exercise. 

In  2010,  as  in  the  previous  year,  the  so-called  ‘n+2’  rule  did  not  apply  and  the 
concerned RAL has been decreased by de-committments for the programming period 
2000-2006 at the closure of the operational programmes according to the provisions 
set in the Article 105(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006. 

For  the  whole  period,  at  the  end  of  2010  EUR  64  118  million  have  been  paid  to 
Member States. This represents an absorption rate for all Member States of 93, 47% 
of the EUR 68 600 million overall allocation. 

Closure  

There  are  239  ESF  operational  programmes  to  be  closed  within  the  2000-2006 
programming period. 

According to the regulation, payments for the 2000-2006 period could continue until 
the end of 2008. However, in view of the financial crisis and the recovery package 
proposed by the Commission, an extension of six (or twelve) months was granted on 
a programme-by-programme basis for the Member States which opted for it. Out of 
91  programmes  where  the  Directorate-General  for  Employment,  Social  Affairs  and 
Equal Opportunities is ‘Chef de file’, 68 chose to extend their eligibility dates. 

The  Commission  has  allowed  the  Member  States  to  request  extension  of  the 
programmes up to 30 June 2009 following the financial and economic crisis as long 
as the request was substantiated and sent to the Commission before 31/12/2008.  

In the event that the deadline for eligibility of expenditure wa extended, the deadline 
for submission of the closure documents was extended accordingly.  

Therefore  the  following  submission  deadlines  have  become  effective:  31/03/2010, 
21/07/2010, 30/09/2010, 31/03/2011 and 30/09/2011under regulation in force. 

All submitted closure documents have been received in due time as per the following 
Table 1. 

In total for 229 programmes under closure in 2010 all closure documents have been 
submitted in the required deadline. 

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Table  1:  Number  of  programmes  to  be  submitted  under  submission  deadlines  and 
and closure progress of ESF programmes for 2000-2006 programming period 

For  10  programmes  from  submission  deadline  31/03/2010  a  total  closure  has  been 
completed  and  accepted  by  the  Member  States.  This  represents:  7  payments,  1 
balance 0 and 2 recoveries, see following Table 2. 

Table 2: Closure progress of ESF programmes for 2000-2006 programming period 

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ESF programmes in closure on 31/12/2010 for 2000-2006

Closure transaction

Automatic 
decommitment 
done (€)

Payment (€)

Recovery Order 
(€)

Decommitment 
(€)

Closure documents 
Received (# OP's)

# 
OP's

Exp. 
Cert.

Final 
Report

WUD*

AT
BE
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
UK
GR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
SE
SI
SK
Peace

6
13
2
4
16
3
2
38
7
29
19
20
3
4
28
2
2
2
2
3
3
17
8
2
3
1

6
13
2
4
16
3
2
38
7
29
19
11
3
4
27
2
2
2
2
3
3
17
8
2
3
1

6
13
2
4
16
3
2
38
7
29
19
11
3
4
27
2
2
2
2
3
3
17
8
2
3
1

6
13
2
4
16
3
2
38
7
29
19
11
3
4
27
2
2
2
2
3
3
17
8
2
3
1

Budgeted (€) - 
only for OP's 
with submitted 
final declaration 
of expenditure

Certified by MS 
(€) - only for 
OP's with 
submitted final 
declaration of 
expenditure

760,739,663.00
753,281,340.34
1,113,352,156.00 1,066,932,558.97

10,470,257.25
29,219,458.49
0.00
0.00

461,188,636.00
73,343,707.00

23,753,990.00
456,991,095.00

12,210,273,678.00 12,784,236,309.12

873,268,586.36
907,808,163.00
6,953,824,543.00 6,587,442,804.98
7,748,294,665.00 7,138,881,714.70
2,231,966,727.00 2,331,885,913.59
469,409,357.00
455,254,580.44
1,050,985,648.00 1,115,089,367.87
8,678,299,675.00 8,439,522,952.60
188,791,065.24
188,083,946.00
26,999,186.82
35,731,208.00
135,787,689.54
135,367,744.00
9,058,982.16
10,698,663.00

24,720,534.30
470,078,456.33
11,812,838,907.00 11,179,976,004.93 413,591,800.17
38,463,913.43
422,724,722.58
662,228.09
72,572,497.36
76,176,452.54
33,162,437.87
373,097,214.60
380,261,298.67
0.00
1,790,230.94
1,474,201.76
35,691,407.03
489,616.58
0.00
880.22
23,089.48
6,436,355.17
0.00
0.00
58,359,732.87
1,834,345.93
0.00
0.00

1,723,922,777.00 1,731,408,713.00
2,042,440,957.00 1,959,288,220.58
4,900,030,061.00 4,655,454,151.08
1,085,727,520.00 1,023,145,855.37

78,945,032.37
304,296,925.31
220,514,811.02

81,801,833.00
343,865,408.00
193,663,365.00

614,591.36
558,862.40
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1,157,192.60
0.00
0.00
0.00
5,142,959.15
74,526.80
0.00
400,408.98
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

164,336.24

1,030,762.88

239

229

229

229

65,694,404,092.00 64,049,558,976.96 1,461,204,921.09 7,948,541.29

1,195,099.12

0.00

Under closure process for 2000-2006 programmes the Commission has five months5 
from the receipt of the final report in which to advise the Member State if it is not 
satisfied with the final report, including the coherence of financial information, and 
the  reasons  for  its  dissatisfaction,  failing  which  the  final  report  will  be  deemed  to 
have been accepted.  

It is noted that the Structural Funds Regulations indicates only one deadline for the 
analysis of the documents – five months for the final report – whereas no deadline is 
stipulated  for  the  winding-up  declaration  or  the  certified  statement  of  final 
expenditure. The assessment of the latter two closure documents have to be realised 
within  a  "reasonable  period"  according  to  the  interpretation  of  the  Legal  Service 
(note JUR (2008) 15308 LF of 22 May 2008). 

The closure process and its implementation on the gound was closely monitored in 
DG  EMPL  by  the  ESF  2000-2006  closure  task  force,  set  up  in  early  begining  of 
2009. 

5 

In accordance with Article 37(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 

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In  2010,  in  addition  to  provided  guidelines  refferring  to  the  general  framework  for 
the closure of 2000-2006 Structural Funds assistance set out in Commission Decision 
C(2006)3424  in 2006,  amended  by  Commission  Decisions  C(2008)1362  and 
C(2009)960; DG EMPL approved the guidance package for ESF 2000-2006 closures 
including establishment of the Closure Monitoring Group and the Closure Working 
Group. 

Both groups are important platforms to deal with the closure of the ESF 2000-2006 
programming  period  to  speed  up  the  process  and  ensure  consistency  and 
transparency of treatment of closure files. 

The  closure  of  the  remaining  229  programmes  is  a  work  in  progress  and  it  is 
expected  that  the  a  major  part  of  these  programmes  will  be  closed  by  the  end  of 
2011.  

2.1.3.  EAGGF 

The  total  amount  paid  in  2010  was  EUR  168.3  million  or  30.7%  of  the  budget 
available  at  the  end  of  the  year  (an  amount  of  EUR  13.9  million  was  transferred 
during  the  year  to  other  budget  lines  outside  the  EAGGF).  The  execution  rate  as 
regards the initial budget for payment appropriations would be 29.9%. 

In  absolute  terms,  the  amount  paid  in  2010  is  far  below  the  amount  paid  in  2009 
(EUR 300 million less). Three main reasons are behind this reduction: 

– 

– 

– 

The  rural  development  programmes  financed  by  EAGGF-Guidance  have 
followed a very high rhythm of implementation in previous years. At the end of 
2009,  94%  of  the  EAGGF-Guidance  contribution  programmed  for  the  whole 
period  had  already  been  paid,  and  a  substantial  number  of  programmes  (112 
out  of  a  total  of  152),  had  already  reached  the  95  %  ceiling  for  interim 
payments.  In  these  cases,  no  further  payments  were  possible  in  2010  until 
closure. 

In 2010 the closure of 2000 – 2006 EAGGF-Guidance programmes started and 
by the end of the year 19 programmes (out of a total of 152 programmes), were 
closed. 

The low EAGGF-Guidance expenditure in 2010 was very largely compensated 
by  EUR  11.12  billion  of  EAFRD  expenditure  under  the  rural  development 
programming  2007-2013  (which  is  EUR  2.91  billion  more  than  in  the  year 
2009). 

The  EAGGF-Guidance  outstanding  commitments  (RAL)  at  the  end  of  2010 
amounted to EUR 1,183.3 million, equivalent to 5.3% of the whole allocation 2000-
2006. This amount is EUR 171.3 million lower than the EUR 1,354.6 billion RAL at 
the end of 2009. 

2.1.4.  FIFG 

The  overall  absorption  rate  for  payments  was  100 %,  with  EUR  10  million  being 
disbursed to Member States. 

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Concerning the execution level of payment appropriations, EUR 10 million was paid 
under Objective 1, no payment was made outside Objective 1. 

The  total  RAL  for  the  FIFG  at  the  end  of  2010  reached  EUR  296,44  million 
(compared  with  EUR  306,41  million  in  2009).  This  represents  7.5 %  of  total 
commitments for the period 2000-2006.  

For  the  whole  period,  as  at  the  end  of  2010,  EUR  3 639  million  have  been  paid  to 
Member States. This represents an absorption rate for all Member States of 92.5 % of 
the EUR 3 935 million overall allocation. 

2.2. 

Programme Implementation 

2.2.1.  Objective 1 

Expenditure  on  Objective  1  programmes  followed  much  the  same  path  as  in  2009 
(for  details,  see  part  5).  Objective  1  programmes  focused  on  basic  infrastructure 
projects  (40.2 %),  with  almost  half  of  all  investment  in  this  category  spent  on 
transport infrastructure (49.9 %). More than a third (34.9 %) of Objective 1 resources 
was  invested  in  the  productive  environment,  where  the  focus  continues  to  be  on 
assisting  SMEs  and  the  craft  sector  (26.6 %).  Projects  geared  to  human  resources 
account for 22.5 % of resources in Objective 1 regions. The main areas of assistance 
in  this  field  are  almost  equally  split  between  labour  market  policies  (30.6 %)  and 
education, and vocational training (31.2 %). 

2.2.2.  Objective 2 

The main focus of programmes in Objective 2 regions continues to be on productive 
investments,  with  over  half  of  all  financial  resources  devoted  to  this  category 
(55.4 %).  Within  this  field,  assistance  to  SMEs  and  the  craft  sector  is  the  most 
dominant  (55.6 %).  The  second  most  supported  field  is  basic  infrastructure,  with 
29.2 %  of  all  Objective  2  resources.  Unlike  Objective  1  programmes,  the  most 
important areas in financial terms are planning and rehabilitation of areas (45.6 %). 
In the category of human resources (10.5 % of all investment in Objective 2 regions), 
information  and 
workforce 
communication technologies are the main fields of investment (31.6 %). 

flexibility,  entrepreneurial  activity, 

innovation, 

2.2.3.  Objective 3 

ESF  programme  implementation  in  2010  continued  to  be  focused  on  the  European 
Employment  Strategy,  particularly  on 
improving 
employability  in  the  labour  market  (30,9 %  of  certified  expenditure),  lifelong 
learning  (activities  developing  educational  and  vocational  training  represented 
31;2 %  of  certified  expenditure),  social  inclusion  (13;3 %  of  certified  expenditure), 
equal  opportunities  (5.2 %  of  certified  expenditure)  and  entrepreneurial  activities, 
workforce  flexibility,  innovation,  information  and  communication  technologies 
(19,05%) 

the  measures  aimed  at 

2.2.4.  Fisheries outside Objective 1 

Expenditure of the FIFG programmes outside Objective 1 focused on the processing, 
marketing and promoting of fisheries products (26.7 %). The second most important 

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measure was adjustment of the fishing effort (17.8 %), followed by the renewal and 
modernisation of the fishing fleet (17.5 %), fishing port facilities (16.9 %) and actions 
by professionals (vocational training, small coastal fishing) (12.8 %). 

2.2.5.  Community Initiatives 

2.2.5.1.  INTERREG 

INTERREG  supports  cross-border,  transnational  and  interregional  cooperation  to 
encourage the harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of the EU. By the 
end of 2010 the 81 INTERREG III/Neighbourhood programmes had selected about 
19  000  projects  and  networks  aimed  at  reducing  the  effects  of  national  borders, 
language  barriers  and  cultural  differences  and  developing  border  areas,  supporting 
strategic  development  and  territorial  integration  across  larger  zones  of  the  EU  and 
better integration with its neighbours. Effectiveness of regional development policies 
and  instruments  was  also  supported  by  sharing  of  good  practice  and  exchange  of 
experience. 

The first 54 INTERREG III programmes were adopted in 2001 and were followed by 
15 programmes in 2002 and 3 in 2003. Enlargement increased the overall number of 
EU  borders  and  resulted  in  nine  new  programmes  being  adopted  in  2004,  many  of 
which are Neighbourhood Programmes. In 2004 most programmes were modified to 
take account of the mid-term evaluations and the distribution of indexation funds. 

For  some  programmes  changes  were  also  necessary  due  to  enlargement  and/or 
integration of the Neighbourhood Programme concept. Some ‘n+2’ decommitments 
and  results  of  the  updates  of  the  mid-term  evaluations  contributed  to  further 
programme  modifications  in  the  following  years.  By  the  end  of  2010,  the  payment 
absorption rate was about 92 %. Due to the more specific and challenging nature of 
cooperation programmes, project decommitments due to the ‘n+2’ rule could not be 
avoided for some programmes. In total EUR 135.0 million was decommitted during 
the programming period due to the automatic decommitment rule. 

In 2010, the closure process for 81 INTERREG III/Neighbourhood programmes has 
been started. By the end of reporting year 64 programmes have been submitted to the 
Commission.  The  Commission  services  worked  in  close  cooperation  with  the 
authorities  responsible  for  programme  implementation  in  order  to  conclude  the 
closing  procedure.  Within  2010,  closure  of  3  programmes  has  been  finalised.  The 
remaining  17  programmes,  due  to  extended  final  dater  of  eligibility  of  expenditure 
affected by the financial crisis and prolonged eligibility for the Technical assistance 
priority are expected to enter the closure procedure by 31 March 2011. 

Due  to  their  international  nature,  financial  control  and  audit  are  challenging  for 
INTERREG  programmes.  Audit  findings  have  called  for  some  programmes  to 
develop  action  plans  on  how  to  improve  their  financial  control  and  audit  systems. 
The implementation of these action plans has been closely monitored. 

2.2.5.2.  EQUAL 

The  EQUAL  Community  Initiative  focused  on  supporting  innovative,  transnational 
projects  aimed  at  tackling  discrimination  and  disadvantage  in  the  labour  market. 

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These projects  were  created to generate and  test  new  ideas  with  the  aim  of  finding 
new ways  of  fighting  all  forms of discrimination and inequality within and beyond 
the labour market.  

The  principles  underpinning  EQUAL  projects  were  the  following:  Partnership, 
Innovation, Empowerment, Transnational cooperation and Mainstreaming 

EQUAL was structured according to thematic fields defined within the four pillars of 
the  European  Employment  Strategy  (EES):  Employability,  Entrepreneurship, 
Adaptability  and  Equal  opportunities.  In  addition  to  these  pillars,  the  programme 
supported a further theme of activities to help the integration of asylum seekers.  

It was implemented by all Member States, following common guidelines established 
by the Commission. The programme stood for €3 bn investment of the ESF in labour 
market  development  and  social  inclusion  and  has  helped  to  make  the  ESF  a  more 
effective,  efficient  and  relevant  instrument  for  contributing  to  the  Lisbon  reform 
strategy to create more and better jobs. EQUAL has provided evidence for innovative 
and  adaptable  policy  strategies  and  delivery  mechanisms  that  bring  greater 
inclusiveness  to  Europe’s  diverse  labour  markets,  based  on  the  efforts  and 
achievements  of  3,480  development  partnerships  with  more  than  20,000  partners, 
reaching over 200,000 persons in Europe. 

The  EQUAL  Community  Initiative  programmes  were  administratively  closed  in 
2008 in most Member States. Only a few asked for an extension of the final date of 
eligibility  into  2009  in  order  to  achieve  a  higher  absorption  rate  and  to  continue 
mainstreaming actions. In 2010 the administartive closure process was continued and 
by  the  end  of  the  year  4  closures  of  EQUAL  Operational  programmes  were 
completed. 

2.2.5.3.  URBAN 

In  2010,  URBACT  I  programme  has  been  closed.  The  URBACT  Programme 
reported a total eligible cost of 25 043 714€ of which a total of 15 386 591€ ERDF 
was claimed, this represents an ERDF under-spend of 2 644 526€ or 14.67%.  

The  URBACT  II  programme,  the  Urban  Development  Network  Programme  under 
the  European  Territorial  Cooperation  Objective,  is  an  exchange  and  learning 
programme  for  cities  based  on  the  good  experiences  with  the  URBACT  I 
programme.  In  2010,  work  on  the  management  of  the  URBACT  II  programme 
continued by way of monitoring committees and reporting procedures. 

After  having  launched  the  first  call  for  proposals  in  2007,  in  total,  19  thematic 
networks and 6 working groups were launched. In 2010, five working group closed 
their projects. All the partners produced and submitted their Local Action Plans. The 
remaining one working group and the 19 thematic networks got close to the end of 
their  implementation  phase.  They  consolidated  their  work  in  the  implementation 
phase  by  elaborating  and  starting  to  implement  Local  Action  Plans  in  close 
cooperation with Local Support Groups.  

In  2009,  a  second  call  for  proposals  was  launched  and  another  thirteen  thematic 
networks and three working groups started the development phase. In 2010 they all 

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finished this first phase and applied for the implementation phase. Due to not having 
met the eligibility criteria for the implementation phase, only nine thematic networks 
were able to start the implementation phase in 2010.  

So  far  30  thematic  networks  and  seven  working  groups  (in  2009  there  was  an 
additional  call  for  the  establishment  of  a  working  group  to  facilitate  the 
implementation of integrated sustainable urban development according to the Leipzig 
Charter) have been working under the programme. Together with the two Pilot Fast 
Track  Networks  and  the  working  groups  and  thematic  networks  that  finished  their 
projects  at  the  end  of  the  development  phase  of  the  second  call,  the  projects  have 
gathered  333  partners  (cities,  Member  States,  regional  authorities,  universities, 
NGOs) from 28 countries (26 Member States plus Norway and Switzerland).  

The  creation  of  strong  links  between  cities  and  their  managing  authorities  is  the 
guiding principle of the entire URBACT II programme. Following the two calls for 
projects  launched  under  URBACT  II,  the  Managing  Authorities  signed  letters 
declaring their intent to cooperation with 240 URBACT partners.  

The  URBACT  II  programme  is  one  of  the  main  instruments  of  the  Regions  for 
Economic  Change  initiative,  aiming  at  faster  implementation  of  best  practice  and 
innovative concepts. In this framework, the Commission in 2010 actively supported 
six  running  Fast  Track  Networks  of  the  first  call  and  selected  and  labelled  two 
networks  of  the  second  call.  Several  Commission  services,  led  by  the  Directorate-
General  for  Regional  Policy  (and  one  network  led  by  the  Directorate-General  for 
Health  and  Consumers),  are  involved  in  the  Fast  Track  Network  activities  and 
support  the  project  partners  in  implementing  their  Local  Action  Plans  through 
regional or national Operational Programmes.  

2.2.5.4.  LEADER+ 

The  Community  Initiative  Leader+  consisted  of  three  activities:  implementation  of 
local  development  strategies  by  public  private  partnerships,  cooperation  between 
rural  territories  and  networking.  73  Leader+  programmes  for  the  EU  15  were 
approved  for  the  period  2000-2006.  (Recently  acceded  EU  Member  States  had  the 
option  of  integrating  Leader+  type  measures  into  their  EAGGF  Objective  1 
programmes.) 

By the end of 2010, 14 LEADER+ programmes were closed and 8 closure letters had 
been sent to Member States 

2.2.6. 

Innovative Actions 

2.2.6.1.  ERDF 

The  Directorate-General  for  Regional  Policy  also  managed  181  Regional 
Programmes of Innovative Actions (by 31 December 2010, 171 had been closed, 24 
of them during 2010). These programmes helped to promote strategic innovation in 
the  regions,  by  experimenting  with  innovative  methods  and  practices  designed  to 
improve the level of innovation and the quality of EU assistance under three themes: 
knowledge  and  technological  innovation,  information  society  and  sustainable 
development.  In  December  2010,  the  European  Policy  Evaluation  Consortium 

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(EPEC) delivered conclusions of a study on Policy lessons from experience with the 
Regional Programme for Innovative Actions in the fields of innovation, sustainable 
development and information society. 

2.2.6.2.  ESF 

The  remaining  Innovative  Actions  for  2005  and  2006  projects  were  completed  as 
planned and closed in 2010. 

3. 

CONSISTENCY AND COORDINATION 

3.1. 

Consistency with other Community policies 

Previous reports have given details of developments to maintain consistency between 
cohesion  policy  and  other  EU  policy  priorities  such  as  competition  policy,  internal 
market,  environment,  transport  and  gender  equality  objectives.  There  were  no 
specific  changes  in  requirements  or  expectations  on  managing  authorities  as  the 
2000-2006 programmes entered the final months of implementation.  

For  the  future  programming  period,  thematic  inter  services  taskforces  have  been 
implemented  to  ensure  coherence  of  Structural  Funds’  policies  in  following  fields: 
“Smart growth”, “Sustainable development”, "Education", "Employment and Social 
inclusion", “Transport”. (NB in early 2011) 

3.2. 

Coordination of instruments 

3.2.1.  The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund 

in 

the 

fields  of 

Aid  granted  by  the  Cohesion  Fund  provides  financing  for  transport  infrastructure 
projects 
the  environment. 
The Cohesion Fund  enables  the  beneficiary  Member  States  to  channel  significant 
public  investment  into  these  two  fields  of  common  interest,  while  meeting  the 
objectives  of  reducing  the  budget  deficits  set  out  in  the  convergence  and  stability 
programmes drawn up as part of Economic and Monetary Union. 

trans-European  networks  and 

Following  the  enlargement  of  the  European  Union  in  May  2004,  the  ten  new 
Member States are covered by the Cohesion Fund. In the period 2000-2006, before 
the  latest  enlargement  on  1  January  2007  to  include  Romania  and  Bulgaria,  there 
were 13 beneficiary Member States. As a result of its economic growth, Ireland has 
not been eligible for the Fund since 1 January 2004. 

The principal instrument for coordinating funding under the Cohesion Fund and the 
Structural Funds is the national strategic reference framework (SRF),  which  covers 
the  whole  of  the  2000-2006  period.  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1265/1999 
amending  Annex  II  to  Regulation  (EC)  No  1164/94  provides  that  ‘Member  States 
shall also provide the results of the environmental impact assessment in conformity 
with  Community legislation,  and  their  consistency  with  a  general  environmental  or 
transport strategy at administrative unit or sector level’.  

The  four  ‘old’  Member  States  benefiting  from  the  Cohesion  Fund  presented  their 
SRFs  for  the  environment  and  transport  sectors  at  the  end  of  2000.  The  ten  new 

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Member States submitted theirs during the first half of 2004. Since then, decisions to 
finance projects by the Cohesion Fund have been subject to a verification process to 
avoid duplication with programmes adopted under the Structural Funds. In addition, 
SRFs improve the complementarity between the two instruments.  

Thus, in certain cases, these SRFs form an integral part of the programmes approved 
under  the  Structural  Funds  for  the  period  2000-2006;  this  improves  coordination 
between funding under the Cohesion Fund and the Structural Funds. 

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3.2.2.  The Structural Funds and the EIB/EIF 

Since the implementation of the 2000-2006 period entered the closure phase in 2010, 
there is nothing to report.  

4. 

EVALUATIONS 

In  2010, 
decision-making under the Cohesion Policy.  

the  Commission  continued 

to  carry  out  evaluations 

to  support 

ERDF 

In 2010, the Commission completed the ex post evaluation of ERDF interventions in 
objective  1  and  2  regions.  The  synthesis  report  of  the  all  work  was  published  and 
presented to the public in April 2010.  

The ex post evaluations of the Community Initiatives URBAN and Interreg were also 
completed in 2010. 

The ex post evaluation of the URBAN Community Initiative provided evidence of 
the  added  value  of  this  aspect  of  the  policy  and  supported  the  proposals  by  the 
Commission  for  a  stronger  urban  agenda  in  the  future  policy.  Successful  projects 
were  characterised  by  local  leadership  (80%  of  URBAN  programmes)  and  local 
ownership.  They  were  selected  in  line  with  local  perceptions  of  need,  with 
commitment  from  local  players  and  delivered  in  partnership  with  local  people. 
Unsuccessful projects were usually imposed from above, with little local ownership 
and involvement.  

The  ex  post  evaluation  of  the  INTERREG  III  Community  Initiative  concluded 
that it was about much more than mutual learning, although this too was important. 
Financially  larger  programmes  generated  significant  investments  and  achieved 
lasting  tangible  impacts,  while  smaller  programmes  achieved  mostly  intangible 
impacts  on  territorial  development.  INTERREG  generated  important  soft  leverage 
inter-cultural  understanding  and 
increased 
effects  –  actor  mobilisation,  an 
development of social capital. 

In  addition  other  evaluations  were  launched  in  2010  and  are  currently  underway. 
Three of them are studies on Counterfactual Impact Evaluation of Cohesion Policy:  

•  Examples  from  enterprise  support,  with  the  aim  to  assemble  and  use  support 
and  outcome  data  for  assistance  to  enterprise  in  Member  States.  The  study  will 
use econometric analysis to estimate the impact of ERDF enterprise assistance 

•  Examples  from  support  to  innovation  and  research:  aiming  to  document  the 
process  of  combining  beneficiary  data,  firm-level  economic  data  and  innovation 
and  research  data  for  the  purposes  of  counterfactual  impact  evaluation,  to  see 
where it is possible and to give a practical guide to the kind of issues which arise. 

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•  Data-linking  and  impact  evaluation  in  N.  Ireland:  looking  to  document  work 
currently underway preparing and linking various datasets in Northern Ireland, as 
well as to perform an impact evaluation using these datasets. 

Two thematic studies were also launched. The first one concerns local development, 
in order to assess the contribution of local development to the effective delivery of 
Cohesion Policy and to provide lessons for the future and on territories with specific. 
The second one concerns regions with specific geographic features, with a view to 
examine  the  extent  to  which  cohesion  policy  interventions  are  and  have  been 
appropriate in mountainous, islands and sparsely populated regions  

Another study launched in 2010 concerns the evaluation of Innovation activities, to 
provide  a  state  of  the  art  of  the  evaluation  of  innovation  in  Member  States  and  an 
analysis  of  the  advantages  and  limits  of  available  methodologies  for  assessing 
different  kinds  of  innovation  activities,  to  conduct  a  series  of  case  studies  on  good 
quality evaluations, as well as to draft guidance for managing authorities to support 
their evaluation activities. 

ESF  

The ex post evaluation of the ESF (2000-2006) was completed in 2010. It consists of 
1  preparatory  study,  2  thematic  studies  (a  -  ESF  support  to  the  Open  Method  of 
Coordination in social protection and social inclusion; b - The impact of the ESF on 
the functionning of the labour market and investment in human capital infrastructure 
through support to systems and structures), and 2 main evaluations on the ESF and 
EQUAL. All the evaluation reports have been published1. 

Besides the ex post evaluation, the following evaluations and studies were completed 
in 2010 or beginning of 2011:  

-  Evaluation  of  the  ESF  contribution  to  the  European  Employment  Strategy. 
The evaluation confirmed that the ESF is an essential instrument to implement and 
disseminate concepts and reforms linked to the EES; 

- Evaluation of the capacity of the ESF delivery system to attract and support 
operational programme target groups. The evaluation found that in some cases the 
delivery systems put in place by Member States have a limited capacity to attract and 
support  certain  OP  target  groups.  This  is  especially  true  for  target  groups  that  face 
multiple barriers to enter the labour market; 

-  Evaluation  of  ESF  support  to  the  integration  of  the  ethnic  minorities  and 
migrants in the labour market. A key conclusion of this evaluation was that there 
is  an  increased  attention  to  promoting  the  labour  market  and  social  inclusion  of 
migrants and minorities in ESF in the 2007-2013 period compared with 2000-2006; 

-  Evaluation  of  ESF  support  to  Gender  Equality.  The  evaluation  confirmed  the 
European  Added  Value  in  the  ESF's  support  to  gender  equality  policy,  which  is 
mostly  visible  in  terms  of  capacity  building  and  support  for  the  creation  of  a 
recognised and autonomous policy space for gender equality; 

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- ESF implementation in the 2007-2013 period - template for EC reporting and 
2008  outline  report.  The  study  has  developed  a  template  to  report  on  the  use  and 
performance of the European Social Fund (ESF)  since  the  beginning  of  the  current 
programming  period  in  2007,  as  notified  by  Member  States  to  the  Commission 
through the SFC 2007 platform. It also proposes a limited set of aggregated common 
indicators.  

In  addition,  the  following  evaluations  and  studies  were  launched  in  2010  and  are 
currently underway: 

- Developing logics of intervention and related common indicators for the next 
ESF operational programmes. The purpose of the study is threefold: (1) to develop 
methodologies for establishing logics of intervention at the most suitable level for the 
ESF;  (2)  to  develop  logics  of  intervention  by  way  of  example  for  three  selected 
policy  areas:  access  to  employment;  social  inclusion  and  poverty;  institutional 
capacity  and  governance;  (3)  to  develop  common  indicators  relevant  for  all  ESF 
policy fields; 

- Evaluation of ESF support to Lifelong Learning. This evaluation focuses on how 
ESF  Lifelong  Learning  activities  could  better  support  the  sustainable  integration  of 
young job seekers, low-skilled workers and older workers into the labour market; 

- Evaluation of the reaction of the ESF to the economic and financial crisis. The 
purpose is to assess if the economic crisis has had an impact on the ESF spending, at 
which  level  it  had  an  impact,  if  the  ESF  is  sufficiently  flexible  to  react  to  such 
challenges and at which stage of the crisis is the ESF best placed to intervene. 

Furthermore,  DG  Employment  launched  an  ESF  Evaluation  expert  network  The 
purpose of the network is to aggregate and synthesise the ESF evaluations carried out 
by  the  Member  States,  as  well  as  to  deliver  policy  analysis  and  evidence  on  the 
performance of ESF. 

In 2010, DG Employment continued to hold ESF Evaluation Partnership meetings to 
which it invited all Member States’ evaluation functions. The main objective of these 
meetings  is  to  steer  and  capitalise  on  evaluation  of  actions  supported  by  the  ESF. 
In 2010, the Evaluation Partnership met three times 

EAGGF 

Ex-post evaluation of LEADER+  

The  ex  post  evaluation  of  Leader+  was  completed  in  2010.  This  evaluation  covers 
the Leader+ programmes, as specified by Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/99, and 
the  Leader+-type  measures  included  in  transitional  rural  development  programmes 
for the period 2004-2006 (EU-10). 

The  purpose  of  this  evaluation  is  to  assess  the  effectiveness,  efficiency,  relevance 
and  sustainability  of  Leader+  programmes  and  Leader+-type  measures  as 
implemented in the EU-15 and EU-10 respectively. 

The evaluation concluded that Leader+ was an important complement to mainstream 
policies  and  has  contributed  to  economic  diversification,  quality  of  life  and 

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enhancement  of  the  natural  and  built  environment  of  rural  areas.  Its  flexibility  and 
sensitivity  to  local  needs  distinguished  Leader+  from  other  interventions,  and 
exploited potential unreachable through more conventional channels. It successfully 
promoted multi-sectoral integrated development and contributed to strengthening the 
local  economy  and  social  capital  in  rural  areas.  Leader+  had  significant  positive 
effects  on  local  governance  capacity.  LAG  autonomy  was  considered  an  important 
factor in the effectiveness of the policy. 

The  recommendations  of  the  report  included  increasing  the  focus  on  long-term 
development, increasing resilience and adaptive capacity as compared to short-term 
job  creation  and  productivity  gains;  increasing  the  autonomy  of  LAGs;  taking 
additional  account  of  the  needs  of  minority  or  marginalised  groups;  encouraging 
further networking and cooperation between LAGs; increasing capacity building and 
ensuring continuity between programming periods. 

Ex-post evaluation of 2000-2006 Rural Development Programmes 

In  2010  the  Commission  launched  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  2000-2006  rural 
development  programmes.  This  evaluation  consists  of  a  synthesis  of  individual 
programme-specific  ex-post  evaluation  reports  for  EAGGF-Guarantee  co-financed 
EU15  RDPs,  and  for  EU10  2004-2006  Transitional  Rural  Development  Instrument 
programmes,  together  with  the  evaluation  of  EAGGF-Guidance  co-finanded  rural 
development  measures  implemented  throughout  Objective  1  regions  and  EAGGF-
Guarantee co-financed rural development measures implemetned within Objective 2 
regions  in  France.  All  of  these  were  implemetnd  within  the  framework  of  Council 
Regulation (EC) No 1257/99. It will be completed during 2011. 

The evaluation will assess the relevance, coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of 
the  different  measures  and  programmes.  It  will  seek  to  identify  examples  of  good 
practice  and  to  make  recomendations  for  future  policy  design.  It  will  consist  of 
documentary analysis, surveys of Mananging Authorities and Monitoring Committee 
members  and  case  studies  of  selected  programming  areas.  The  findings  and 
conclusions  will  be  structured  according  to  eight  themes:  relevance  of  the  policy 
objectives; coherence between the measures and policy objectives; complementarity 
between  rural  development  and  other  support  instruments;  coverage,  content  and 
consistency of programmes; results, impact, effectiveness and efficiency of support; 
delivery systems; monitoring and evaluation; and impact achieved in relation to new 
priorities. 

5. 

CONTROLS 

5.1. 

ERDF 

Audit work  

Assurance on 2000-2006 ERDF (mainstream and INTERREG) programmes has been 
built up gradually over the years.  

First,  the  effective  functioning  of  the  Member  States'  management  and  control 
systems  has  been  the  subject  of  wide-ranging  audits  since  2004  covering  key 

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elements of management and control. In terms of coverage, the programmes audited 
represent 43% of the number of the mainstream programmes and 76% of the decided 
ERDF  contribution.  As  regards  INTERREG,  a  separate  audit  enquiry  launched  in 
2006  was  concluded  in  2010  for  the  23  programmes  examined  (28%  of  total 
programmes) representing 54 % of the decided contribution. 

Second,  an  extensive  preparatory  enquiry  was  carried  out  from  2007  to  2010  to 
review the winding-up bodies (WUB) in order to verify the assurance which can be 
placed  on  their  closure  work  underpinning  the  winding-up  declarations  (WUD),  to 
verify  the  preparation  of  Member  States  for  closure  and  to  identify  and  mitigate 
related risks. The objective was to reach conclusions as to whether the audit work of 
the national bodies can be relied on as a main source of assurance for the remainder 
of the programming period and whether the winding up declaration will be based on 
adequate audit work and will be a reliable source of assurance at programme closure. 
The 42 audits carried out under this enquiry, together with audit missions done on the 
winding-up body as part of regular systems audits which started in 2004, resulted in a 
coverage  of  winding-up  bodies  in  charge  of  approximately  85%  of  the  decided 
amount of the 2000-2006 programmes at the end of 2010.  

Third,  an  extensive  preparatory  enquiry  was  carried  out  from  2007  to  review  the 
Winding-Up Bodies (WUB) in order to verify the assurance which can be placed on 
their  closure  work  underpinning  the  winding-up  declarations,  to  verify  the 
preparation of Member States for closure and to identify and mitigate related risks. 
The 42 audits (including three in 2010) carried out under this enquiry, together with 
work done on the WUB as part of systems audits, resulted in coverage of WUB in 
charge of approximately 85% of the decided amount of the 2000-2006 programmes 
at the end of 2010.  

Finally,  during  2010,  four  audit  missions  were  carried  out  to  follow  up  previous 
ERDF systems audits (mainly implementation of remedial action plans following the 
detection of systems deficiencies) in three countries: in Spain (1), Germany (1) and 
Italy (2).  

Other  audit  work  carried  out  in  2010  for  the  2000-2006  programming  period 
included  the  examination  of  the  86  systems  audit  reports  received  from  national 
auditors, eleven annual control reports received under Article 13 of Regulation No. 
438/2001  (2009  was  the  last  year  where  submission  of  annual  control  report 
summarising all audit work carried out in the year was obligatory, before submission 
of  the  closure  documents  by  Member  States  for  most  programmes  in  2010). 
Assessment letters were sent to all the Member States with observations and, where 
necessary,  requests  for  additional  information  in  order  to  be  able  to  draw  as  much 
assurance as possible from the results of national audit work.  

The  closure  process  of  programmes  started  in  2010  with  the  submission  to  the 
Commission  of  closure  documents  for  most  programmes  (final  implementation 
report, final declaration of expenditure and winding-up declaration summarising the 
audit findings over the programming period).  

The  analysis  of  winding-up  declarations  (WUDs)  received  from  Member  States 
started  in  2010.  The  total  number  of  ERDF  programmes  to  close  for  2000-2006 
period is 379. There were 350 WUDs due and received by end 2010, the remaining 

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29 being due by March 2011 (one received in advance by end 2010). The analysis of 
WUD also takes into account any overall analysis or statement of assurance supplied 
in  the  annual  summaries,  where  available.  By  end  2010,  279  WUDs  had  been 
analysed: 165 (47%) WUD have been accepted and for 114 (33%) WUD the analysis 
was  interrupted  in  order  to  request  additional  clarifications  or  audit  work  from  the 
Member States. The analysis was ongoing for the remaining 71 (20%) WUD.  

The Winding-Up Bodies classified their audit opinions as: unqualified, qualified, and 
adverse  or  disclaimer  in  line  with  the  closure  guidance.  DG  Regional  Policy 
undertook an in depth analysis and further classified the reported qualified opinions 
into "reasonable assurance with moderate impact" or "limited assurance", depending 
on  the  seriousness  of  qualifications  reported  by  the  WUB.  The  categorisation  is 
provisional as outstanding issues will be cleared in the coming months. DG Regional 
Policy  agreed  with  the  opinions  expressed  in  the  WUDs  in  261  cases  (74%)6  and 
reclassified the opinion in 92 cases (26%). For the latter programmes, this means that 
DG Regional Policy considered that it could not entirely rely on the work or opinion 
of the Winding-Up Body to draw its assurance or took into account additional audit 
information at its disposal (for one programme).  

Finally, in order to complete all the above audit work, an enquiry on the closure of 
ERDF  assistance  for  2000-2006  is  planned  in  2011.  Following  an  analysis  of  the 
residual  risk  for  closure,  on  the  basis  of  the  audit  work  carried  throughout  the 
programming  period  and  the  result  of  the  assessment  of  the  WUDs,  DG  Regional 
Policy plans to carry out closure audits in 2011 in nine Member States (CZ, DE, ES, 
IE, EL, IT, PT, SK and the UK).  

In  2010,  for  INTERREG.,  following  the  reservations  expressed  in  Annual Activity 
Report  2009  on  15  INTERREG  III  programmes,  following  an  extensive  audit 
enquiry carried out between 2006 and 2009 for 23 programmes representing 54% of 
the ERDF amounts committed, appropriate action was taken to address the remaining 
risks.  In  its  Annual  Activity  Report  2010,  DG  REGIO  maintains  a  reservation  until 
closure of programmes for nine programmes.  

Impact of controls 

In  exercising  its  supervisory  role,  the  Directorate-General  for  Regional  Policy  had 
established a policy in 20087 to ensure more rapid adoption of decisions to suspend 
payment  and  make  financial  corrections  when  serious  systems  weaknesses  are 
detected which endanger the reimbursements of Funds made to Member States. The 
more rigorous approach continued in 2010 even though no additional suspension was 
decided in 2010 (since 1994-1999 programmes are now closed and most 2000-2006 
programmes  reached  the  95%  threshold  for  payments  ,  meaning  no  Commission 
payment  necessary  before  closure  and  where  necessary,  financial  corrections 
decisions will be taken at closure). Three suspension decisions (for two German and 
one Interreg 2000-2006 programmes) remained in force at year end as the identified 
deficiencies (management verifications and audit function) were not solved and the 

6 

7 

26  cases  were  excluded  from  the  total  of  379  because  WUD  were  not  received  or  no  opinion  was 
available in the Winding-up declaration.  
Under  the  Action  Plan  to  strengthen  the  Commission’s  supervisory  role  —  COM(2008)  97  of  19 
February 2009. 

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closure  procedure  is  interrupted  (DE).  (In  the  case  of  the  Interreg  DK/SE 
programme, payment will be resumed when it is agreed to implement the necessary 
financial corrections following audit results at closure (Interreg DK/SE programme).)  

This raises the total ERDF financial corrections decided/ agreed following in 2008-
2010 to EUR (2 900 plus X 2010) XX million and the cumulative corrections in the 
period  2000-2010  to  EUR  YY  (5 400  million  plus  Y  2010)  for  the  financial 
corrections  made  by  the  Commission  and  by  the  Member  States,  as  a  result  of 
Commission or Court of Auditors audit activity or OLAF investigations. 

In 2010, many of the procedures in progress in the previous years were finalised for 
ERDF  with  the  application  of  financial  corrections  or  the  adjustments  of  the 
amounts. Furthermore, 2010 was a transition year for the two programming periods; 
the  conclusion  of  procedures  for  2000-2006  leading  to  a  decrease  of  amounts  in 
progress and the initiation of new procedures (somewhat less at this stage) for 2007-
2013.  Thus,  the  amounts  of  financial  corrections  in  progress  this  year  are  lower 
compared  to  the  previous  year.  At  the  end  of  2010,  suspension  and  correction 
procedures  were  in  progress  for  a  total  number  of  approximately  117  ERDF 
programmes, with an estimated amount of approximately EUR 559 million. 

Concerning the ESF, most of the EUR 9 million of new cases refers to the 2000-2006 
programming period as all the operational programmes concerned are reaching their 
closure  phase.  The  processing  of  financial  corrections  will  be  dealt  with  in  the 
closure process. Nevertheless, half of the on-going procedures concern the 2007-2013 
programming period. These were estimated to be at EUR 1 (provisional amount) as 
the amount to be corrected still needs to be identified. 

In addition to the above-mentioned figure, an amount of EUR 1 437 million has been 
reported  by  Member  States  and  represents  potential  recoveries  following  the 
detection of  irregular  claims on structural funds notified to OLAF under regulation 
No.  1681/94.  However  the  prospects  of  recovery  in  individual  cases  cannot  be 
assessed  with  sufficient  accuracy  based  on  the  information  forwarded  by  Member 
States. In addition there is a risk of overlap with the figures above-disclosed which is 
difficult to quantify as Member States are not obliged to distinguish in their reporting 
between potential recoveries and those resulting from their own controls.  

Part  6  of  this  report  provides  further  information  and  details  on  the  financial 
corrections  and  recoveries  in  the  structural  funds  for  2010  by  fund  and  country,  as 
well as cumulatively up to the end of 2010.  

Annual summaries 

Annual summaries were received for the fourth consecutive year in February 2011 as 
per  Article  53b(3)  of  the  amended  Financial  Regulation  and  were  assessed  by  the 
Directorates-General responsible for structural actions.  

The European Court of Auditors reported in its 2008 and 2009 Annual Reports that 
the  Commission  supervised  the  annual  summaries  exercise  well.  The  Commission 
revised  the  guidance  for  the  2009  Summaries  (submitted  in  February  2010)  and 
reiterated its encouragement to the Member States to add value to the summaries by 
providing  additional  information  which  is  not  communicated  in  other  reports.  This 

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can be done by analysing the functioning of systems, diagnosing problems and their 
solutions, describing good practices and providing a declaration as to the degree of 
assurance  the  Member  States  derive  from  their  systems.  The  revised  guidance  note 
takes on board some of the recommendations formulated in the study of 5 June 2009 
on  the  annual  summaries  commissioned  by  the  European  Parliament.  Finally,  the 
Commission,  as  recommended  by  the  European  Parliament  in  its  2008  discharge 
resolution,  commissioned  an  external  study  to  take  stock  of  the  added  value  of 
annual  summaries  after  three  consecutive  exercises  and  to  envisage  the  possible 
contribution  of  annual  summaries  to  the  assurance  building  process,  particularly  in 
view of the revision of the Financial Regulation.  

The  external,  independent  analysis  done  by  the  consultancy  firm  on  the  Member 
States' annual summaries submitted from 2007 to 2009 was based on desk reviews of 
submitted documents, on meetings with European Commission audit representatives 
and with a sample of Member State audit  authorities and on the review of national 
declarations and annual control reports. The study, which was finalised in April 2011 
and  made  public  thereafter,  concluded  that  the  annual  summary  in  its  current  form 
has  provided  little  added  value.  It  also  confirmed  that  whilst  there  were 
improvements  in  the  compliance  elements  of  the  summary  over  the  three  year 
process,  the  same  was  not  true  of  voluntary  disclosures,  which  have  remained 
limited. 

Following the analysis of the annual summaries received for 2010, the Commission 
services  noted  that  twenty-six  Member  States  have  complied  with  the  minimum 
requirements  of  the  Financial  Regulation  regarding  information  to  be  provided. 
Where  necessary,  Member  States  which  have  not  completely  followed  the 
recommendations  in  the  Commission's  guidance  note,  have  been  requested  to 
provide the additional information. For one Member State (Spain), there were non-
compliance  issues  (major  elements  of  the  annual  summary  were  missing  for  2000-
2006  programming  period),  therefore  the  Commission  have  requested  a  revised 
annual summary. 

Sixteen Member States have provided an overall analysis and eleven Member States 
have provided  a  statement of  overall level of assurance, following the Commission 
recommendations to maximise the value of the annual summaries. In such cases, the 
Directorate General has  used this  to corroborate its own assessment of the national 
management  and  control  systems  or  to  complete  information  provided  to  the 
Commission in the ACR, in some cases. Namely, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece 
and  Romania  reported  in  their  overall  analysis  similar  weaknesses  as  the  ones 
identified  by  DG  Regional  Policy  for  programmes  put  in  the  reservations,  without 
though providing a similar level of overall assurance. The other Member States that 
have programmes in the 2010 list of reservations did not provide an overall level of 
assurance. 

National declarations 

Four Member States - the Netherlands, the U.K., Denmark and Sweden – submitted 
national  declarations  on  a  voluntary  basis  to  the  Commission.  The  Commission 
supports  these  initiatives  and  encourages  these  Member  States  to  share  the  process 
they follow in order for the Commission to be able to optimise the assurance it may 
draw from their declarations. Public declarations issued at senior national level make 

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the control process in the Member States more transparent and help identify changes 
needed to make the system more effective. 

The Commission services elaborated guidance on national declarations for the use of 
Member  States  authorities,  made  available  to  Member  States  in  March  2011.  This 
guidance  points  the  key  issues  to  be  solved  in  order  for  national  declarations  to 
provide added value to the Commission assurance process: format, report on ongoing 
work  and  audit  opinion  supporting  the  declaration,  timing  of  submission.  The 
guidance,  while  encouraging  Member  States  to  develop  such  national  declarations 
that  would  fulfil  the  conditions  for  adding  value  to  the  Commission  assurance 
building  process,  also  concludes  that  the  Commission  proposal  on  management 
declarations in the revised Financial Regulation, signed at the operational level, may 
constitute  a  first  more  practical  and  useful  step  that  could  later  be  endorsed  at  a 
political level in the Member States. 

Communication  of  follow-up  to  the  action  plan  to  strengthen  the  Commission’s 
supervisory role  

Following  the  2006  Annual  report  of  the  European  Court  of  Auditors  (ECA),  the 
Commission adopted in February 2008 and put in place a comprehensive Action Plan 
to strengthen the Commission's supervisory role in the system of shared management 
of  the  Structural  Funds  and  the  Cohesion  Fund.  The  overall  aim  was  to  reduce  the 
level  of  error  in  expenditure  claims  certified  to  the  Commission  for  co-financing 
under  structural  actions.  The  actions  should  also  prevent  loss  to  the  EU  budget 
through the application of financial corrections. The Action Plan set out 37 actions, 
under  10  main  headings.  As  regards  the  2000-2006  programming  period  the  main 
objectives  were  to  focus  audit  resources  on  high-risk  bodies  so  as  to  reduce  the 
potential  residual  risk,  to  follow-up  Member  States'  action  plans  to  remedy 
deficiencies  in  management  and  control  systems  and  to  bring  to  conclusion 
suspension and financial correction procedures. Preventive actions for the 2007-2013 
programming  period  comprised  the  review  of  compliance  assessment  reports  and 
opinions, the review of national audit strategies, actions on simplification and review 
and clarification on eligibility issues as well as awareness-raising in relation to public 
procurement rules.  

The  Commission  published  in  February  2010  a  report8  to  assess  the  first  impact  of 
the  Action  Plan.  The  report  was  presented  to  the  Budgetary  Control  Committee  of 
the European Parliament and to the Structural Funds working group of the European 
Council.  

The implementation of the actions had an overall positive impact. The Commission 
has now a strengthened position to supervise the management of the Structural and 
Cohesion Funds. There are three areas which provide evidence of the tangible impact 
of the actions implemented: 

Reduced level of error in expenditure claims certified to the Commission: the 
results  of  a  Commission  audit  enquiry  performed  in  2009  on  the  2007-2013 

8 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Court  of 
Auditors  -  Impact  of  the  action  plan  to  strengthen  the  Commission's  supervisory  role  under  shared 
management of structural actions. COM (2010) 52 of 18 February 2010. 

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programmes provide an indication that the enhanced control provisions for the 2007-
2013  regulatory  framework  and  the  preventive  measures  taken  by  the  Commission 
have started to produce results on the error rate. The results presented by the Court in 
its  Annual  Report  for  2009  came  to  confirm  this  indication:  the  least  error  rate 
reported for 2009 is at 3%, compared to 11% in 2008 and 2007;  

The improved supervisory role of the Commission increases the effectiveness 
of  the  multi-annual  control  systems  and  reduces  the  residual  risk  of  error  after 
closure  of  the  programmes.  The  results  of  the  audit  closure  enquiry  on  1994-1999 
programmes  showed  that  for  those  programmes  the  residual  risk  at  closure  was 
substantially reduced;  

Reduced risk of loss  to the  EU budget by financial corrections: The  value of 
financial  corrections  for  the  1994-1999  and  2000-2006  periods  substantially 
increased in the years 2008 and 2009, compared to the years 2000-2007. The level of 
financial  corrections  shows  the  rigorous  Commission  response  to  the  detection  of 
significant systems deficiencies in the Member States.  

The Joint Audit Strategy of the Commission's services responsible for Cohesion will 
continue to build on the achievements of the Action Plan and provides a solid base in 
streamlining the overall audit approach to strengthen the Commission's supervisory 
role  in  shared  management  of  structural  actions  and  focus  on  high  risk  Member 
States and issues.  

The  Commission  is  maintaining  the  momentum  generated  by  the  Action  Plan  by 
continuing its rigorous actions and, in a system of shared management, by ensuring 
that  the  Member  States  continue  to  demonstrate  their  accountability  and  take 
responsibility  for  the  use  of  EU  funds.  The  Commission  considers  it  essential  that 
Member  States  add  value  to  the  current  arrangements  to  maximize  the  assurance 
available, in the absence of a mandatory statement of management assurance. 

5.2. 

ESF 

Results of the audit activities concerning the programming period 2000-2006 

5.2.1.  Audit coverage 2000-2006 period 

During  the  2000-06  programming  period,  the  work  carried  out  by  the  audit 
directorate included the assessment of management and control system descriptions, 
analysis of national system audit reports and annual control reports in the context of 
annual bilateral coordination meetings, and three main audit enquiries: 

– 

An enquiry on the verification of effective functioning of the management and 
control  systems  in  the  Member  States,  where  the  objective  was  to  obtain 
reasonable assurance that the systems are functioning effectively to prevent and 
detect  errors  and  irregularities  and  ensure  the  legality  and  regularity  of  the 
underlying  operations  and  the  accuracy  of  the  expenditure  declared  to  the 
Commission.  

– 

An  enquiry  on  project  expenditure  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  on  the 
compliance with the legislative framework as far as it concerns the conformity 

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with  EC  law  on  legality  and  regularity  of  the  expenditure  incurred  in  the 
Member States. 

– 

An enquiry to review the work of the Winding-up Bodies in the Member States 
in preparation for the closure of 2000-06 programmes, where the objective was 
to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  that  the  work  carried  out  by  the  Winding-up 
Bodies,  and  the  systems  and  procedures  put  in  place  for  the  provision  of  the 
winding-up  declaration  were  compliant  with  the  requirements  of  Regulation 
438/2001 and the Closure Guidelines, in order to be able to conclude whether 
the systems and procedures set up and the work carried out provide a reliable 
source  of  assurance  for  the  remainder  of  the  programming  period  and  in  the 
context of programme closure. 

As a result of the above audit enquiries, at the end of 2009, the audit units had carried 
out  missions  on  the  spot  in  Member  states  covering  94,88%  of  the  Operational 
Programmes (Note: Figures to be updated in line with 2009 country fiches) 

This  audit  coverage  was  considered  adequate  to  be  able  to  conclude  that  existing 
systemic  deficiencies  presenting  a  material  risk  had  been  identified  at  the  end  of 
2009.  Accordingly,  through  the  completion  of  follow-up  work  and  of  action  plans 
with  certain  Member states, including the application of  financial corrections when 
required,  the  Commission  should  be  able  to  obtain  assurance  prior  to  programme 
closure that the risks have been adequately addressed. This also led to the decision 
not to carry out any system audit work in 2010 outside certain follow up work. 

From April 2010 onwards, the audit units have been involved in the analysis of the 
Winding up declaration. The results of this analysis work have, and will continue, to 
be sent to the geographical desks as input for their closure activities and as a basis of 
assurance for the assessment of the final payment. The analysis work has suffered a 
slight delay due to the fact that much of the work was outsourced to an external audit 
company.  The  overall  assessment  of  the  winding-up  documents  was  carried  out  by 
DG  EMPL  auditors.  In  many  cases,  the  winding-up  bodies  did  not  send  the 
information  in  the  format  requested  by  the  Commission,  hence  requiring  longer 
analysis  work.  Secondly,  the  EMPL  auditors  are  carefully  assessing  the  level  of 
residual  error  in  the  programmes  while  ensuring  an  equal  treatment  across 
Operational Programmes and Member States 

5.2.2. 

. 

Audit work in 2010 

Considering  the  stage  of  implementation  of  the  2000-2006  programming  period's 
Operational Programmes, no further audits of management and control systems were 
organised. Instead, the audit work focused on the follow up of irregularities and the 
reservations issued in the AAR 2009. In this respect, 2 audit missions were carried 
out. The breakdown of these audits is as follows: 

– 

– 

System  audit  of  O.P.  2000ES053PO311:  Iniciativa  Impresarial  –  Follow  up 
from the ECA DAS 2008; 

- Follow up of O.P. 2000GR051PO003: Health and Prevention in Greece. 

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– 

As far as the  other Operational Programmes  under  reservation are concerned, 
suspension  and  correction  procedures  were  launched  by  the  geographical 
desks. 

5.3. 

EAGGF 

The Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development followed the same 
basic approach as the Directorate-General for Regional Policy and shared the same 
general objectives. 

As  regards  the  1994-1999  period,  the  planned  ex-post  audit  programme  for  this 
period was already completed in 2006. The last financial correction procedures were 
completed in 2009 (the last Commission Decision adopted in February 2010). 

As  regards  programmes  financed  by  EAGGF  Guidance  for  the  2000-2006 
programming period the deadline for payments by Member States was 31 December 
2009 at the latest. 

In  total,  at  the  end  of  2010,  103  programmes  out  of  the  152  were  subject  to  audit 
(67.8%), covering €21.7 billion (96.4%) of total programmed expenditure. The total 
number of programmes which were subject to a follow-up audit was 44. During 2010 
all those audits were closed. 

Consequently, pre-closure activities have been started. In accordance with Article 38 
(1)  (f)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1260/1999  Member  States  have  to  submit  a 
declaration drawn up by a person or department having a function independent of the 
designated  managing  authority  summarizing  the  conclusions  of  the  checks  carried 
out during previous years and assessing the validity of the application for payment of 
the  final  balance  and  the  legality  and  regularity  of  the  transactions  covered  by  the 
final certificate of expenditure. 

By 31 December 2010, the examination of those winding-up declarations submitted 
by  Member  States  was  finalized  as  regards  78  programmes,  representing  51.3%  of 
the total number of programmes. 

5.4. 

FIFG 

As regards the 1994-1999 period, the three FIFG audits carried out in 2010 covered 
three operational programmes. For Spain, the audit was focused on the Management 
and  control  systems  for  specific  measures  and  consequently,  the  results  are  not 
extrapolated to the whole programme. For the Netherlands the audit was focused on 
the effective implementation of the Action plan decided following an audit in 2008. 
For  Germany  (Bremen)  the  audit  was  focused  on  closure  and  the  work  of  the 
Winding-up  body.  The  audits  tested  key  controls  in  place  in  the  Management  and 
Control  Systems,  combined  with  sample  checks  of  projects  by  desk  review  at  the 
level of the Managing authorities and on-the-spot visits to projects and beneficiaries. 
These audits indicated that out of the programmes/systems audited by DG MARE in 
2010,  one  worked  with  some  improvements  needed,  one  worked  but  needed 
significant improvement and part of one system did not work. 

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27 

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In  total,  50  projects  were  checked  by  desk  reviews  and/or  on  the  spot  for  a  total 
eligible amount checked of €70.2 million w ith FIFG participation of €15.3 million. 
From the project audits no ineligible amounts were identified.  

It should be noted that no payments were made in 2010 in respect of the programmes 
referred to above, where weaknesses were identified. The identified weaknesses and 
the  financial  risks  for  the  FIFG  contribution  paid  to  the  programmes  are  being 
addressed in the closure exercise. 

Since the beginning of the 2000-2006 programming period, DG MARE has carried 
out  a  total  of  58  audit  missions  covering  all  its  mono-fund  programmes  (18 
programmes representing an initial budget contribution of €3,608.73 million – 87.4% 
of the total 2000-2006 budget) as well as 18 multi-fund programmes representing a 
contribution of €374.58 million - 9.2% of total 2000-2006 initial budget. In total, DG 
MARE  systems  audits  have  covered  programmes  representing  96.6%  of  the  total 
FIFG  initial  contribution  for  2000-2006.  For  the  remaining  programmes,  the 
assurance  is  gained  from  other  Structural  Funds  DGs'  audit  work  and/or  national 
audits. 

The work on the closure process of programmes started in 2010 with the submission, 
at  the  end  of  September  2010,  of  all  the  closure  documents  for  the  60  Operational 
Programmes  except  for  the  Greek  programme  where  an  extension  of  one  year  had 
been granted. 

By  the  end  of  2010,  17  Winding  up  declarations  had  been  analysed:  9  had  been 
accepted, for 8 the analysis was interrupted and additional information was requested 
and  for  the  remaining  43  the  analysis  was  ongoing.  From  the  9  which  have  been 
accepted,  the  opinion  for  8  was  unqualified  and  for  one  the  opinion  was  qualified 
(and for which a financial correction will be proposed).  

5.5. 

OLAF 

In 2010, OLAF undertook 53 missions in the Member States relating to measures co-
financed  by  the  Structural  Funds.  During  these  missions  on-the-spot  checks9  were 
carried out on 52 economic operators and 6 other types of missions were carried out 
to  gather  information  or  to  assist  either  national  administrations  or  judicial 
authorities. As was the case in previous years, typical problems identified by OLAF 
in the course of 2010 included false declarations, false invoicing and failure to abide 
by  public  procurement  rules  as  well  as  specified  instances  of  conflict  of  interest  in 
certain tendering procedures. 

In  2010,  Members  States  communicated  to  the  Commission,  in  accordance  with 
Regulation (EC) N° 1681/9410 as amended11 and Regulation (EC) N° 1828/200612 as 
amended13,  some  6,91014  notifications  of  irregularities  involving  €  1.546  billion 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 

Regulation (EC) N° 2185/1996, OJ L 292, 15.10.1996, p. 2 

OJ L 178, 12.07.1994, p.43 
By Regulation (EC) N°2035/2005, JO L 328, 15.12.2005, p; 8 
OJ L 371, 27.12.2006, p,1 
By Regulation (EC) N° 846/2009, JO L 250, 23.09.2009, p.1 

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28 

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affecting  co-financed  measures  of 
programming periods.  

the  1994-99,  2000-2006  and  2007-2013 

8 notifications concern the 1994-99 programming period with a financial impact of 
2000-2006 
€  3.2  million.  5,883  notifications  concern 
approximately 
programming period with a financial impact of approximately € 1,04 billion. For the 
programming  period  2007-2013,  1,019  irregularities  were  reported,  involving  an 
irregular amount of € 416 million. 

the 

Member  States  have  informed  the  Commission  that  administrative  and/or  judicial 
procedures have been concluded at national level for 4,072 cases and an amount of € 
711 million has been recovered. 

In  2010,  both  the  number  of  notifications  and  the  involved  amounts  increased  by 
around  42%  and  26%  respectively,  as  compared  to  the  year  before.  The  main 
explanation  for  this  situation  seems  to  be  the  preparation  of  the  closure  of  the 
programmes for the programming period 2000-2006 and the increase of irregularities 
in  relation  to  the  programming  period  2007-2013,  which  is  now  in  its  full 
implementation phase. 

The most frequent types of irregularities reported is “non-eligible expenditure”, and 
secondary, “infringement of rules concerned with public procurement” and “Missing 
or incomplete supporting documents”. 

The  figures  demonstrate  an  increased  awareness  and  a  better  reporting  by  the 
Member States in conformity with their Community law obligations. 

6. 

COMMITTEES ASSISTING THE COMMISSION 

6.1. 

COCOF  

There were no COCOF related activities in 2010 concerning the implementation of 
the 2000 -2006 period. 

6.2. 

ESF Committee 

The ESF Committee, pursuant to Article 163 of the Treaty, assists the Commission in 
administrating the Eupen Social Fund. The Committee is presided over by a Member 
of the Commission and is composed of representatives of governments, trade unions 
and  employers’  organisations.  In  2010  there  were  three  Plenary  Sessions  and  six 
Technical Working Group mettins.  

In  2010,  the  Committee  was  consulted  on  a  number  of  issues,  including  on  ESF 
support for social partners, Budget Review and 5th Cohesion Report as well as the 
Future  of  the  ESF.  .  The  ESF  Committee  also  discussed  further  the  Europe  2020 
Strategy, the flagship initiatives "Agenda for New Skils and Jobs" and "Youth on the 
move".. The adhoc group set up by the Committee in 2009 to reflect on the future of 

14 

2009:  number  of  communicated  cases  4.858;  overall  amount  related  to  the  communications  € 
1.161.865.730.  

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29 

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the  ESF  for  the  next  programming  period  (2014-2020)  continued  its  work  and  the 
Committee  drafted  an  Opinion  on  the  future  of  the  ESF  in  the  context  of  the  5th 
Cohesion Report and Budget Review.. 

The ESF Committee Technical Working Group (TWG) continued discussing, among 
other  issues,  the  simplification  of  the  General  Regulation,  the  ESF  Regulation  and 
the implementation of the simplified cost options (flat rates, standard scales of unit 
costs,  lump  sums).  The  Commission  followed  up  on  the  new  PROGRESS 
microfinance facility aiming at providing for microcredit to small businesses and to 
people  who  have  lost  their  jobs  and  want  to  start  their  own  small  businesses.  The 
Commission  presented  also  the  assessment  of  the  use  of  EU  funds  for  Roma 
integration.  The  ESF  TWG  pursued  its  programme  of  mutual  learning  concerning 
financial  engineering,  ESF  support  to  young  people,  ESF  and  public  tendering, 
quality  of  deliverables  as  well  as  ESF  and  administrative  capacity  reinforcement. 
.The  ESF  TWG  concentrated  also  during  the  2010  meetings  on  the  future  of  the 
Cohesion  Policy  with  the  5th  Cohesion  Report  and  Budget  review  as  well  as  on 
Europe2020.  

6.3. 

Committee on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development (STAR) 

The STAR Committee met six times in 2010 and gave one favourable opinion on the 
two  following  decisions:  Draft  DECISION  of  the  Commission  exempting  certain  cases 
of  irregularity  arising  from  operations  co-financed  by  the  Structural  Funds  and  the 
Cohesion  Fund  for  the  2000-2006  programming  period  from  the  special  reporting 
requirements  laid  down  by  Article  5(2)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1681/94  and  by 
Article  5(2)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1831/94,  and  the  Draft  DECISION  of  the 
Commission concerning the financial consequences for the Union budget exempting certain 
cases  of  irregularity  arising  from  operations  co-financed  by  the  Structural  Funds  and  the 
Cohesion  Fund  for  the  2000-2006  programming  period  from  the  special  reporting 
requirements laid down by Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1681/94 and by Article 5(2) 
of Regulation (EC) No 1831/94.  

6.4. 

Committee on Structures for Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSFA) 

The  Committee  on  Structures  for  Fisheries  and  Aquaculture  (CSFA)  met  twice  in 
2010.  Main  points  discussed  at  the  meetings  include  ex-post  evaluation  and  the 
closure of the FIFG. 

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30 

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Part 2: Analysis by Member State 

1. 

BELGIUM 

2000-2006 programming period 

1.1. 

Objectives 1 and 2 

For the single Belgian programme (Hainaut) under Objective 1, an extension of the 
eligibility period by six months until June 2009 was granted by the Commission.  

All 7 Belgian Objective 2 programmes also asked for a six-month  extension  of the 
eligibility period until June 2009, which was granted by the Commission. 

Total appropriation for the Belgian ERDF programmes was EUR 416.3 million. 

Total appropriation for the Belgian ESF programmes was EUR 248.7 million. 

Due to the sixth-month extension of the eligibility period, in early 2010 all regions 
kept  on  working  with  the  objective  of  zero  losses  at  closure  and  the  Commission 
organised technical meetings in some regions with the objective of fully explaining 
closure rules. In late September, all closure documents were transmitted by the three 
Belgian  authorities  and  closure  procedures  started 
immediately.  Following 
assessment  of  the  final  reports,  complementary  information  has  been  asked  to  the 
managing  authorities.  Observations  have  been  made  on  each  final  report  and 
responses  are  expected  before  the  end  of  spring.  The  analysis  of  all  winding  up 
declarations was interrupted in view of obtaining additional information or the results 
of additional audit work. 

The  commitment  rate  for  the  ERDF  and  ESF  was  100%  for  both  Objective  1  and 
Objective  2  regions.  The  average  payments  rate  for  the  ERDF  was  94,80%  for 
Objective  1  and  Objective  2  regions,  or  a  total  of  EUR  393,7  million  bringing  the 
balance  between  the  total  ERDF  committed  and  the  total  ERDF  paid  to  EUR  22.5 
million.  

The EAGGF-Guidance contribution to the Objective 1 programme (a commitment of 
some  EUR  41.8  million)  achieved  a  final  payment  rate  of  96.70%.  A  pre-closure 
report for the EAGGF Guidance contribution was sent in March 2011.  

The average payments rate for the ESF was 95,00 % for Objective 1 and 93,17 % for 
Objective 2 regions of the total ESF appropriation. 

1.2. 

Objective 3 

There  are  five  ESF-only  operational  programmes  covering  respectively  Flanders, 
Belgium  fédérale,  French-speaking  Wallonia,  German-speaking  Wallonia  and 
Bruxelles  Capitale)  totalling  appropriations  of  EUR  796.4  million.  An  absorption 
rate of 94.9 % was achieved, representing EUR 755.8 million. 

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31 

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For the Federal Single Programming Document (SPD), the total ESF budget amounts 
to  EUR  70.1  million.  Payments  at  the  end  of  2010  amount  to  EUR  65.3  million 
(93.1 %  of  the  total  ESF  appropriation).  The  Flemish  programme  has  a  total  ESF 
budget of EUR 392.5 million. The entire budget was allocated to projects. Payments 
at  the  end  of  2010  amounted  to  EUR  372.9  million.  The  Wallonia-French 
Community  programme  has  a  total  ESF  budget  of  EUR  297.9  million  (95%  of  the 
total ESF appropriation). Total payments at the end of 2010 amounted to EUR 283 
million (95.0 % of the total budget). The ESF budget for the Brussels region amounts 
to EUR 24.7 million, 95.0 % of which was paid at the end of 2010.  

For the four above-mentioned programmes, closure documents were received end of 
September  and  additional  information  has  been  asked  to  the  respective  managing 
authorities and Winding up Bodies. 

The  German-speaking  Community  has  a  separate  Objective  3  programme,  with  a 
total ESF budget of EUR 11.2 million.. The implementation of this programme was 
finalised  at  the  end  of  2006.  .  Closure  documents  were  received  in  due  time  end 
March and programme was fully closed in November 2011 with a payment of 100% 
of the total ESF appropriation. 

1.3. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The  total  FIFG  allocation  to  the  fisheries  programme  is  EUR  21.3  million.  A  last 
payment  claim  of  EUR  3.6  million  was  sent  to  the  Commission.  Over  the  whole 
programming  period  the  Commission  paid  EUR  19.6  million,  with  the  total 
reimbursement rate reaching 91.9 %.  

The  closure  documents  were  received  on  20  April  2010.  The  assessment  of  the 
documents is ongoing. 

1.4. 

Community Initiatives 

1.4.1.  Equal 

The ESF appropriation for the two EQUAL programmes in Belgium — one for the 
French  and  German-speaking  community,  and  one  for 
the  Dutch-speaking 
Community — amounts to EUR 68.2 million. The programme covering the French-
German  speaking  community  proceeded  without  any  major  difficulty  in  2010.  In 
financial terms, the rate of execution of the ESF part of the programme at the end of 
2010  was  95 %.  The  rate  of  execution  of  the  Dutch-speaking  EQUAL  programme 
was  83.4 %  at  the  end  of  2010.  The  two  EQUAL  programmes  supported  around 
125 projects, mainly in fields such as employability, adaptability, life-long learning 
and  social  economy.  Closure  documents  were  received  end  of  September  and 
additional  information  has  been  asked  to  the  respective  managing  authorities  and 
Winding up Bodies. 

1.4.2.  Leader 

Belgium  has  two  Leader+  programmes:  one  for  Flanders,  involving  total  public 
expenditure  of  EUR  7.9  million  and  one  for  Wallonia,  involving  total  public 
expenditure  of  EUR  20.7  million.  For  both  programmes,  the  allocated  funds  have 

EN 

32 

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been  fully  committed.  Total  financial  execution  came  to  EUR  13.2  million,  i.e. 
92.7 % of total EAGGF-Guidance expenditure earmarked for the period 2000-2006. 

For the Flemish programme, closure documents were transmitted before end March 
2010  and  the  final  payment  was  made  in  February  2011.  For  the  Walloon 
programme,  due  to  the  sixth-month  extension  of  the  eligibility  period,  closure 
documents  were  transmitted  before  the  end  September  2010  and  their  analysis  was 
finalized in April 2011. 

1.4.3.  Urban 

three  URBAN  II  programmes 

The 
in  Belgium  have  an  appropriation  of 
EUR 21.4 million and relate to the cities of Antwerp, Sambreville and Brussels. Each 
programme  originally  received  EUR  7.2  million  from  ERDF,  but  due  to  the  ‘n+2’ 
rule  the  contribution  was  reduced  to  EUR  7.1  million  for  Antwerp  and  to 
EUR 7.1 million  for  Brussels.  Total  expenditure  for  all  URBAN  programmes  was 
EUR 20.3 million, or 95.0 % absorption rate, leaving a balance to between committed 
and paid appropriations of EUR 44.9 million.  

Due  to  the  sixth-month  extension  of  the  eligibility  period,  for  all  URBAN  II 
programmes,  closure  documents  have  been  transmitted  before  end  September  and 
closure  procedures  started  immediately.  Following  assessment  of  the  final  reports, 
complementary 
the  managing  authorities. 
Observations were made on each final report and responses are expected before the 
end  of  spring.  The  analysis  of  the  winding  up  declarations  for  all  Belgian  Urban 
programmes  was  interrupted  in  view  of  obtaining  additional  information  or  the 
results of additional audit work. 

information  has  been  asked 

to 

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2. 

CYPRUS  

2.1. 

Objective 2 

One  Objective  2  Single  Programming  Document  (SPD)  was  co-financed  by  the 
ERDF amounting to some EUR 28 million Community contribution.  

The payments made by the ERDF (including the advance) amount to approximately 
EUR 26.6 million (absorption rate 95%), which results to a RAL of some EUR 1.4 
million of Community Contribution. During the year 2010 no payment was executed 
as the 95% ceiling for payments was already reached in 2009.  

Following the 6-month extension of the final eligibility date to 30 June 2009 in the 
framework  of  the  financial  crisis,  the  closure  documents  were  submitted  on  29 
September 2010 which is within the 15-month deadline of 30 September 2010. The 
assessments of these documents have been completed resulting to the acceptance of 
the documents.  

The final payment procedure was completed end March 2011. 

Taking into consideration, that the final date of eligibility of expenditure was set on 
30  June  2009,  no  monitoring  committee  took  place  and  no  annual  implementation 
report  had  to  be  submitted.  However,  for  the  utmost  preparation  of  the  closure 
documents, Unit I3 provided during the year 2010 assistance to the Cypriot services.  

2.2. 

Objective 3 

Following the 6-month extension of the eligibility period of the Single Programming 
Document  for  Objective  3  (up  to  30  June  2009),  the  closure  documents  were 
submitted  on  28  September  2010  and  procedures  for  closure  started  immediately. 
Following  the  assessment  of  all  closure  documents,  it  was  concluded  that  the  final 
payment application as sent by the Cypriot authorities concerned an amount that was 
higher than the amount to be paid because it included the clearing amount. As this is 
a calculation error, it will not be included in the final payment request. With regard 
to irregularities, there are no pending issues. 

The  Final  Report  was  accepted  in  December  2010,  and  the  closure  procedure  is 
currently nearing its completion. The final payment is expected for July 2011. 

All  payments  made  by  the  ESF  (including  the  advance  and  final  payments)  have 
reached  the  committed  amount  of  EUR  21,945,197  million  (absorption  rate  of 
100%). 

Considering that the final date of eligibility of expenditure was set for 30 June 2009, 
no  Monitoring  Committee  meeting  took  place  in  the  course  of  2010  and  no  annual 
implementation  report  was  submitted  for  2010.  However,  the  issue  of  closure 
remained on the agenda of the annual review meeting and of technical meetings with 
the Cypriot authorities.  

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2.3. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The  Fisheries  Operational  Programme  for  Cyprus  (A  Single  Programming 
Document),  adopted  by  the  Commission  in  2004,  arrived  at  the  and  of  its 
implementation.  

Payments from the Commission to the Member State had reached the level of 95.0 % 
of the planned FIFG contribution.  

Taking into consideration that the final date of eligibility of expenditures was set on 
30  June  2009,  no  monitoring  committee  took  place  and  no  annual  implementation 
report had to be submitted. 

Following the 6-month extension of the final eligibility date to 30 June 2009 in the 
framework  of  the  financial  crisis,  the  closure  documents  were  submitted  on  30 
september  2010  which  is  within  the  15-month  deadline.  The  assessment  of  these 
documents is still on going. The Commission's services, in close cooperation with the 
Cypriot  relevant  authorities,  estimate  to  be  able  to  complete  the  closure  before  the 
end of 2011. 

2.4. 

Community Initiatives 

2.4.1.  Equal 

Following the 6-month extension of the eligibility periodof the Community Initiative 
Programme  EQUAL  for  Cyprus,  the  closure  documents  were  submitted  on  28 
September  2010  and  procedures  for  closure  started  immediately.  Following  the 
assessment  of  all  closure  documents,  it  was  concluded  that  the  final  payment 
application as sent by the Cypriot Authorities concerned an amount that was higher 
than  the  amount  to  be  paid  because  it  included  the  clearing  amount.  As  this  is  a 
calculation error, it will not be included in the final payment request. With regard to 
irregularities, there are no pending issues (OLAF). 

The  Final  Report  was  accepted  in  December  2010,  and  the  closure  procedure  is 
currently nearing its completion. The final payment is expected for July 2011. 

All  ESF  payments  (including  the  advance  and  the  final  payments)  will  reach  the 
amount of EUR 1,807,393 million (absorption rate of 99.92%).  

Considering that the final date of eligibility of expenditure was set for 30 June 2009, 
no  Monitoring  Committee  meeting  took  place  in  the  course  of  2010  and  no  annual 
implementation  report  was  submitted  for  2010.  However,  the  issue  of  closure 
remained on the agenda of the annual review meeting and of technical meetings with 
the Cypriot authorities.  

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3. 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

2000-2006 programming period 

During  2010,  the  activities  of  all  managing  authorities  concentrated  on  the 
finalisation of the programme closure. For most operational programmes, the budget 
realised  on  the  ground  exceeded  100%  (due  to  overbooking)  already  in  2009.  The 
payment rate (paid out/decided by the Commission) corresponds to 95% of the total 
2004-2006 budget. 

The final implementation reports together with final payment claims and winding-up 
declarations were submitted for each operational programme in due time. All of them 
were deemed admissible. The closure procedure was then started 

3.1. 

Objective 1  

The Community Support Framework for the period 2004-2006 covers a total budget 
of  EUR  1  954  million,  of  which  EUR  1  454  million  is  contributed  by  the 
Structural Funds  (63%  ERDF,  25%  ESF,  11.5%  EAGGF  and  0.5%  FIFG).  Five 
Operational Programmes are implemented under the CSF.  

The  CSF  Managing  Authority,  at  the  Ministry  for  Regional  Development,  is 
responsible  for  the  effectiveness,  correct  management  and  delivery  of  the  support 
provided by the Structural Funds in the Czech Republic. 

No  monitoring  committee  took  place  in  2010.  Major  activities  of  the  Managing 
Authority focused on assistance to individual operational programmes for the closure 
exercise.  

The Joint Regional Operational Programme (JROP) is the largest Czech programme 
with a share of 31.2 % (EUR 454 million) of the total Objective 1 allocation (28 % 
ERDF  and  3.2  %  ESF).  In  2010  no  monitoring  committee  was  held,  the  managing 
authority focused on finalisation of the programme closure. No payment claim was 
executed in 2010 since already in 2008 the ceiling of 95% was reached. All closure 
documents were submitted to the Commission in due time by the end of September 
2010  with  overbooking  of  the  programme.  The  JROP  is  the  Czech  OP  with  the 
highest number of irregularities which is partially consequence of a rather complex 
implementation structure. The most successful measures in terms of absorption were 
projects of regional transport infrastructure, urban regeneration and tourism 

The Human Resource Development Operational Programme accounts for a share of 
21.2 % (EUR 318.8 million ESF contribution) of the total Objective 1 allocation. No 
monitoring committee took place in 2010. One payment claim was executed in 2010 
after which the ceiling of 95% was reached. All closure documents were submitted to 
the  Commission  in  due  time  by  the  end  of  September  2010.  The  final  report  is 
acceptable  except  the  table  of  irregularities  where  some  further  clarifications  are 
required 

The Operational Programme Industry and Enterprise is the third largest programme 
with  17.9%  (only  ERDF)  of  the  total  Objective  1  allocation.  No  monitoring 

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36 

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committee  took  place  in  2010  as  the  managing  authority  concentrated  on  the 
finalisation of the programme closure. No payment claim was executed in 2010 since 
the  ceiling  of  95%  was  reached  already  in  2008.  All  closure  documents  were 
submitted to the Commission in due time. During the whole programming period, the 
most  popular  measures  remained  schemes  supporting  small  and  medium-sized 
enterprises, 
loan  schemes  aimed  at  starting 
entrepreneurs  and  firms  in  the  initial  development  stage.  The  support  schemes 
targeting energy saving and renewable sources of energy had been lagging behind at 
the beginning but caught up in the second part of the programming period. 

innovation  schemes  and 

two 

The  Operational  Programme  Infrastructure  (OPI)  is  the  fourth  largest  OP,  with 
almost 16.9 % (only ERDF) of the Objective 1 budget allocation. One by mail voting 
of  the  monitoring  committee  was  organized  for  this  programme  in  2010.  The 
preparation for closure took place in 2009. The closure documents were approved by 
the  monitoring  committee  on  3  February  2010  during  a  mail  vote.  The  closure 
documents  were  all  submitted  on  7  October  2010.  This  programme  fully  absorbed 
the  allocated  funds.  By  the  end  of  the  eligibility  period,  the  absorption  rate  on  the 
ground  reached  115.0  %.  The  most  successful  interventions  in  terms  of  absorption 
and  the  most  popular  were  transport  axes  1  and  2.  Axis  1  was  for  transport 
infrastructure  projects,  whereas  axis  2  focused  on  reducing  the  negative  impact  of 
transport on the environment. 

The  Operational  Programme  Rural  Development  and  Multifunctional  Agriculture 
accounts for a share of 11.5 % of the total Objective 1 allocation, with a contribution 
from the EAGGF Guidance section of EUR 170 million. The main intervention areas 
were  investments  in  agricultural  holdings  and  the  support  for  promoting  adaptation 
and development of rural areas. In 2010, no Monitoring Committee was held and no 
amount was paid out by the Commission as 95.0 % of the total programmed amount 
had  already  been  paid  in  July  2008.  All  closure  documents  were  submitted  to  the 
Commission in due time, by the end of March 2010.  

Fisheries 

The implementation of the FIFG in the Czech Republic finished in 2007 using up the 
allocations  committed  up  to  almost  92.0 %,  with  the  2006  allocation  reallocated  in 
favour of the EAGGF measures under the two-fund OP. The last interim payment in 
2008  reached  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  during  the  implementation  period.  Closure 
can  proceed  as  this  programme  was  not  extended,  with  the  closure  documents  for 
FIFG received in April 2010. 

3.2. 

Objective 2 

The  Single  Programming  Document  Objective  2  Prague  (SPD2  Prague)  receives 
support  of  EUR  71.3  million  from  the  Structural  Funds.  In  2010  no  monitoring 
committee  was  organised,  the  managing  authority  focused  on  finalisation  of  the 
programme  closure.  No  payment  claim  was  executed  in  2010  since  the  ceiling  of 
95%  was  reached  already  in  2009.  All  closure  documents  were  submitted  to  the 
Commission in due time by the end of  September 2010 with slight overbooking of 
the programme. The most successful measures in terms of absorption were projects 
of regeneration of damaged and unsuitably used area, public infrastructure improving 
the  quality  of  life  mainly  in  housing  estates  and  projects  improving  the  quality  of 

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partnership  between  the  public  and  private  sectors,  non-profit  sector,  science  and 
research 

3.3. 

Objective 3 

The  Single  Programming  Document  Prague  Objective  3  receives  support  of 
EUR 58.8 million from the Structural Funds. No monitoring committee took place in 
2010 and no payment claim was executed since already in 2009 the ceiling of 95% 
was reached. All closure documents were submitted to the Commission in due time 
by  the  end  of  September  2010.  The  final  report  is  acceptable  except  the  table  of 
irregularities where some further clarifications are required. 

3.4. 

Community Initiatives 

The Community initiative EQUAL has an ESF allocation of EUR 32.1 million from 
the  Structural  Funds  (ESF  only).  No  monitoring  committee  took  place  in  2010  and 
no  payment  claim  was  executed  since  already  in  2008  the  ceiling  of  95%  was 
reached.  All  closure  documents  were  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  due  time  by 
the  end  of  September  2010.  The  final  report  is  acceptable  except  the  table  of 
irregularities where some further clarifications are required. 

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4. 

GERMANY 

2000-2006 programming period 

A total number of 22 programmes submitted their closure documents in 2010 to the 
Commission.  At  year  end,  21  of  these  closure  files  are  under  instruction.  The 
national  objective  1  transport  programme  was  closed  in  December  2010.  The  final 
date for eligibility of expenditure of Structural Funds interventions, normally  set at 
31 December 2008, was extended at Germany’s request to 30 June 2009. This was 
confirmed  by  Commission  decision  of  February  2009.  In  addition,  for  the  three 
Federal  ESF  programmes  the  final  date  for  the  eligibility  of  expenditure  was 
extended to 30 April 2009. This extension gave the regions concerned the possibility 
of  funding  projects  for  an  additional  six  months,  which  was  intended  to  mitigate 
possible impacts of the unprecedented economic and financial crisis on programme 
execution.  

As a result of the exercise, the Commission expects a positive effect on the overall 
quality of programme execution, in physical and financial terms, as measured by key 
indicators such as jobs created and investment volume co-financed. As for financial 
execution,  the  overall  majority  of  German  programmes  were  ‘on  schedule’.  This 
means that 95.0 % of their total ERDF contributions, that is the maximum amount of 
payment which can be claimed prior to closure, have been paid by the Commission, 
whereas three programmes had their contribution limited below the 95.0% threshold 
because  of  open  audit  issues.  For  these  programmes,  however,  the  expenditure 
required  for  receiving  the  full  ERDF  contribution  was  in  most  cases  declared  at 
closure. For the ESF contributions, 94.9 % have already been paid out 

4.1. 

Objective 1 

Overall,  financial  absorption  in  the  German  Objective  1  regions  was  very 
satisfactory. For all but one programme, total payments attained the 95.0 % payment 
limit for total ERDF and ESF commitments for the 2000-2006 programming period 
according to Article 32(4) of Regulation No 1260/1999.  

For several reasons the ERDF Objective 1 programme for Berlin did not fully meet 
the  95.0 %  payment  limit for the ERDF. Regarding the final payment claim further 
information  on  irregularities  is  required.  Additionally  the  European  Court  of 
Auditors  report  on  financial  engineering  instrument  contains  findings  which  may 
affect the final payment. 

The overall physical and financial implementation in the German Objective 1 regions 
was good and, in general, the core targets as set in the programmes can be expected 
to have been globally attained 

The payments of the ESF share of the Objective 1 programmes reached the 95.0 % 
payment limit (including advance payments). A final absorption rate of about 98.0 % 
is to be expected. The closure documents were received in due time. 

Since the beginning of the period, more than 2.7 million people have participated in 
ESF measures in Objective 1 regions. More than 40.0 % were young people (17-24 

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years)  and  around  10.0 %  were  start-ups.  Within  the  different  priorities  around 
40.0 %  were  spent  for  ‘Active  and  preventive  Labour  Market  Policy’,  21.0 %  for 
‘Society  without  Exclusion’,  8.0 %  for  ‘Vocational  Training,  Systems  and 
Infrastructure’,  20.0 %  for  ‘Adaptability  and  Entrepreneurship’,  10.0 %  for  ‘Equal 
Opportunities’ and around 1.0 % for ‘Local Social Capital’. 

Six  German  regions  benefit  from  the  EAGGF  Guidance  through  Objective  1 
programmes. All regional operational programmes have reached the maximum level 
of 95% of the total Community contribution for the period 2000-2006, amounting to 
total payments of EUR 3,246.834 million. 

Two  of  these  programmes  were  closed  and  paid  up  in  2010:  Berlin,  with  a  final 
payment  amounting  to  EUR  314  210.50  and  Saxony-Anhalt,  with  a  final  payment 
amounting to EUR 37 825 582.36, i.e. a total payment from the EAGGF-Guidance of 
EUR 38 139 792.86. Amounts of EUR 51 739.50 (in respect of Berlin) and EUR 381 
197.64 (in respect of Saxony-Anhalt) were decommitted in 2010. 

The FIFG Programme for Germany under Objective 1 required two decommitments 
for  a  total  amount  of  EUR  12,934,943  for the  years  2002  and  2003.  By  the  end  of 
2010, commitments amounted to EUR 91.5 million and payments had reached EUR 
86.9 million, representing a payment rate of 95.0 %. During the program 439 projects 
were  implemented.  Nearly  half  of  the  FIFG  funding  was  invested  in  measure  33 
(Fishing  port  facilities).  The  closure  documentation  was  submitted  on  17  March 
2010. Their analysis is ongoing. 

4.2. 

Objective 2 

At the end of 2010, financial absorption of ERDF assistance in German Objective 2 
regions was satisfactory overall and totalled more than 94.0 %, marginally less than 
in  Objective  1  regions.  Almost  all  regions  met  the  target  of  95.0 %,  but  two 
programmes (Baden-Württemberg and Saarland) had not been able to absorb 95.0 % 
of total commitments by the end of 2010. These are among the smallest programmes 
in  Germany,  so  their  impact  on  the  overall  financial  performance  in  Objective  2  is 
however low. The evaluation of the final reports has been conducted with involved 
DGs  working  with  the  structural  funds.  Overall,  the  outlook  for  programme 
implementation is positive since no fundamental problems have been noticed in 2010 
and the regions will generally meet the targets set in the programmes. 

As  for  Saarland  a  payment  interruption  and  a  formal  suspension  of  payments  were 
made as Commission audits identified significant deficiencies in the areas of systems' 
audits and checks on operations. The final evaluation of the results of systems and 
project audits is not yet available. 

In Baden-Württemberg another audit of the Commission prevented ERDF payments 
to reach the 95% limit. The follow-up will be finalized in the preparation of the final 
payment.  

For  the  ESF  both  financial  absorption  and  programme  implementation  were 
satisfactory as well, with the exception of one Objective 2 programme. The closure 
documents were received in due time. 

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4.3. 

Objective 3 

The Objective 3 programme is the largest in Germany, covering ESF support for the 
West  German  Länder  and  Berlin.  It  is  partly  managed  at  Federal  level  (Bund)  and 
partly  by  the  Länder.  With  the  implementation  of  Labour  Market  reforms  in 
Germany, an increasing share of the programme was shifted to the Länder. 

Unlike most German programmes, the Federal Objective 3 programme did not apply 
for eligibility of expenditure to be extended until 30 June 2009, as an extension until 
30 April 2009 was already agreed upon in 2008. A modification of the programme 
complement  was  also  made  so  that  the  programme  could  be  fine-tuned  before 
closure.  All  projects  were  closed  by  the  end  of  2008.  All  closure  documents  were 
received in due time  

4.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

By the end of 2010, commitments amounted to EUR 62.9 million and payments had 
reached  EUR  45.7  million,  representing  a  payment  rate  of  72.6 %.  Dicommitments 
took  place  in  the  years  2001,  2002,  2003,  2004  2005  for  a  total  sum  of  EUR 
50,557,670. During the program 1.998 projects were implemented. The largest part 
of investments occurred with 55% FIFG contribution in the measure 3.4 (processing 
and  marketing),  followed  by  measure  3.2  (Developing  aquaculture).  The  closure 
documentation was submitted on 17 March 2010. Their analysis is ongoing. 

4.5. 

Community Initiatives 

4.5.1.  Equal 

The  development  partnerships’  activities  already  came  to  an  end  in  2008.  In  2009, 
the  focus  was  on  verifying  expenditure  declarations  and  preparing  for  closure.  The 
final closure documents were submitted in due time . The total consumption rate is 
expected  to  be  around  94.1 %  at  project  level,  excluding  technical  assistance,  and 
90.8 % including technical assistance. 

4.5.2.  Leader 

The total consumption of EAGGF resources in all 14 German Leader+ programmes 
(13  regional  programmes  and  a  national  network  programme)  has  reached  the 
maximum level of 95%.  

In  2010  five  of  these  programmes  were  closed  and  final  payments  or  recoveries 
made.  Payments  were  made  for  the  following  regional  programmes:  Schleswig-
Holstein (EUR 174 762.38), Saxony (EUR 1 103 646.00), Saarland (EUR 12 836.24) 
and Baden-Württemberg (EUR 1 453 451.00), i.e. a total from the EAGGF of EUR 2 
744 692.62. 

A  recovery  was  made  for  the  German  National  Network  programme  by  issuing  a 
debit note amounting to EUR -49 232.64. 

Decommitments were made in 2010 for the Leader+ programmes of Saxony-Anhalt 
(EUR  389  072.25),  Schleswig-Holstein  (EUR  444  936.84),  Saarland  (EUR  69 
744.76) and for the German National Network for the amount of EUR 75 000. 

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4.5.3.  Urban 

There  were  twelve  URBAN  II  programmes  in  Germany  with  a  total  ERDF 
contribution of EUR 149.6 million (Berlin, Bremerhaven, Dessau, Dortmund, Gera, 
Kassel, Kiel, Leipzig, Luckenwalde, Mannheim/Ludwigshafen, Neubrandenburg and 
Saarbrücken).  The  six  programmes  in  the  new  Länder  received  about  EUR 
15 million each. The six programmes in the Western part of Germany each received 
an ERDF contribution of about EUR 10 million. The total eligible cost of the twelve 
programmes is EUR 276.8 million. For nine programmes, the managing authority is 
at the level of the ‘Bundesland’ in which they are located. In the case of three cities, 
the  managing  authority  has  been  transferred  from  the  Land  to  the  city  during  the 
programming period. 

All  German  and  Austrian  URBAN  II  cities  met  regularly  as  part  of  the 
German/Austrian URBAN II Network. In 2010, three Network meetings took place 
in Bremen, Berlin-Neukölln and Graz.  

The  implementation  of  the  German  URBAN  II  programmes  was  very satisfactory, 
both  in  terms  of  implementation  and  of  management.  The  main  focus  was  on 
improving  the  economic  performance  of  distressed  urban  areas.  Taking  an  applied 
integrated approach towards sustainable urban development, the economic measures 
taken were successfully combined with social, environmental and cultural activities. 
In addition, new forms of governance and the active involvement of citizens in the 
implementation  of  the  programmes  helped  to  meet  the  sometimes  ambitious 
objectives  of  the  programmes.  Programme  eligibility  for  nine  programmes  lasted 
until  the  end  of  2008;  it  was  prolonged  until  June  2009  for  three  programmes.  In 
2010  six  programmes  were  closed  and  final  payments  made.  Good  progress  was 
made on closure of the remaining six which will be completed in 2011. 

4.6. 

Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

4.6.1.  ERDF 

For  the  programming  period  1994-1999,  DG  REGIO  is  still  following  up  together 
with OLAF the financial consequences of irregularities communicated by Germany. 
Commission  decisions  to  charge  partial  amounts  to  the  Community  budget  or 
recovery orders have been issued in 2010. 

4.6.2.  ESF 

The  Commission  continued  the  closures  of  the  period  1994-99.  Out  of  a  total  48 
mainstream  Operational  programmes  2  further  German  programmes  were  fully 
closed  in  2010.  413.780  €  were  paid  out  and  8.357.438  €  were  decommited.  The 
payments/decommitments included also amounts concerned after an Art. 5.2 decision 
on  the  ESF  contribution  to  unrecoverable  amounts.  Payments  for  an  amount  of 
679.540,90€  and  decommitments  for  an  amount  of  125.371,84€  have  not  yet  been 
totally executed in 2010. 

Two  Art.  5.2  procedures  for  the  programming  period  1994-1999  were  launched  in 
2010.  Five  decisions  (all  Art.  5.2)  about  the  contribution  of  the  ESF  budget  to 
unrecoverable amounts were taken.. 

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4.6.3.  EAGGF 

The last German programmes for the programming period 1994-1999 were closed in 
2006. 

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5. 

DENMARK 

2000-2006 programming period 

5.1. 

Objective 2 

For  the  programming  period 2000-2006, there was  one  Objective  2  Programme  for 
Denmark. 

The  funding  for  the  programme  initially  totalled  EUR  617  million,  of  which 
EUR 192.9 million was from the Structural Funds (EUR 29 million was for phasing-
out  regions),  EUR  217  million  from  the  national  public  sector  (an  increase  of 
EUR 9 million  compared  to  the  initial  allocation)  and  EUR  194  million  from  the 
private sector (a decrease of EUR 30 million). 

The  programme  aimed  to  create  the  conditions  for  self-sustained  growth  in  the 
regions of Denmark facing structural problems. It combined actions under the ERDF 
(71 %) and the ESF (29 %). 

The  eligible  areas  consisted  of 
five  geographical  sub-regions:  Bornholm 
(Objective 2), Lolland, Falster and Møn (Objective 2), Nordjylland (Objective 2 and 
phasing-out), parts of the counties of Viborg, Århus, Ringkøbing and Sønderjylland 
(Objective  2  and  phasing-out)  and  Sydfyn  and  islands  not  covered  by  the  above 
regions (Objective 2). 

There were no meetings in the Programme (PMC) in 2010. 

5.1.1.  ERDF 

By the end of 2010, the Commission had paid out EUR 133.5 million, equalling an 
absorption rate of close to 95% for the ERDF. 

The Member State submitted the closure documents to the Commission in 2010. A 
final payment will be made as part of the closure scheduled to take place in 2011. 

5.1.2.  ESF  

The final spending for the programming period 2000-2006 was EUR 108.4 million in 
total cost, financed by EUR 45.4 million in ESF (total paid in 2009 included). The 
ESF  spending  equalled  an  absorption  rate  of  approximately  88.41 %.  In  the 
programming  period,  in  total,  the  ESF  supported  828  projects  under  which  22 738 
persons (46.5 % of them women) participated in competence development. 

The ESF part of the programme helped to create new education and training courses 
and bolstered cooperation between education institutions in the regions. 

Furthermore,  the  ESF  projects  helped  to  make  company  training  planning  more 
systematic  and  to  develop  new  courses  and  new  ways  of  cooperation  between 
education institutions and enterprises. 

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5.2. 

Objective 3 

For  the  programming  period  2000-2006,  there  is  one  Objective  3  programme  for 
Denmark.  Funding  initially  totalled  EUR  757.9  million,  with  EUR  378.9  million 
from  the  ESF.  After  allocation  of  the  performance  reserve,  the  Structural  Fund 
contribution  amounted  to  EUR  394.8  million,  plus  EUR  294.3  million  from  the 
national  public  sector  (an  increase  of  EUR  9.5  million  compared  to  the  initial 
allocation) and EUR 100.9 million from the private sector (an increase of EUR 6.7 
million).  EUR  14.9  million  was  decommitted  in  2007,  thereby  decreasing  the 
Structural Fund contribution to EUR 379.9 million. 

The  programme  supports  active  labour  market  measures,  the  labour  market 
integration  of  vulnerable  unemployed  persons,  the  development  of  employee 
competencies and entrepreneurship. 

The  reporting  for  2008  was  included  in  the  final  implementation  report  for  the 
programme.  The  final  spending  for  the  programming  period  2000-2006  (with 
continuation to 2008) amounted to EUR 826.2 million in total cost, financed by EUR 
351.7  million  from  ESF,  EUR  321  million  in  public  and  EUR  153.4  million  in 
private  contributions.  The  ESF  spending  equalled  an  absorption  rate  of 
approximately 92.6 %.  

The ESF Objective 3 programme supported 4 111 projects with 154 889 participants, 
48.2 % of them women. The priorities absorbing the largest shares of funding were 
support for competence development and support for entrepreneurship. 

5.3. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The  total  initial  FIFG  allocation,  including  the  reserve,  to  the  country-wide  Danish 
fisheries programme was EUR 213.3 million. The programme had a rather low level 
of  implementation.  There  were  decommitments  in  2004,  2005  and  2007  in 
application  of  the  ‘n+2’  rule.  In  total,  the  programme  has  so  far  been  reduced  by 
EUR 30.7 million. Out of EUR 182.6 million remaining, the financial execution has 
reached 90.4 %  (EUR  165.1  million).  Denmark  submitted  the  closure  documents  in 
July  2010.  The  closure  procedure  has  reached  an  advanced  phase  of  analysis.  The 
Danish final payment claim amounts to EUR 159.4 million for 3414 operations. The 
main  measures  in  the  programme  were  scrapping  of  vessels,  processing  and 
marketing, collective investments and innovative measures. 

5.4. 

Community Initiatives 

5.4.1.  Equal 

The  Danish  EQUAL  programme  supported  89  projects  in  total,  with  11 088 
participants (61.8 % of them women). The final spending for the programming period 
2000-2006 (with continuation to 2008) amounted to EUR 59.7 million in total cost, 
financed by EUR 28.7 million in public, EUR 5.4 million in private contribution and 
EUR 24.6 million from ESF, which means an absorption rate of 80.9 %. 

The  two  most  active  networks  were  Integration  of  Immigrants  and  Refugees  and 
Adaptability. 

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5.4.2.  Leader 

Denmark  has  implemented  the  Leader+  initiative  through  a  single  national 
programme. 12 local action groups have received support, covering 29 per cent of the 
area and 11 per cent of the total population of Denmark.  

At  the  closure  of  the  programme  in  2010  cumulative  payments  amounted  to  EUR 
16.4  million,  accounting  for  94.7%  of  the  total  planned  EU  budget  for  the 
programme  (EUR  17.3  million).  The  total  cumulative  eligible  expenditure  declared 
under the programme amounted to EUR 41.7 million.  

5.4.3.  Urban 

The  Århus  URBAN  II  programme  is  the  only  one  in  Denmark.  The  ERDF  will 
contribute a total of EUR 5.4 million to this programme, for which the total eligible 
costs amount to EUR 12.1 million. 

The  managing  authority  for  the  programme  is  the  Danish  Enterprise  and 
Construction  Authority.  There  were  no  meetings  of  the  monitoring  committee  in 
2010. 

The  URBAN  programme  successfully  contributes  to  all  three  dimensions  of  the 
Lisbon  Strategy.  On  the  economic  side,  it  has  helped  to  initiate  and  stimulate 
entrepreneurial culture, education and IT development. For the social dimension, the 
programme  contributes  to  employment  efforts,  equality,  social  protection  through 
citizen  involvement,  empowerment  and  crime  prevention.  Its  environmental 
contribution is exemplified by the project — Hasle Bakkelandskab‘. 

The  Commission  has  paid  in  total  EUR 5.1 million  of  the  EUR 5.4  million 
committed. 

The Member State submitted the closure documents to the Commission in 2010. A 
final payment will be made as part of the closure scheduled to take place in 2011 

5.5. 

Closure of the period 1994-1999 

All programmes were closed before the end of 2004. 

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6. 

GREECE  

2000-2006 programming period 

6.1. 

Objective 1 

In the 2000–2006 period the thirteen regions of Greece were all under Objective 1. 
All  regional  and  sectoral  national  OPs  had  received  either  half-year  extensions 
(within  the  frame-work  of  the  European  Economic  Recovery  Package)  or  one-year 
extensions  (due  to  the  wildfires  of  2007).  In  2010,  the  closure  documents  for  14 
programmes  (those  with  a  half-year  extension)  had  been  received  within  the 
deadline.  Final  payment  claims  (total  amount  of  EUR  221,106,448.32)  were 
interrupted  following  the  initial  review  of  the  WUD  by  the  auditors.  Additional 
closure  documents  for  the  remaining  five  programmes  were  submitted  within  the 
deadline in 2011. 

In  terms  of  financial  management  of  the  programmes  in  2010,  interim  payment 
requests were processed on time and according to regulatory deadlines. In total, 23 
payment claims were processed in 2010, out of which only 2 claims had a financial 
transaction amounting to EUR 15,888,921. The remaining claims related to clearing 
of pre-financing and/or withdrawal of projects without any financial transaction. 

In addition, in 2010, financial corrections totalling EUR 14,107,356.77 were applied 
by  the  Greek  Authorities  to  the  operational  programmes,  in  conformity  with  the 
Commission  Decision  C  (2005)1731  by  which  part  of  the  Community  assistance 
(ERDF) for Greece was cancelled. 

Taking into consideration that the final date of eligibility of expenditures was set on 
30  June  2009  or  31  December  2009,  no  monitoring  committee  took  place  and  no 
annual implementation report had to be submitted. 

Co-financing  by  the  ESF  during  the  2000-2006  programming  period  concerned  19 
operational  programmes  under  the  CSF  III.  Of  these  programmes,  3  had  been 
adopted under the responsibility of the ESF (operational programmes "Employment 
and Vocational Training", "Education and Initial Vocational Training" and "Health" 
and Welfare") and 16 under the responsibility of the ERDF (13 Regional operational 
programmes,  and  the  operational  programmes  "Competitiveness",  "Information 
Society" and "Technical Assistance"). 

Due  to  the  2007  wildfires  in  Greece  2  ESF  and  7  ERDF  operational  programmes 
received a one-year extension. On top of this, these operational programmes received 
an  additional  half-year  extension  within  the  framework  of  the  European  Economic 
Revocery  Package,  therefore  final  deadline  for  submitting  their  closure  documents 
was  set  on  31  March  2011.  The  half-year  extension  within  the  framework  of  the 
European Economic Revocery Package was accorded also to the rest (10) of the ESF 
co-financed operational programmes, therefore the final deadline for submitting the 
closure documents for these programmes was set on 30 September 2010. 

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The  ESF  received  in  2010,  within  the  deadline,  the  closure  documents  for  the  10 
programmes and in 2011, also within the deadline, the closure documents for the 9 
programmes. 

The closing process for the 10 programmes received in 2010 (total amount of EUR 
106,301,431.31),  was  interrupted  following  the  initial  review  of  the  winding-up 
declaration  (WUD)  by  the  Auditors  and  additional  information  was  requested  from 
the Greek authorities. The additional information was received on 05 April 2011 and 
the final report and the analysis of the WUD was completed. No irregularities cases 
were  found  for  these  10  programmes,  therefore  OLAF's  agreement  is  awaited  in 
order  to  proceed  with  the  closure  of  these  programmes.  Closure  is  expected  to  be 
completed within deadline. 

The closing documents for the 9 programmes received in 2011 (total amount of EUR 
132,281,268.30) are currently being analysed by the responsible services. 

The payment ceiling of 95% has been reached for all ESF co-financed programmes 

The  national  mono-fund  EAGGF  Guidance  Section  programme  for  Greece  was 
approved by the Commission on 6 April 2001. The Community contribution to this 
programme  was  EUR  1 233  million  for  a  total  cost  of  EUR  3 010  million. 
On 24 November  2004,  the  Commission  approved  the  decision  for  the  mid-term 
revision  of 
included  an  additional  amount  of 
EUR 0.25 million  coming  from  the  programming  and  performance  reserves.  An 
additional modification of the programme took place on 7 December 2006, without 
however having any impact on total EU co-funding.  

this  programme,  which 

The 13 regional multi-fund programmes approved during the first half of 2001 and 
last  amended  on  7  December  2006  represent  a  total  EAGGF  contribution  of 
EUR 1 069 million. All programming complements were adopted by the monitoring 
committees by written procedure.  

Due  to  the  extensive  fires  that  took  place  in  Greece  in  the  summer  of  2007  which 
affected  —  amongst  other  things  —  rural  infrastructures,  forestry  and  private 
investments  in  rural  areas,  Greece  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  autumn  2007  a 
request to extend to 31 December 2009 the date of eligibility of the national mono-
fund  EAGGF  Guidance  programme,  as  well  as  of  the  four  multi-fund  regional 
operational  programmes  for  the  affected  areas  of  Attica,  Continental  Greece, 
Peloponnese and Western Greece mentioned above. The extension of the final date 
of eligibility of expenditure until 30 June 2009 was requested in December 2008 for 
the remaining nine regional multi-fund operational programmes, due to the impact of 
the 2008 financial crisis. 

In 2009 payments reached EUR 77 million. Cumulative payments from the EAGGF 
Guidance  Section  since 
the  2000-2006  programming  period 
(EUR 2 422 million) account for 95.0 % of the planned budget. 

the  start  of 

On  30/9/2010  the  Closure  documents  for  9  Regional  Operational  Programmes  and 
for the national Operational Programmes were submitted by the Greek authorities to 
the Commission and are now under treatment. 

EN 

48 

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Implementation  of  the  FIFG  Objective  1  ‘Fisheries’  Operational  Programme  for 
Greece  ended  in  in  2010.  Payments  from  the  Commission  to  the  Member  State 
reached 95.0 % of the FIFG contribution planned for this operational programme. 

Taking into consideration that the final date of eligibility of expenditures was set on 
31  December  2009,  no  monitoring  committee 
took  place  and  no  annual 
implementation report had to be submitted. 

Following  the  above  mentionned  extension  of  the  final  eligibility  date,  the  closure 
documents were submitted on January 2011 which is within the 15-month deadline. 
The assessment of these documents is still on going. The Commission's services, in 
close cooperation with the Greek relevant authorities, estimate to be able to complete 
the closure before the end of 2011.  

6.2. 

Community Initiatives 

6.2.1.  Equal 

At the end of 2009 the rate of financial execution of the ESF was 95.0 % of the total 
budget (EUR 100.6 million). The extension of the eligibility period to 30 June 2009 
allowed full absorption of the ESF allocation while easing the closure process. 

All  the  closure  documents  have  been  transmitted  28  September  2010  and  closure 
procedures started immediately. The analysis of the final report and the WUD finally 
has been accepted and the final payment claim (total amount EUR 5,296,691.35) will 
be paid by July 2011. 

6.2.2.  Leader 

There is only one Leader+ programme for Greece, approved on 19 November 2001 
with a total cost, following the 2004 indexation exercise, of EUR 368.7 million. Of 
this, EUR 186.1 million comes from the EAGGF Guidance Section. The programme 
was  last  amended  in  November 2006.  There  was  also  a  request  to  extend  the  final 
date  of  eligibility  for  Leader+  after  the  extensive  fires  affecting  Greece  in  the 
summer  of  2007.  For  2009,  the  payments  amount  to  EUR  4.3  million.  Cumulative 
EAGGF payments from the start of the 2000-2006 programming period account for 
95.0 % of the total EAGGF contribution to the programme. 

On 30/9/2010 the Closure documents for the Leader+ programme were submitted by 
the Greek authorities to the Commission and are now under treatment. 

6.2.3.  Urban 

As for the Community initiative URBAN II, the 3 programmes for Greece (Perama, 
Iraklio and Komotini) have all received a half-year extension within the framework 
of the European Economic Recovery Package. In 2010, closure documents for these 
3  programmes  had  been  received  within  the  deadline.  Final  payment  claims  (total 
amount  of  EUR  2,843,281,57)  were  interrupted  following  the  initial  review  of  the 
WUD  by  the  auditors.  No  monitoring  committee  took  place  and  no  annual 
implementation  report  had  to  be  submitted.  No  interim  payment  claims  were 
processed in 2010 for these programmes 

EN 

49 

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6.3. 

Closure of the period 1994-1999 

All programmes were closed before the end of 2008. 

EN 

50 

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7. 

SPAIN 

2000-2006 programming period 

7.1. 

Objective 1 

The  average  financial  execution  for  Objective  1  remained  positive.  The  current 
absorption rate, compared with the amount programmed for 2000-2006, is 94.6 % for 
ERDF,  including  the  advance  payments.  The  ERDF  amount  executed  has  already 
reached  EUR  23  998  million  out  of  the  EUR  25 351  million  committed  for  this 
Objective in Spain for the period. 

The ESF amount executed (including advance payments) reached EUR 8 453 million 
of the EUR 9 080 million (93.1 %) committed by the ESF for this objective in Spain 
for the period 2000-2006. 

Concerning  decommitment  rules,  no  ‘n+2’  rule  was  in  place  at  the  end  of  2010  as 
any decommitment will take place at closure. Following the findings of Commission 
audits,  a  financial  correction  amounting  to  EUR  79  091  million  was  applied  to 
intermediate  body  Directorate  General  for  Research,  which  covered  both  research 
infrastructures and projects. Any other correction will be considered at the moment 
of  the  closure.  In  2010  there  were  no  monitoring  committees  or  annual  meetings 
concerning 2009.  

Further to the extension of the eligibility period, all closure documents (Final Report, 
Payment Claim and Winding-up Declaration) were submitted on time for all ERDF 
Operational Programs and Single Programming Documents. Final balance will paid 
after completion of assessment procedures. 

EAGGF 

All  twelve  programmes  reached  the  95.0%  payment  limit  by  the  end  of  2009.  No 
further  interim  payment  applications  have  been  sent  by  the  Member  State  and  no 
payments were made in 2010. 

The 36 closure documents were submitted on time (30 September 2010). Checking 
of the documents started in the last quarter of 2010.  

EUR 6.9 million have been recovered for the Castilla y León programme, following 
a  financial  correction  Decision  of  December  2009  (result  of  a  Commission  audit 
mission). 

Fisheries inside Objective 1 regions 

The total FIFG allocation to the fisheries programme is EUR 1 571 million. By the 
final  date  of  eligibility  of  expenditure  of  30  June  2009,  close  to  20.000  operations 
had been supported. The final declared expenditure amounts to EUR 1 488 million 
and  no  payment  claim  was  sent  as  the  Commision  had  already  paid  EUR  1.492 
million. Accordingly, a revenue forecast was created for the programme (circa 4M€). 

EN 

51 

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All  the  closure  documents  for  the  programme  were  received  by  the  deadline  of  30 
September  2010  and  analysis  of  the  final  implementation  report,  the  winding-up 
declaration and the Infosys reports was ongoing by the end of 2010. Progress on the 
infosys corrections has been slow given the high number of individual operations to 
be  checked  on  their  eligibility  and  correct  implementation.  Other  closure-related 
work  during  the  year  focused  on  verifying  that  the  reporting  obligations  for  some 
measures were respected and that all ineligible expenditure related to audit findings 
had been properly deducted from the final declared amounts (including the EUR 86 
million linked to a serious deficiency identified in a DG MARE ex-post audit).  

7.2. 

Objective 2 

The  average  financial  execution  for  Objective  2  is  positive  as  well.  For  the  ERDF, 
the current absorption rate, compared with the amount programmed for 2000-2006, is 
92.96%  (including  the  advance  payment)  and  the  amount  executed  has  already 
reached  EUR  2  373  million  out  of  the  EUR  2,554  million  committed  for  this 
Objective in Spain for the period 

For  the  ESF,  the  financial  absorption  rate  is  86.4 91,8  %  corresponding  to 
EUR 267.9  285  million  out  of  a  total  amount  of  EUR 310.3  million  committed  for 
the ESF in Spain under this objective for the period 2000-2006. 

7.3. 

Objective 3 

The  financial  absorption  rate  for  the  ESF  reached  94.5 %,  which  amounts  to 
EUR 2 182  million  out  of  a  total  amount  programmed  for  2000-2006  for  this 
objective in Spain of EUR 2 308 million. 

7.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The total FIFG allocation to the fisheries programme is EUR 216.6 million. By the 
final  date  of  eligibility  of  expenditure  of  30  June  2009,  5.853  operations  had  been 
supported.  The  final  declared  expenditure  amounts  to  EUR  201.9  million  and  no 
payment  claim  was  sent  as  the  Commision  had  already  paid  EUR  205.7  million. 
Accordingly,  a  revenue  forecast  was  created  for  the  programme  (circa  EUR  3.8 
million). 

All the closure documents were received by the deadline of 30 September 2010 and 
analysis  of  the  final  implementation  report,  the  winding-up  declaration  and  the 
Infosys reports was ongoing by the end of 2010. Other closure-related work during 
the year focused on verifying that the reporting obligations for some measures were 
respected  and  that  all  ineligible  expenditure  related  to  audit  findings  had  been 
properly deducted from the final declared amounts.  

Morocco Specific Action (fisheries) 

For the Morocco specific action — the EU aid package to compensate vessel owners 
and crews whose activities were dependant until 1999 on the fishing agreement with 
Morocco  (R[EC]  2561/2001)  —  the  Community  granted  EUR 186.3 million  to 
Spain.  The  Community  aid  executed  amounts  to  EUR 163.7  million  (achievement 
rate  of  87.8 %).  In  2010  a  reviewed  final  payment  claim  of  EUR  5.49  million  was 

EN 

52 

   EN 

 
received  to  account  for  a  series  of  corrections  and  deductions  done.  Although  the 
specific Morocco action ended in 2004, closure was still in progress in 2010 as some 
final  clarifications  and  documents  had  to  be  requested  from  the  Spanish  authorities 
before the Commission could come up with the closure proposal which might bring 
about financial corrections.  

7.5. 

Community Initiatives 

7.5.1.  Equal 

The  EQUAL  amount  executed  reached  EUR 468  million  of  the  EUR 511  million 
(91.5 %) committed under this initiative in Spain for the period 2000-2006. 

7.5.2.  Leader 

All 54 closure documents were submitted on time (31 March for 12 programmes, 30 
September  for  the  6  others).  Checking  of  the  documents  was  begun,  requests  for 
supplementary  information  were  sent  to  the  Member  State  and  corrections  to  the 
documents  were  delivered.  For  5  programmes,  the  pre-closure  letter  was  prepared 
and  1  final  payment  was  executed,  after  agreement  by  the  Member  State,  on  the 
balance calculation mentioned in the letter (LEADER+ Valenciana). 

The LEADER+ Aragón programme was affected by a financial correction following 
a Commission audit mission (EUR 0.6 million recovered). 

7.5.3.  Urban 

There are 10 Community Initiative Programmes in Spain with an EU contribution of 
EUR  114.2  million,  which  represents  15 %  of  the  total  URBAN  II  budget  for  the 
period 2000-2006.  

The Spanish URBAN II CI programmes are being implemented steadily according to 
the original programming — the absorption rate at the end of 2010 was 89.53%. 

The managing authority for the programmes is the Ministry of Finance. Management 
and implementation has been delegated to the local authorities. 

No ‘n+2’ rule was in place at the end of 2010, as any decommitment will take place 
at closure. 

Overall comments for the 2000-2006 period 

The focus on a single area has produced a very targeted approach. The strong local 
partnership  and  presence  of  several  agencies  in  the  decision-making  procedure  has 
ensured the smooth running and sustainability of URBAN projects. 

7.6. 

Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

At  the  end  of  2010,  the  RAL  was  already  zero,  as  the  last  open  document  SPD  5b 
País Vasco (RAL: EUR 0.1 million) had been closed in 2009. 

EN 

53 

   EN 

 
As  for  the  ESF,  the  remaining  outstanding  commitments  of  EUR  5.1  million  were 
awaiting  a  ruling  by  the  Spanish  courts.  This  concerns  the  three  programmes  of 
INEM  Objective  3,  Catalonia  Objective  2  and  Catalonia  Objective  3,  which  were 
suspended by decisions under Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 4253/88. 

A financial correction Decision of February 2010 enabled de-commitment of the last 
four outstanding amounts relating to 1994-1999 programmes (their final payments or 
recoveries were made in 2007 or before). 

In  the  arbitration  exercise  on  cases  reported  by  the  Member  State  to  OLAF  (in 
application of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1681/94), three cases still need to be 
given a final solution. 

EN 

54 

   EN 

 
8. 

ESTONIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

8.1. 

Objective 1 

Estonia  is  implementing  a  Single  Programming  Document  with  an  ERDF 
participation of EUR 232.8 million and ESF participation of EUR 69.3 million out of 
EUR  371.4  million  in  total.  Payments  from  the  Commission  already  reached  the 
95.0 %  payment  limit  in  2008.  The  eligibility  end  date  of  the  programme  was 
extended to 30 June 2009 in response to the crisis. 

The  SPD  aimed  for  ‘fast  socially  and  regionally  balanced  sustainable  economic 
development’  mainly  by  shifting  into  higher  value-added  production.  The  SPD 
strategy  is  based  on  four  priorities  (excluding  technical  assistance):  (i)  Human 
Resource  Development,  (ii)  Enterprise  Competitiveness,  (iii)  Agriculture,  Fisheries 
and Rural Development and (iv) Infrastructure and Local Development.  

Final  Monitoring  Committee  meeting  for  approving  the  final  report  was  held  in 
September  2010.  All  closure  documents  were  submitted  on  time.  Additional 
information was requested regarding the final report and the winding-up declaration. 

According  to  the  report,  the  levels  of  indicators  set  to  measure  the  achievements 
were  largely  met  and  exceeded.  Where  the  targeted  level  of  indicator  was  not  met, 
additional explanations have been provided. 

3,281 ERDF projects were finished within the programme. 

The  programme  results  include:  1,650  enterprises  received  SF  support,  7,850  gross 
jobs  were  created,  (4040  of  these  can  be  considered  sustained  net  jobs  12  months 
after  project),  835  new  enterprises  were  created,  95  km  of  roads  were  built  or 
rehabilitated,  12,300  student  places  in  vocational  education  were  upgraded  and  2 
major hospitals were modernized.  

266  irregularities  have  been  reported  to  AFCOS  in  relation  to  the  programme,  193 
irregularities  were  included  below  the  reporting  ceiling.  In  total  459  irregularities 
were  identified.  One  OLAF  investigation  was  carried  out  and  it  concluded  that  for 
three projects implemented by the same beneficiary, there were certain irregularities 
related to the public procurement rules.  

The  cohesion  policy  has  facilitated  the  transfer  to  a  more  knowledge-intensive 
economy and has provided the necessary infrastructure for the economy. In addition, 
the  programmes  have  had  an  effect  on  softer  issues  such  as:  introduction  of 
evaluation culture, audit quality (evidenced also through the signing of the contract 
of  confidence  between  the  Commission  and  the  Estonian  authorities),  increased 
management  and  project  planning  capacity,  increased  levels  of  administrative 
capacity at sub-national level. 

According to the final report 99.34% of ERDF resources have been used, 99.41 % of 
ESF, 99.1% of EAGGF and 88.9% of FIFG. 

EN 

55 

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The  FIFG  share  in  the  Single  Programming  Document  for  Estonia  represents  3.4% 
(i.e.  EUR  12.5  million).  The  95.0 %  payment  limit  for  Commission  reimbursement 
was  reached  in  April  2008.  As  it  is  not  possible  to  continue  any  further 
reimbursement  before  the  programme  is  closed,  there  were  no  payments  by  the 
Commission  in  2009  and  2010.  During  the  whole  programming  period  275 
applications  were  approved;  from 
that  248  were  successfully  completed. 
Modernisation  and  renewal  of  the  fishing  fleet  was  the  most  popular  and  had  65 
projects  approved.  Other  important  measures  were  investments  in  aquaculture  and 
fishing  ports,  and  socio-economic  measures  for  fishermen.  There  have  been  no  de-
commitments of the initial allocation and the programme implementation in Estonia 
has  not  seen  any  major  problems.  The  closure  documents  were  submitted  by  30 
September 2010. The assessment of the documents is in the final stage of analysis. 
As the final absorption of FIFG remains below 95%, Estonia will have to reimburse 
Commission approximately EUR 539 000. 

The total EAGGF allocation for Estonia amounts to 56.798.282 €. By the end of the 
programming period 56.258.497 € was paid out. Eligible expenditure was 56.189.598 
€.  The  difference  of  68.900  €  is  irrecoverable 
expenditure  which  is  expected  to  be 
shared  by  Estonia  and  the  Commission.  In  total  4028  EAGGF  project  applications 
were  accepted  and  3657  implemented.  The  last  EAGGF  interim  payment  of  up  to 
95.0 % was made in March 2008 

8.2. 

Community Initiatives  

8.2.1.  Equal 

The ESF contribution to the EQUAL programme amounted to EUR 4.1 million. The 
final date of eligibility for this programme was 31 December 2008. By the end of the 
eligibility  period,  91.0 %  of  the  programme  funds  were  spent..  .Closure  documents 
were submitted in time by the end of march 2010. The Final report demnostrates that 
the programme met its objective, which was to develop innovative ideas for lowering 
unequal  treatment  in  the  labour  market.  The  programme  was  closed  in  the  first 
quarter 2011. 

8.2.2.  Leader 

Estonia  implemented  the  Leader  approach  through  the  measure  ‘Local  initiative 
based  development  projects  —  LEADER’  within  the  framework  of  the  Estonian 
(Single  Programming  Document 
National  Development  Plan  2004–2006 
2004-2006).  The  measure  was  implemented  by  two  options:  acquisition  of  skills 
(local development strategies were prepared) and integrated rural area development 
strategy (the strategies were implemented).  

Local  Action  Groups  (LAGs)  applied  for  support  under  the  Leader  measure  at  the 
end  of  2006.  By  the  beginning  of  2007,  24  LAGs  were  chosen.  Most  of  the  LAGs 
received  support  for  preparing  local  development  strategies,  three  LAGs  started  to 
implement their existing strategies. Two more LAGs were established and supported 
from  the  Rural  Development  Programme  2007-2013.  By  20010  LAGs  covered 
approximately 99.5 % of the total rural area.  

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56 

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As a support structure for the LAGs a Leader Information Centre was established in 
June  2005.  The  Estonian  National  Rural  Network  Unit  within  the  Rural  Economy 
Research Centre has been coordinating the LAGs' activities: organising meetings and 
training  courses;  being  responsible  for  networking;  managing  websites  and 
databases;  disseminating  information  and  experience  related  to  rural  development. 
The  implementation  of  Leader  under  the  Single  Programming  Document  ended  in 
summer 2008 and continues under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. 

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57 

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9. 

FRANCE 

2000-2006 programming period 

2000-2006 programming period 

9.1. 

Objective 1 and 2 

Objective 1 covers the four French outermost regions15, Corsica and three districts of 
the North/Pas de Calais region. 

Objective  2  concerns  21  of  the  22  regions  of  metropolitan  France.  There  are 
four national programmes on technical assistance and IT management in addition to 
the 27 regional programmes. 

Due to the sixth-month extension of the eligibility period, in early 2010 all regions 
kept  on  working  with  the  objective  of  zero  losses  at  closure  and  the  Commission 
organised technical meetings in some regions with the objective of fully explaining 
closure  rules.  In  late  September,  all  closure  documents  were  transmitted  by  the 
French authorities and closure procedures started immediately. Following assessment 
of  the  final  reports,  complementary  information  has  been  asked  to  the  managing 
authorities. The winding up documentation was considered acceptable for the whole 
of the French programmes. 

The commitment rate for the ERDF was 100% for both Objective 1 and Objective 2 
regions.  

The average payments rates for the ERDF were 94.6% for Objective 1 regions and 
95.1% for Objective 2 regions. For the EAGGF the rate was 95 %. 

At the end of 2010, 92.3 % (EUR 874.4 million) of the ESF programming amounts 
had  been  paid  out  under  Objective  1  and  93.6 %  (EUR  748.9  million)  under 
Objective 2.  

At the end of 2010, the final execution of the FIFG in the Objective 1 regions were 
satisfactory  (la  Réunion,  Martinique,  Guyana  and  Corsica  having  reached  the 
reimboursement  ceiling  of  95,00%),  except  for  Guadeloupe,  where  the  level 
remained at 88,26%. 

The  closure  documents  of  the  FIFG  intervention  were  received  in  due  time 
(September 30th) and all the final reports have been accepted, except for Martinique. 
The  quality  analyses  of  the final  reports  have  been  launched  as  well  as  the  Infosys 
and  winding-up  declarations  analyses.  Results  of  the  quality  analysis  of  the  final 
report and of the Infosys report have been sent to La Réunion before the end of the 
year. 

15 

Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique, Réunion. 

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9.2. 

Objective 3 

The  2000-2006  ESF  Objective  3  programme  covers  metropolitan  France  and 
benefitted from a six-month extension of the eligibility period over the first half of 
2009.  The  extension  was  used  to  maximise  expenditure  under  the  2000-2006 
programme and to prepare the operational programme for closure. 

At the end of 2010, 94.1 % (EUR 4.6 million) of the programming amounts had been 
paid out by the Commission under Objective 3. 

The  2010  annual  meeting  between  the  Commission  and  the  French  managing 
authority  (Délégation  Générale  à  l’Emploi  et  à  la  Formation  Professionnelle)  took 
place on a April and on 16 November 2010. 

9.3. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The total FIFG allocation to the fisheries programme is EUR 243.8 million. The most 
important measures are operations by members of the trade, scrapping, fishing port 
facilities,  processing  and  marketing.  No  changes  in  2010,  as  the  payment  limit  of 
95.0 % was already reached at the end of 2009. 

The  closure  documents  of  the  FIFG  intervention  were  received  in  due  time 
(September 30th). The final report was admissible but its quality analysis as well as 
the Infosys analysis were not finished at the end of 2010. The winding-up declaration 
analysis was launched.  

9.4. 

Community Initiatives 

9.4.1.  Urban 

the 

The URBAN II programme in France consists of nine programmes being carried out 
following  cities/group  of  cities:  Bastia,  Bordeaux/Cenon/Floirac, 
in 
Clichy-sous-Bois/Montfermeuil,  Grenoble,  Grigny/Viry-Chatillon,  Le  Havre, 
Le Mantois,  Les  Mureaux/Val-de-Seine,  Strasbourg.  Four  of  the  nine  programmes 
(Clichy,  Le  Mantois,  Grigny  and  Val-de-Seine)  are  located  in  the  Ile  de  France 
region,  with  an  ERDF  contribution  of  EUR  51  million.  In  total,  nine  programmes 
received  an  amount  of  EUR  294.6  million,  of  which  EUR  102.5  million  was  from 
the ERDF. 

For all URBAN II programmes, closure documents have been transmitted before end 
September  and  closure  procedures  started  immediately.  Two  URBAN  programmes 
(Le Havre and Strasbourg) did not ask for an extension of the eligibility period and 
the  programmes  have  been  closed  definitely  in  2010.  For  the  seven  other  French 
Urban  programmes,  following  assessment  of  the  final  reports,  complementary 
information  has  been  asked  to  the  managing  authorities.  The  winding  up 
documentation  was  considered  acceptable  for  the  whole  of  the  French  Urban 
programmes. 

The commitment rate for the ERDF was 100% and the average payments rate for the 
ERDF was 95.6%. 

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9.4.2.  Equal 

Following several decommitments since 2001, the total appropriation for EQUAL is 
now EUR 287.4 million. 94.9 % (EUR 273 million)of this budget had been paid out 
by the Commission at the end of 2010. 

9.4.3.  Leader 

The French National Programme on Community Initiative Leader+ was adopted on 
7 August  2001  (C(2001)2094),  taking  the  form  of  a  global  grant.  The  National 
Centre  for  Setting-up  of  Farming  Structures  (CNASEA)  was  designated  as  the 
managing authority. 

The  total  Community  contribution  initially  amounting  to  EUR  272.8  million  was 
finally  fixed  at  EUR  259.9  million  by  Commission  Decision  C(2007)  3542  of 
17 July 2007.  

The  implementation  of  this  programme  is  carried  out  by  140  Local  Action  Groups 
(LAGs),  selected  in  2002.  Their  action  plans  were  set  up  in  2003,  after  signing 
bilateral conventions with CNASEA. 

Global  execution  at  the  end  of  2010  amounted  to  EUR  246.9  million,  which 
represents 95.0 % of the EAGGF Community contribution to the programme. 

9.5. 

Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

All EAGGF (Guidance) programmes are closed. 

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10. 

ITALY 

2000-2006 programming period 

10.1.  Objective 1 

For the 2000-2006 programming period, in Objective 1 regions, Italy has succeeded 
in  committing  the  full  amount  allocated.  In  terms  of  financial  execution,  all 
Objective  1  ERDF  programmes  attained  the  95%  threshold  thanks,  also,  to  the 
extension of the eligibility date up to 30 June 2009.  

All  Programmes  timely  submitted  their  closure  documents.  No  Objectve  1 
Programme was closed in 2010.  

In  2010,  a  single  annual  meeting  between  the  Commission  and  the  National  and 
Regional Authorities was held in Cagliari in October for both Objectives 1 and 2 and 
for  the  2000-2006  and  2007-2013  programming  periods.  For  the  2000-2006 
programming  period,  the  agenda  focused  primarily  on  closure  procedures  (Final 
Implementation  Reports,  practical  arrangements  for  the  financial  follow-up  and  the 
treatment of irregularities). 

Monitoring  committee  meetings  for  almost  all  programmes  took  place  once  during 
the year in order to discuss and approve the Final Implementation Reports and fine-
tune closure proceedings, in relation in particular to the treatment of irregularities.  

As regards the EAGGF Guidance Section, the payment rate reached 93 %. For ESF 
the final certifications presented by the different OPs lead to a maximum amount of 
possible  payments  equal  to  97.5%  of  the  2000-2006  overall  budget.  The  actual 
amount  will  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  the  ongoging  closure  procedures.  For 
FIFG the absorption rate was 88.3 %.  

In  the  EAGGF  Guidance  section,  three  programmes  reached  the  95.0 %  payment 
limit  (Calabria,  Puglia  and  Molise).  According  to  the  payment  data  at  the  end  of 
2009,  the  best  performing  EAGGF  programmes  are  the  regional  programmes  of 
Calabria  (95.0 %),  Puglia  and  Molise  (95.0 %);  in  contrast,  the  poorest  performing 
programme is Sardegna (89.5 %). 

As far as the FIFG is concerned, at the end of 2010, financial implementation of the 
national  fisheries  programme  (PON)  reached  92.7 %  in  terms  of  payments  on  total 
eligible expenditure. At the regional level, the best performing programmes in terms 
of  payments  are  Molise  and  Calabria  (which  reached  the  95.0 %  payment  limit)  as 
well as Campania (92.9 %). The programmes performing least well in financial terms 
were  the  regional  programmes  Sicilia  (81.3 %),  Puglia  (87.5 %)  and  more  severly 
Sardegna (68.0 %). 

As for ESF, according to the final certification of expenditure, the maximum possible 
payments  range  from  94.03%  for  the  OP  Campania  to  100%  of  the  OPs  Ricerca, 
Molise,  Sicilia,  Basilicata,  and  Scuola.  In  average  the  National  OPs  performed 
slightly better than regional ones.  

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In  addition  to  that,  the  closure  procedure  will  take  into  account  for  the  actual  final 
payments the problems of some of the regional OPs, in particular Sicily, Puglia and 
Calabria, mainly linked to the high error rates detected during audits. 

10.2.  Objective 2 

In line with Objective 1 Regions, in Objective 2 regions too, Italy has succeeded in 
committing the full amount allocated. Likewise, in terms of financial execution, all 
Objective 2 ERDF programmes but one attained the 95 % threshold thanks, also, in 
this case too, to the extension of the eligibility date up to 30 June 2009 with the only 
exception of Region Valle D'Aosta which had not asked for the extension. The only 
Region where financial execution did not reach the 95% theshold is Abruzzo which, 
due  to  the  earthquake  which  hit  the  Region  in  April  2009,  only  reached  91.2  %  of 
total payments despite the extension of the final eligibility date up to 30 June 2010 
granted to the Region by decision of 11 May 2009.  

All  Programmes  submitted  their  closure  documents  as  scheduled  by  30  September 
2010  with  the  exceptions  of  Abruzzo  which,  following  the  extension  of  its  final 
eligibility date up to 30 June 2010, will need to submit its closure documents by 30 
September 2011.  

As  already  indicated  for  Objective  1,  in  2010,  a  single  annual  meeting  was  held  in 
Cagliari in October for both Objectives 1 and 2 regions and for the 2000-2006 and 
2007-2013  programming  periods.  For  the  2000-2006  programming  periods,  the 
agenda focused on the same items for both objectives. 

Monitoring  committee  meetings  for  almost  all  programmes  took  place  once  during 
the  year  in  order  to  discuss  and  approve  Final  Implementation  Reports  as  well  as 
examine  and  fine-tune  closure  issues,  in  relation  in  particular  to  the  treatment  of 
irregularities. 

10.3.  Objective 3 

All OPs submitted the closure documents by 30 September 2010, with the exception 
of  the  Abruzzo  OP,  which,  following  the  earthquake  which  hit  the  Region,  was 
granted an extension up to 30 June 2010  and whose deadline for the  submission of 
the closure document is 30 September 2011. 

The final certifications presented by the different OPs lead to a maximum amount of 
possible payments equal to 97.97% of the 2000-2006 overall budget (not taking into 
account  the  figures  of  the  Abruzzo  OP).  The  actual  amount  of  payments  will  be 
determined on the basis of the ongoing closure procedures. 

Most of the OPs (10) presented a final certification of expenditure of 100% (or more) 
of the total budget. For three OPs (Toscana, Lazio and Azioni di sistema) the figure 
is above 95% while the Veneto OP attained 87.81%. 

In the case of the OP Trento, which did not ask for the extension of the eligible date 
for expenditure and submitted the closure documents already by 31 March 2010, the 
closing procedure was concluded in 2010, with the payment of 100% of the foreseen 
budget. 

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10.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

According to the monitoring data provided by the Italian authorities on 31 December 
2010,  the  financial  implementation  of  the  FIFG  mono-fund  Single  Programming 
Document (SPD-DOCUP) had in practice reached 100 % in terms of commitments of 
total  eligible  expenditure  and  95.0 %  in  terms  of  payments  on  total  eligible 
expenditure,  which  is  100.0 %  of  the  amount  that  the  Commission  can  reimburse 
before closure. 

10.5.  Community Initiatives 

10.5.1.  Equal 

The final certification of expenditure, presented by 30 September 2010, amounts to 
384 920 106.83 €, that is 95.9% of the total  budget. The actual amount of payments 
will be determined on the basis of the ongoing closure procedure. 

.  

10.5.2.  Leader 

There are 22 Leader+ programmes in Italy: 21 regional programmes and one national 
programme  for  the  LEADER  network,  amounting  to  a  Community  contribution  of 
EUR 28161 million for the period 2000-2006. 

According to financial execution on 31 December 20010, the payment rate amounted 
to 93.35 % of the total eligible expenditure. Three Final Payments have been already 
finalized (Piemonte, Trento and Valle d'Aosta.  

In 2010 we have received the three closure documents for all remaining programmes 
with the exception of the programme of Abruzzo (Deadline is 31/03/2011 because of 
the earthquake in 2009). 

10.5.3.  Urban 

There are ten Urban II Community Initiative Programmes in Italy (Carrara, Caserta, 
Crotone, Genova, Milano, Misterbianco, Mola di Bari, Pescara, Taranto, Torino) for 
an overall ERDF contribution of EUR 114.0 million. 

Financial execution has been on average satisfactory. All but one programme reached 
the  95%  payment  theshold.  The  exception  is  the  Taranto  Programme  which  only 
reached 79.8% primarily due to administrative problems (the municipality of Taranto 
was declared insolvent in 2006), affecting the implementation of the programme.  

All  URBAN  II  Programmes  timely  submitted  their  closure  documents  by  the 
scheduled date. Two of them - Urban Torino and Urban Carrara - were fully closed 
in 2010: by paying the full outstanding requested amount.  

10.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

Out  of  the  106  programmes  relating  to  the  1994-1999  programming  periods,  three 
are still not fully closed (Leader II Lazio, Leader II Puglia and GG FICEI). In 2010, 
no  new  closure  proposals  were  sent  as  the  Member  State  confirmed  that  the  three 

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cases  have  not  yet  completed  all  the  legal  stages  of  the  ongoing  judicial  and 
administrative proceedings.  

In  the  case  of  GG  FICEI,  the  closure  letter  proposal  was  sent  to  the  national 
authorities  in  order  to  recover  an  unduly  paid  amount  of  EUR  0.1  million  and 
decommit the unspent commitment amount. In early 2010, however, Italy confirmed 
the existence of delays in the ongoing administrative proceedings. At 31 December 
2010, the outstanding  open  commitment equals approximately EUR 2.1 million  for 
three  1994-1999  programmes  and  one  1989-1993  programme  (Leader  I  Italy),  for 
which  a  certain  amount  was  kept  committed  as  it  is  linked  to  projects  subject  to 
judiciary proceedings.  

It is to be noted that these cases cannot be followed by a decommitment procedure ex 
Article  24  (2),(3)  of  Council  Regulation  (CE)  n.4253/88  as  the  administrative  and 
judicial  proceedings  are  still  ongoing  and  might  not  come  to  an  end  in  the  near 
future.  

The  closure  of  these  cases  should  be  carried  out  in  close  cooperation  with  the 
competent  Authorities  in  the  Member  State  and  taking  into  account  of  the  Legal 
Service  support  for  further  action  necessary  to  safeguard  the  principle  of  loyal 
cooperation set by the TFEU 

All  59  ESF  files  were  processed.  Currently,  the  RAL  (outstanding  commitments) 
amounts  to  approximately  EUR  40  million  and  is  entirely  due  to  legal  and/or 
administrative  disputes  at  national  level,  which  also  considerably  delayed  the 
winding-up process. It will be possible to reduce this RAL gradually as soon as the 
legal action is resolved.  

As regards EAGGF programmes, all 1994-1999 programmes have been closed. 

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11. 

IRELAND  

2000-2006 programming period 

11.1.  Objective 1 

The  ERDF  provided  a  total  of  EUR  1  946  million  to  Objective  1  programmes  in 
Ireland during the programming period. Implementation of the ERDF took place in 
the five Irish Objective 1 programmes: Economic & Social Infrastructure, Productive 
Sector (PSOP), Technical Assistance (TAOP), Border, Midland & Western (BMW) 
Region  and  Southern  &  Eastern  (S&E)  Region.  There  were  also  ESF-funded 
programmes: the ESF-funded childcare measures in the two regional programmes. 

During  the  2000-2006  programming  period  the  ESF  funded  the  Human  Resources 
Development  Operational  Programme  (EHRD)  OP,  The  Border,  Midland  and 
Western  Region  (BMW)  OP,  the  Southern  and  Eastern  Region  (S&E)  OP,  the 
PEACE programme and the EQUAL programme for a total of EUR 1 092 million. 

The  Structural  Funds  for  2000-2006  played  an important role in fostering research, 
development  and  innovation  and  boosting  the  information  society.  In  the  period 
2000-2006,  the  ERDF  will  have  spent  an  estimated  EUR  260  million  on  research, 
technical development and innovation and the information society. During the 2000- 
2006  period,  Irish  research  and  innovation  capacity  increased  significantly,  in 
particularly in the S&E region. 

Similarly strong impacts can be observed in the field of human resources, which has 
been  a  vital  area  of  ESF  assistance  since  1989.  In  the  years  preceding  2000, 
investment helped to boost education and skills levels, with a strong focus on young 
people  while  at  the  same  time  enhancing  the  employment  prospects  of  the 
unemployed.  Funding  in  2000-2006  put  more  emphasis  on  responding  to  shortages 
through targeted supply-side initiatives in education and training. A good example of 
this development is the emphasis on in-company training and support for a number 
of lifelong learning schemes. 

A  backdrop  for  these  programme  achievements  has  nevertheless  been  a  serious 
contraction  in  the  Irish  economy  precipitated  by  the  collapse  in  the  real  estate 
market,  the  crisis  in  the  banking  sector  and  the  public  finances.  The  economic 
downturn (which commenced in 2008) worsened during the course of both 2009 and 
2010,  necessitating  a  series  of  incremental  budgetary  steps  seeking  to  improve  the 
state of public finance.  

As part of the emergency recovery package, Ireland requested a six-month extension 
in eligibility date for all of the above programmes (except for the EHRD OP and the 
EQUAL  programme)  allowing  the  mopping-up  of  remaining  funds  to  proceed  and 
for Ireland to maximise its draw-down of Structural Funds. 

As already reported in 2008, ERDF payments had already reached the payment limit 
of  95.0  %  for  four  of  the  programmes,  i.e.  PSOP,  TA,  BMW  and  S&E.  Payments 
thus far represent 93.9 % of commitments for ESIOP — no payments were recorded 
during  2009.  Closure  packages  were  received  for  the  5  programmes  in  September 

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2010  and  Commission  services  are  presently  carrying  out  the  necessary  quality 
control and consistency checks of the closure documentation.  

Closure  documents  were  received  within  the  regulatory  deadlines  for  all  Irish 
programmes co-financed by ERDF. URBAN II Dublin Ballyfermot was received on 
31 March 2010, whist all the rest including  PEACE II, were sent on  30  September 
2010. 

ESF  Final  claims  arrived  in  due  time  as  scheduled.  The  Employment  and  Human 
Resources  Development  programme  and  the  Southern  &  Eastern  (S&E)  Region 
programme have reached 100% consumption of which 95% were already paid. The 
Border,  Midland  &  Western  (BMW)  has  reached  98.3%  consumption  of  which 
90.7% was already paid. 

The EHRD final report was accepted on 1/3/2011 but further work has to be done on 
the WUD by the Irish authorities. 

The  documents  related  to  S&E  and  BMW  need  some  clarification  by  the  Irish 
auhorities concerning irregularities. 

PEACE II 

The  ‘PEACE  II’  programme  covers  Northern  Ireland  and  the  border  regions  of 
Ireland.  It  builds  on  the  experience  of  the  special  support  programme  ‘PEACE  I’ 
(1995–1999)  and  exemplifies  the  practical  support  given  by  the  EU  to  the  peace 
process  after  the  Belfast  Agreement.  Initially  PEACE  II  covered  the  period  2000-
2004  but  in  2004  it  was  decided  to  provide  additional  funding  and  extend  the 
programme to 2006, bringing it in line with the other Structural Funds programmes 
in the rest of the European Union. 

For the PEACE II programme, the ERDF contribution amounts to EUR 368 million. 
Further contributions are provided by ESF (EUR 194 million) and EAGGF (EUR 44 
million). Payments under all Funds have reached their 95.0 % payment limit.  

The  closure  process  is  ongoing.  On  the  basis  of  the  documentation  received,  it 
appears that the programme has overspent across all funds.  

EAGGF 

The  revised  EAGGF-Guidance  section  amounts  to  EUR  153.6  million.  Cumulative 
EAGGF (Guidance) payments  to  the end  of  2009  amount  to  EUR  148.9  million  or 
95.0 % of the amount planned for the programming period 2000-2006. (No payments 
were  carried  out  during  2009  as  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  was  already  reached  in 
2008).  

EAGGF  Guidance  will  not  contribute  to  the  two-year  extension  of  the  PEACE  II 
operational  programme,  jointly  managed  with  Northern  Ireland.  Therefore  the 
EUR 12.6  million  EU  contribution  to  the  programme  was  not  increased.  Up  to  the 
end of 2009, total expenditure for the PEACE II programme was EUR 12.3 million. 

Closure documents for the Irish objective 1 operational programmes were submitted 
to the Commission by the deadline of 30/9/2010 and are under treatment.  

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FIFG 

Objective 1 

The  three  Objective  1  programmes  (Productive  Sector,  Southern  &  Eastern  and 
Border, Midlands, Western) contain a total FIFG assistance of EUR 67.8 million.All 
threee programmes reached the payment limit of 95.0 % at the end of 2009. Closure 
documents  for  all  the  programmes  were  received  in  due  time  in  2010  and  the  final 
FIFG narrative reports have been accepted by DG MARE. Analysis of the financial 
information of the programmes is in process. Final eligible FIFG uptake figures are 
therefore not available yet 

PEACE II -Ireland 

The total FIFG allocation to the Irish part of the programmes is EUR 2.7 million. No 
execution took place in 2009 as the 95.0 % payment limit had already been reached 
before. Closure documents for the programmes was received in due time in 2010 and 
the  final  FIFG  narrative  report  have  been  accepted  by  DG  MARE.  Analysis  of  the 
financial  information  of  the  programme  is  in  process.  Final  eligible  FIFG  uptake 
figures are therefore not available yet 

11.2.  Community Initiatives  

The  final  claim  for  the  Irish  EQUAL  programme  arrived  on  30  March  2010.  The 
total absorption rate of ESF represents 95.7% . An automatic decommitment of 1.4 
ml. was made. 

The final report was accepted on 15/12/2010 and the final payment was made on 11 
May 2011 once all irregularities were reconciliated. The programme is thus closed. 

11.2.1.  Leader 

The  Ireland  Leader+  programme  was  implemented  with  22  Local  Action  Groups 
involved.  The 
the  Ireland  Leader+  programme  was 
EUR 74 million. The EAGGF contribution for 2000-2006 was EUR 46 million. 

total  expenditure  of 

At the end of 2009, expenditure amounted to EUR 43.5 million, 94.5 % of the initial 
programme budget.  

Closure documents for the Ireland Leader+ programme were submitted on 31/3/2010 
and are under treatment. 

11.2.2.  Urban 

The Dublin-Ballyfermot  URBAN II  programme is the only URBAN II Programme 
in Ireland. It was approved in December 2001, and amended in 2004 as a result of 
indexation. The ERDF will contribute a total of EUR 5.4 million to this programme, 
the total cost of which amounts to EUR 11.6 million. The final eligibility date of this 
programme  was  31  December  2008  and  was  not  extended  as  part  of  the  recovery 
package.  On  the  basis  of  the  closure  documentation  received,  the  programme  has 
under-spent. 

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11.3.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

The RAL is zero for ERDF 94-99, ESF 94-99 and EAGGF 94-99 programmes. The 
C.I. PESCA programme was closed at the end of 2008. 

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12. 

LATVIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

12.1.  Objective 1 

Latvia  is  implementing  a  Single  Programming  Document  (SPD)  with  an  ERDF 
participation of EUR 382 million and an ESF allocation of EUR 127.3 million out of 
EUR  626  million  in  total.  The  Programme  Complement  was  last  modified  by  the 
Monitoring Committee in December 2008 and accepted by the Commission in 2009. 
Payments  for  the  ERDF  and  ESF  reached  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  in  2008  so  no 
further payments before closure were possible.  

In  2009  the  Commission  adopted  an  amending  decision  to  the  SPD  to  extend  the 
final eligibility date to 30 June 2009, although effective implementation for most of 
the  SPD  was  concluded  in  2008.  The  Latvian  Authorities  submitted  closure 
documentation for the SPD on 30 June 2010. 

The  SPD  is  aiming  for  ‘fast  and  regionally  balanced  sustainable  economic 
development’  mainly  by  shifting  into  higher  value-added  production.  According  to 
the  monitoring  data,  the  progress  made  so  far  in  implementing  the  SPD  has  been 
good. The target levels for the main indicators have been attained to a great extent, 
including the impact indicators at the priority level. 

The  managing  authority  for  the  SPD  is  located  in  the  Ministry  of  Finance.  The 
paying authority is the treasury of Latvia and the audit body is a department in the 
Ministry  of  Finance.  There  is  one  monitoring  committee.  It  includes  participants 
from  all  state  institutions  involved  and  representatives  of  social  and  economic 
partners, planning regions and civil society. 

The Latvian 2004-2006 Objective 1 programme partly contributed to the high growth 
rate  and  employment  in  Latvia  until  the  end  of  2007.  On  the  negative  side,  the 
growth was accompanied by supply-side constraints leading to high price and wage 
growth  and  overheating.  In  the  last  quarter  of  2008  the  economy  started  to  shrink 
drastically. In 2009, GDP declined by 18.0 % while unemployment reached 17.1 %. 

The  monitoring  committees  include  participants  from  all  state  institutions  involved 
and  representatives  of  social  and  economic  partners,  planning  regions  and  civil 
society. No major problems in the implementation of the SPD have been detected to 
date. 

The FIFG share in the Single Programming  Document  for  Latvia  represents  3,89% 
(i.e.  EUR  24.3  million).  The  95.0 %  payment  limit  of  Commission  reimbursement 
was reached at the end of 2008. As no further reimbursement is possible before the 
programme is closed, there were no payments by the Commission in 2009 and 2010. 

After the receipt of closure documents on 30 June 2010, the analysis of winding up 
declaration has been completed and the document was accepted by the Commission 
on  17  November  2010.  For  rest  of  the  documents  the  request  for  complementary 
information  was  sent  to  the  Latvian  authorities  therefore  their  assesment  was  not 

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finalised in 2010. The main measures implemented were scrapping of fishing vessels, 
investment  in  aquaculture  and  processing,  investment  in  fishing  ports  and  socio-
economic  measures  for  fishermen.  In  total  447  projects  were  completed  during  the 
programming period. All allocated FIFG funding have been entirely exhausted. 

12.2.  Community Initiatives  

12.2.1.  Equal 

EQUAL Latvia was a successful programme in terms of reaching the set targets and 
financial performance.  

The  actual  implementation  of  the  programme  was  concluded  in  2007.95 %  of  the 
programme expenditure was paid in 2007.  

The EQUAL Latvia closure  package was submitted to the Commission on 11 June 
2009.  The  programme  was  closed  (payment  of  the  final  balance)  on  19  October 
2010.  

12.2.2.  Leader 

Leader+  type  measures  were  included  in  the  Objective  1  programme  under 
Priority 4:  Promotion  of  Development  of  Rural  Areas  and  Fisheries.  The  EU 
contribution for 2004-2006 amounted to EUR 2.3 million. The start of Leader+ type 
measures was delayed due to administrative and legal difficulties. 

In  December  2006,  seventeen  Local  Action  Groups  were  selected  and  selection  of 
projects  finished  in  October  2007  with  contracts  covering  100 %  of  the  finances 
available.  In  total  433  contracts  were  concluded  during  two  rounds  of  selection. 
Implementation  of  the  projects  commenced  in  May  2008  and  continued  until 
September  2008.  The  implementation  of  Leader  under  the  Single  Programming 
Document  ended  in  summer  2008  and  continues  under  the  EU  Rural  Development 
Programme 2007-2013 (separate from cohesion policy). 

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13. 

LITHUANIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

13.1.  Objective 1 

General 

The  Lithuanian  Objective  1  Programme  (Single  Programming  Document  of 
Lithuania  for  2004-2006)  covers  the  whole  of  Lithuania  as  an  eligible  area. 
The programme was adopted by Commission Decision C(2004)2120 of 18 June 2004 
and is co-financed by the ERDF (EUR 583.9 million), the ESF (EUR 176.2 million), 
the  EAGGF  (EUR  122.9  million),  and  the  FIFG  (EUR  12.1  million).  The  national 
funding  consists  of  EUR  309.5  million  of  public  funds  and  EUR  2.3  million  of 
private  financing.  Thus,  the  Structural  Funds  provide  EUR  895  million  of  a  total 
budget  of  EUR  1 207  million.  The  managing  authority  of  the  programme  is  the 
Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania. 

The  global  objective  of  the  programme  is  to  strengthen  the  basis  for  long-term 
national  economic  competitiveness  and  to  facilitate  the  transition  to  a  knowledge-
based  economy.  It  consists  of  five  priorities:  socio-economic  infrastructure  (EUR 
347.1  million,  ERDF),  human  resources  development  (EUR 163.8  million,  ESF), 
productive  sector  and  services  (EUR 222.4 million,  ERDF),  rural  and  fisheries 
development  (EUR  122.9  million,  EAGGF  and  EUR 12.1 million,  FIFG),  and 
technical assistance (EUR 14.5 million, ERDF and EUR 12.4 million, ESF). 

Monitoring and annual review 

No programme monitoring committee meetings were held during 2009 and 2010. 

In 2009 and 2010 no specific annual review meetings between the Commission and 
the  Managing  Authority  was  arranged  for  the  Single  Programming  Document  of 
Lithuania  for  2004-2006.  The  work  related  to  the  closure  of  2004-2006  Structural 
Funds assistance advanced during the year and closure documents were submitted to 
the Commission by the end of September. Closure procedure is in well advanced and 
it is expected to be completed in 2011 with the payment of the balance. 

Information and publicity 

Lithuania  has  continued  to  implement  a  variety  of  Structural  Funds  publicity  and 
information activities. The public internet portal www.esparama.lt, maintained by the 
Lithuanian  Ministry  of  Finance,  has  developed  into  a  central  tool  for  providing  the 
stakeholders with timely information on programme implementation.  

Payments and programme results  

By  the  end  of  2009,  95.0 %  (EUR  554.7  million)  of  the  total  ERDF  allocation 
(EUR 583.9  million)  and  95.0 %  (EUR  167.4  million)  of  the  total  ESF  allocation 
(EUR 176.2 million) had been paid out to Lithuania by the Commission  

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With  regard  to  the  FIFG  measures,  already  by  mid-2008  the  Commission  had  paid 
95.0 % of the total FIFG allocations (EUR 12.1 million). The greatest share of the EU 
support had targeted the reduction of the Baltic fleet and the compensations related to 
these  measures.  Investments  have  been  made  into  fisheries  aquaculture  and 
processing  sector.  The  closure  documents  were  received  by  DG  MARE  on 
04.10.2011.  The  documents  have  been  assessed;  additional  information  and 
clarifications  have  been  recently  requested  to  the  Lithuanian  authorities.  The  final 
implementation report has been accepted.  

The absorption rate of 95.0 % of the total EAGGF-Guidance allocation (including the 
advance)  was  already  reached  in  2008,  and  as  a  result  there  were  no  payments  in 
2010.  

The total amount of funding for projects implemented stands at EUR 1 700 million of 
which  EUR  932  million  is  from  the  EU.  Development  of  social  and  economic 
infrastructure  accounted  for  almost  40.0 %  of  the  funding.  Among  EU-10  Member 
States  Lithuania  has  one  of  the  highest  levels  of  spending  on  energy  efficiency.  In 
terms  of  results,  over  3  500  projects  were  implemented  and  in  2008  the  GDP  was 
2.1%  higher  compared  to  a  scenario  without  SPD  interventions.  More  than  19  500 
jobs were created. 

13.2.  Community Initiatives  

13.2.1.  Equal 

The  Lithuanian  EQUAL  programme  proceeded  without  any  difficulties.  The  main 
focus was on preparing for the closure of the programme. At the end of 2009, the rate 
of  financial  execution  of  the  community  funding  for  the  programme  was  95.0 %. 
The managing  authority  presented  the  closure  documents  to  the  Commission  on  30 
March  2010.  The  closure  letter  to  the  Lithuanian  Authorities  has  been  sent  on  22 
December 2010 and the final payment has been executed on 4 May 2011. 

13.2.2.  Leader 

Leader+  type  measures  are  mainstreamed  in  the  Objective  1  programme  under 
Priority  4:  Rural  and  Fisheries  Development.  The  implementation  of  all  selected 
projects under Leader (106 in total) was already completed in 2009. 

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14. 

LUXEMBOURG 

2000-2006 programming period 

14.1.  Objective 2 

Overall,  100 %  of  the  ERDF  programme  budget  was  allocated  through  grant 
agreements. 

The  programme  monitoring  committee  met  once  in  2010,  at  the  initiative  of  the 
Ministry  of  Economy,  the  managing  authority  of  the  programme.  The  Commission 
played  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  committee.  At  this  meeting  was  presented 
and adopted the final report.  

The  three  documents  for  closure  were  received  before  the  end  of  September:  final 
report,  final  payment  claim,  and  winding  up  declaration.  Some  observations  about 
the  winding  up  declaration  were  communicated  to  the  Audit  and  Managing 
authorities. 

The level of expenditure  submitted  for payment  from  the  ERDF  amounted  to  EUR 
41.8 million, i.e. 95.0 % of the ERDF allocation at the end of 2010. 

14.2.  Objective 3 

The Objective 3 programme involves a total ESF contribution of EUR 31.7 million. 
Luxembourg  did  not  manage  to  spend  the  total  ESF  allocations,  so  there  will  be 
decommitments. The absorption rate is 74 %. 

Further  to  the  decision  to  suspend  interim  payments  following  the  audit  mission  in 
June-July 2007, a 100%'s Article 4 (Regulation (EC) No 438/2001) verifications to 
all  expenses  was  made  by  external  auditors,  The  results  of  these  verifications  were 
analysed by the Commission and it was concluded that they comply with Article 4; 
all financial corrective measures related to Article 4 were taken into account. On 21 
January  2010,  the  Commission  sent  a  letter  to  the  Luxembourg  authorities  to 
withdraw the suspension and to relaunch the interim payments  

The  Luxembourg  authorities  sent  all  closure  documents  on  6  October  2010.  They 
were considered admissible. On 24 October 2010, the Commission sent a letter to the 
Luxembourg  authorities  concerning  a  technical  correction  in  the  final  payment 
request  and  on  the  same  day,  the  Commission  sent  a  letter  regarding  the  list  of 
irregularities to be transmitted by the Member State. 

During the annual meeting meeting between the Commission and Luxembourg on 8 
December  2010,  the  closure  of  the  2000-2006  period  was  also  on  the  agenda  and 
some administrative errors already discovered in the closure documents (including an 
ineligible  project  in  the  winding-up  declaration,  lack  of  submission  of  the  list  of 
irregularities) were discussed and further detailed in a letter sent by the Commission 
on  3  March  2011  related  to  the  remarks  of  the  Commission  on  the  final  execution 
report 

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14.3.  Community Initiatives  

14.3.1.  Equal 

At the end of 2010, the rate of execution amounted to 73.1 % (EUR 2.9 million). 

Further  to  the  decision  to  suspend  interim  payments  following  the  audit  mission  in 
June-July 2007, a 100%'s Article 4 (Regulation (EC) No 438/2001) verifications to 
all  expenses  was  made  by  external  auditors,  The  results  of  these  verifications  were 
analysed by the Commission and it was concluded that they comply with Article 4; 
all financial corrective measures related to Article 4 were taken into account. On 21 
January  2010,  the  Commission  sent  a  letter  to  the  Luxembourg  authorities  to 
withdraw the suspension and to relaunch the interim payments  

The  Luxembourg  authorities  sent  all  closure  documents  on  6  October  2010.  They 
were considered admissible. On 24 October 2010, the Commission sent a letter to the 
Luxembourg  authorities  concerning  a  technical  correction  in  the  final  payment 
request  and  on  the  same  day,  the  Commission  sent  a  letter  regarding  the  list  of 
irregularities to be transmitted by the Member State. 

During the annual meeting meeting between the Commission and Luxembourg on 8 
December  2010,  the  closure  of  the  2000-2006  period  was  also  on  the  agenda  and 
some  administrative  errors  already  discovered  in  the  closure  documents  were 
discussed and further detailed in a letter sent by the Commission on 7 March 2011 
related to the remarks of the Commission on the final execution report. 

14.3.2.  Leader 

The programme involves total public expenditure of EUR 8.4 million. The EAGGF 
contribution was fully committed ( EUR 2.1 million). Total financial execution came 
to EUR 2.0 million, i.e.92.6% of the EAGGF amount committed . 

In Luxembourg, four LAGs were selected, covering 90 000 inhabitants, with a fifth 
LAG financed by national funds. 

Closure documents were transmited to the Commission in March 2010; a pre-closure 
letter was sent in July 2010, resulting in the transmission of a final recovery order in 
November 2010. 

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15. 

HUNGARY 

2000-2006 programming period 

15.1.  Objective 1 

All Hungarian regions belong in 2004-2006 period to Objective 1. The payments for 
the  4  ERDF  OP  in  Hungary  reached  the  limit  of  95%  in  2008,  3  of  which  were 
nevertheless extended until June 2009. No payments were done in 2010. 

The  documents  necessary  for  the  closure  were  submitted  in  all  cases  on  time.  The 
closure procedure will be finalised at the beginning of 2011 for the Regional OP. For 
the  other  OPs  the  procedure  has  been  interrupted  awaiting  complementary 
information  from  Hungarian  Authorities  on  the  final  report  and  winding-up 
declaration  and  precise  definition  of  the  financial  impact  of  irregularities  and 
unfinished projects. 

In general the objectives settled in the OPs were broadly achieved. However, even if 
all regions have grown, the gap between most developed and least developed regions 
has  not  decreased.  The  medium  term  impact  of  the  grants  to  SMEs  (companies 
surviving after 5 years) within the Economic Development OP arouse concern about 
the  sustainability  of  the  investments  financed.  In  contrast  this  OP  allowed  for  the 
creation  of  11.263  new  jobs  or  safeguarded;  GVA  growth  in  supported  enterprises 
was  nearly  EUR  500  million.  Further  3000  jobs  were  created  by  the  new  touristic 
attractions  within  the  Regional  operational  programme  allowed  for  the  creation  of 
near 3000 jobs. 

In  addition  to  the  large  infrastructure  CF/ISPA  projects,  ERDF  supported  the 
upgrade of 1073 km of national roads and 544 km of regional/local roads. ERDF also 
supported  improved  drinking  water  and  waste  water  treatment  facilities  for 
respectively 20.477 and 17.208 new households. 

Evaluations  workshops  on  the  results  of  the  programmes  and  preparatory  seminars 
and  meetings  for  the  closure  were  organised  in  2010,  including  two  Monitoring 
Committees in view of the approval of the final report. 

ESF  contribution  to  Hungary  between  2004-2006  has  been  channelled  through  the 
following programmes:  

– 

– 

Human  Resources  Development  Operational  Programme 
(2003HU051PO001) 

(HRD  OP) 

Operational Programme for Regional Development (OPRD) (2003HU161PO001) 

The HRD OP contains 4 priorities (excluding technical assistance), three financed by 
ESF  and  one  by  ERDF.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  one  ESF  priority  in  the  OPRD, 
complementing the two ERDF priorities. 

The  main  priorities  of  the  Human  Resources  Development  OP  Supporting  active 
labour  market  policies  (Preventing  and  tackling  unemployment,  Developing  the 

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Public  Employment  Service,  Promoting  the  participation  of  women  in  the  labour 
market and the reconciliation of work and family life), Fighting social exclusion by 
promoting  access  to  the  labour  market,  Promoting  life-long  learning  policies 
(Developing  skills  and  competencies  necessary  for  lifelong  learning,  the  content, 
methodology  and  structure  of  VET,  the  structure  and  content  of  higher  education, 
Training  -  promoting  job-creation  and  dev.  of  entrepreneurial  skills,  adult  training 
system). 

For the HRD OP 

The  MA  requested  an  extension  of  the  eligibility  deadline  until  30/06/2009.  The 
closure documents have been received by the COM on time and are being analysed. 
The  following  amounts  were  paid  from  the  ESF:  EUR  366.168.888  (95%  reached) 
out of which EUR 17.459.007,36 was paid in 2010.  

For the OPRD 

The  main  priorities  of  the  For  Regional  Development  OP  Developing  the  human 
resources of the regions (Capacity building of local public administration and NGOs, 
Support  for  local  employment  initiatives,  Strengthening  co-operation  of  higher 
education  institutions  with  local  actors,  Support  of  region-specific  vocational 
training). 

The  closure  documents  have  been  received  by  the  COM  on  time  and  are  being 
analysed.  The  following  amounts  were  paid  from  the  ESF:  EUR  50.984.157  (95% 
reached). No payments were made in 2010. 

As  at  31 December  2009,  total  payments  made  under  measures  co-financed  by  the 
EAGGF-Guidance Section (including the advance) amounted to EUR 297 million or 
95.0 %  of  the  total  Fund  allocation  for  the  period  2004-2006.  For  that  reason  no 
payment has been made in 2010. The Programme is now in the closure phase. 

The  FIFG  share  in  ARDOP  represents  2,4%  (i.e.  EUR  4,4  million).  The  total 
payment  rate  from  the  Commission  reached  90.9 %  of  the  total  FIFG  allocation. 
FIFG  was  used  exclusively  for  measure  2.1  “Structural  assistance  in  the  fisheries 
sector”  under  Priority  1:  Establishment  of  competitive  basic  material  production  in 
agriculture.  During  the  whole  programming  period  55  applications  were  approved; 
from  that  51  were  successfully  completed.  Aquaculture  was  the  most  popular 
measure and had 30 projects completed. The closure documents were submitted by 
30  September  2010.  The  assessment  of  the  documents  is  in  the  final  stage  of 
analysis.  

15.2.  Community Initiatives  

15.2.1.  Equal 

The main priorities of the EQUAL Community Initiative Programme was to facilitate 
access  to  the  labour  market  of  those  which  feel  difficulties  of  integrating,  promote 
lifelong training and inclusive practices encouraging recruitment and maintenance to 
the  use  of  those  which  suffer  from  discrimination  or  from  treatment  inequality  in 

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industry, reduce the divergences between men and women and promote professional 
desegregation, help to integrate asylum seekers. 

In order to facilitate the mainstreaming of the results of EQUAL, the MA requested 
an  extension  on  the  eligibility  deadline  until  30/06/2009.  The  closure  documents 
have been received by the COM on time and are being analysed. The 95% ceiling has 
been reached and therefore no payments were made in 2010. 

15.2.2.  Leader 

Hungary  included  a  Leader+  type  measure  in  the  ARDOP  under  Priority  3 
‘Development  of  rural  areas’.  The  objective  of  the  measure  was  to  strengthen  the 
LEADER  approach  to  local  development  by  means  of  integrated  regional 
development  strategies  organised  and  realised  at  local  level  in  the  form  of 
partnerships.  Overall,  70  local  action  groups  were  selected.  The  total  Community 
contribution  for  this  measure  amounted  to  EUR  14.3  million.  Given  the  resources 
committed, the measure has been outstandingly successful, as the amount contracted 
for  the  applications  submitted  (EUR  23.2  million)  exceeded  the  initial  amount 
planned for the programming period 2004-2006. 

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16. 

MALTA  

2000-2006 programming period 

16.1.  Objective 1 

Malta  has  one  Single  Programming  Document  (SPD)  for  the  period  2004-2006, 
jointly co-financed by ERDF (6 measures), ESF (5 measures), EAGGF (2 measures) 
and FIFG (1 measure). The total Structural Funds' allocation amounts to EUR 63.2 
million (EUR 46.7 million from ERDF, EUR 9.5 million from ESF, EUR 4.2 million 
from EAGGF and EUR 2.8 million from FIFG), supplemented by EUR 23.3 million 
of national contribution. 

The ERDF share of payments made in favour of ERDF co-financed projects amounts 
to  EUR  47.6  million,  bringing  the  overall  commitment  for  ERDF  co-financed 
measures to 102% of allocated resources.  

The  last  Monitoring  Committee  meeting  approving  the  Final  Report  of  the 
programme  was  held  in  July  2010.  The  implementation  of  the  programme  has 
reached  its  objectives.  In  total,  89  projects  had  been  implemented,  including  9  aid 
schemes. 373 enterprises benefitted from grants under the programme. 

All documents necessary for the closure of the ERDF parts of the programme were 
submitted to the Commission on 30 September 2010, i.e. within the agreed deadline. 

As  regards  implementation  of  the  EAGGF,  on  31  December  2009  total  payments 
made  under  measures  co-financed  by  the  EAGGF-Guidance  Section  amounted  to 
EUR  4.4  million  (interim  payments  of  EUR  3.7  million  and  advance  payments  of 
EUR  0.7  million,  including  national co-financing), thus  attaining the payment limit 
of 95.0 % for total eligible expenditure for the period 2004-2006 . For that reason no 
payment has been made in 2010. The Programme is now in the closure phase. 

The  total  FIFG  allocation  committed  to  the  sub-measures  ‘Fleet’  and  ‘Structures’ 
within  the  SPD  for  structural  assistance  in  Malta  under  Objective  1  (2004-2006) 
amounted to EUR 2.8 million. The payment limit of 95.0 % was reached in 2008. A 
final  balance  to  the  amount  of  EUR  120,000  was  found  to  be  paid  at  Closure,  and 
EUR 22,000 to be de-committed. That translates into an execution rate of 99.2% for 
the Maltese FIFG budget. A smooth closure of the FIFG programme share could be 
prepared still in 2010. 

16.2.  Community Initiatives  

16.2.1.  Equal 

All EQUAL projects finalised their training activities by the end of December 2007. 
The  monitoring  committee  lats  met  in  May  2009.The  EQUAL  Programme  reached 
the ceiling of 95.0 %.  

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17. 

NETHERLANDS  

2000-2006 programming period 

The  Netherlands  received  a  total  Structural  Fund  contribution  of  EUR  2.8  billion 
between 2000 and 2006 from the ERDF, ESF, EAGGF and FIFG. 

The final date for the eligibility of expenditure, normally set at 31 December 2008, 
was — at the request of the Dutch authorities — extended for the single Objective 1, 
four Objective 2, three URBAN and four LEADER programmes until 30 June 2009. 
For  this  extension,  the  Commission  adopted  a  decision  on  23  February  2009.  This 
gave  the  regions  and  cities  concerned  an  additional  six  months  to  implement  the 
available Structural Funds allocations.  

For ERDF and the EAGGF-Guidance, the closure documents were submitted within 
the requested time frame.  

The  final  payment  claims  show  a  high  absorption  rate  reaching  or  approaching 
hundred  percent  of  the  available  funds  for  all  the  ERDF  programmes.  Following 
audits  in  2005  and  2006,  the  Dutch  authorities  had  agreed  with  the  European 
Commission  to  adopt  a  national  action  plan  for  ERDF  programmes.  This  national 
action  plan  led  in  2010  to  a  final  settlement  between  the  Dutch  Ministry  of 
Economical  Affairs,  Agriculture  and  Innovation,  the  respective  management 
authorities  and  the  European  Commission.  The  financial  corrections  which  were  to 
be  implemented  as  a  result  of  this  settlement  have  been  incorporated  in  the  final 
payment requests. These payment requests are currently being analyzed as part of the 
closure exercise.  

The  annual  review  meeting  was  jointly  organised  by  the  Dutch  authorities  and  the 
European Commission in November 2010. The progress of the implementation and 
the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  2000-2006  programming  period,  prepared  by  the 
European  Commission,  were  discussed.  During  2010 
the  final  monitoring 
committees  for  the  2000-2006  programmes  have  taken  place  and  several  official 
events have been organized to mark the end of this programming period. 

17.1.  Objective 1 

The Flevoland province received phasing-out support under Objective 1 amounting 
up to EUR 131.9 million of which EUR 81.7 million from ERDF, EUR 33.6 million 
from ESF, EUR 10.3 million from EAGGF and EUR 6.2 million from FIFG. 

The final payment request  shows a  full absorption of the ERDF funds  and  close  to 
full absorption for EAGGF and FIFG. For ESF the absorption was close to 95.0 %.  

The closure documents received in September 2010 indicate total EAGGF payments 
reaching EUR 10.3 million, i.e. 99% of the EAGGF allocation. 

The total FIFG allocation for Flevoland amounts to EUR 6.2 million. There were no 
decommitments.  The  total  payment  rate  of  the  Commission  reached  95  %  of  the 
FIFG  allocation.  Two  measures  were  implemented,  "fleet  renovation  and  crew 

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management"  and "Strengthening the competitiveness of  the fishery sector". At the 
end  of  the  programme  18  projects  were  completed.  The  closure  documents  were 
received on 29 September 2010. The assessment of the documents is ongoing. 

17.2.  Objective 2 

The  final  payment  requests  of  the  four  Dutch  Objective  2  programmes  show  an 
absorption  level  of  98%  for  the  four  programmes  combined.  A  realized  amount  of 
EUR  845  million  has  been  declared  out  of  a  decided  amount  of  EUR  859  million, 
hence a shortfall of EUR 14 million. 

The  absorption  rates  of  the  individual  programmes  are;  96.1%  for  Zuid,  98.4%  for 
Oost, 99.8% for Noord and 97.4% for Stedelijke Gebieden. 

The  final  payment  requests  of  the  different  programmes  reflect  the  outcome  of  the 
settlement  of  the  national  action  plan.  This  correction  amounted  up  to  EUR  160 
million  (including  the  Objective  1  programme)  on  the  total  eligible  costs,  mainly 
impacting the programme Noord which was responsible for EUR 109 million. 

17.3.  Objective 3 

The  total  available  ESF  allocation  for  the  SPD  amounted  to  EUR  1 532  million, 
which  had  been  committed  by  the  end  of  October  2005.  As  all  projects  were 
terminated  by  the  end  of  2007,  activities  focused  on  preparing  closure  of  the 
programme. No request was received to extend the final date of eligibility. The final 
implementation of the programme is estimated to arrive at full absorption (the 95.0 % 
payment  limit  has  already  been  reached).In  2010  closure  documents  were  received 
and accepted except for the WUD. Futher work has to be done on the WUD by the 
Dutch authorities. 

17.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The  total  FIFG  allocation  for  the  Netherlands  amounts  to  EUR  32.7  million.  The 
total payment rate of the Commission reached 80.3 % of the total FIFG allocation. At 
the  end  of  the  programming  period  serious  weaknesses  were  found  by  the 
Commission services in the management and control system and the payments were 
suspended.  The  Netherlands  made  an  action  plan  to  verify  and  correct  these 
weaknesses.  So  far  this  resulted  in  a  deduction  of  EUR  1.6  million  applied  by  the 
Netherlands.  

The  programme  resulted  in  assistance  to  502  operations.  The  great  majority  of 
assistance was given under the measures: 44 (Operations of members of the trade), 
12  (transfer  to  a  third  country/reassignment),  11  (scrapping)  and  46  (innovative 
measures). The closure documents were received on 30 July 2010. The assessment of 
the documents is ongoing. 

17.5.  Community Initiatives  

17.5.1.  Urban 

Three  URBAN  II  programmes  have  been  implemented  in  the  Netherlands  in 
Amsterdam, Heerlen and Rotterdam. The ERDF contribution for the programmes in 

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Amsterdam  and  Rotterdam  is  EUR 9 million  each  and  in  Heerlen  EUR  12  million. 
The  total  eligible  cost  of  the  three  programmes  is  EUR  84  million.  The  cities 
themselves  are  both  managing  authority  and  paying  authority.  Based  on  the  final 
payment  requests  received  in  March  2010,  the  three  Urban  programme  requested 
EUR  29.1  million  out  of  the  EUR  30.3  million  available,  i.e.  an  absorption  rate  of 
96%.  The  Rotterdam  programme  has  now  been  closed  and  both  Amsterdam  and 
Heerlen will be closed in the course of 2011. 

17.5.2.  Equal 

The  total  available  ESF  allocation  amounted  to  EUR  158.2  million.  As  all  projects 
had  ended  by  the  end  of  2007,  activities  focused  on  preparing  closure  of  the 
programme.  No  request  was  received  to  extend  the  final  eligibility  date.  The  final 
implementation  of  the  programme  is  estimated  to  show  87 %  absorption  (at  end  of 
2009  the  rate  was  76.4 %).  In  2010  closure  documents  were  received  and  accepted 
except  for  the  WUD.  Futher  work  has  to  be  done  on  the  WUD  by  the  Dutch 
authorities. 

17.5.3.  Leader 

Four  Leader+  programmes  were  implemented  in  the  Netherlands  in  the  2000-2006 
programming  period  (Randstad,  Noord,  Zuid  and  Oost).  The  closure  documents 
received  in  September  2010  indicate  total  EAGGF  payments  reaching  EUR  80.6 
million, i.e. 98.5% of the EAGGF allocation. 

17.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

ERDF 

Closure  of  the  ERDF  programmes  of  the  1994-1999  programming  period  was 
already completed at the end of 2009. 

ESF 

Three ESF programmes remain open due to ongoing judicial proceedings. 

As regards the Community Initiative Programmes (CIP), two programmes are still to 
be closed due to ongoing judicial proceedings. The Resider CIP was closed in 2009. 

EAGGF 

Closure  of  the  EAGGF  programmes  of  the  1994-1999  programming  period  was 
already completed at the end of 2008. 

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18. 

AUSTRIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

Between 2000 and 2006 Austria was allocated to a total Structural Fund contribution 
of  EUR  1,782  million  from  the  ERDF,  ESF,  EAGGF  and  FIFG.  The  ERDF 
allocation alone amounted to EUR 885.2 million. 

18.1.  Objective 1 

For the only Objective 1 region in Austria (Burgenland) the ERDF allocation of EUR 
181.5  million  was  committed  from  2000  to  2006.  Total  ERDF  payments  by  the 
Commission  between  2000  and  2009  amounted  to  EUR  172.4  million  representing 
95% of commitments, the maximum percentage possible prior to closure. In January 
2010,  the  Austrian  authorities  submitted  the  closure  documents  (final  report, 
winding-up  declaration  and  final  payment  claim)  for  this  programme,  and  the 
Commission prepared the final payment (EUR 9.1 million) thereafter which was paid 
in January 2011. The final report included the 2008 annual implementation report as 
a  separate  chapter  which  was  consequently  assessed  and  accepted  as  part  of  the 
closure procedure. 

No further meetings of the monitoring committee took place after its last meeting in 
June 2006, and any further consultations of the committee (inter alia, on the closure 
documents) were carried out by way of written procedure. 

As regards the EAGGF-Guidance Section, the final payment of EUR 2 148 218 was 
made  by  the  Commission  for  the  Objective  1  priority  for  Burgenland.  The  total 
amount paid and committed for the 2000-2006 period amounted to EUR 43 684 352. 

In  the  period  2000-2006,  a  total  of  EUR  57.4  million  was  committed  and 
EUR 54.5 million  was  paid  by 
total 
ESF contribution). The closure documents were received in due time 

the  Commission  (i.e.  95.0 %  of 

the 

The total FIFG allocation for Burgenland amounts finally to EUR 0.2 million and the 
total  payment  rate  from  the  Commission  reached  77.6  %  of  the  total  final  FIFG 
allocation.  The  programme  resulted  in  assistance  to  15  Projects.  All  assistance  was 
given under measure 3.2 (Aquaculture), in particular to increase the profitability of 
the fisheries sector in Burgenland, with an improved processing and marketing. The 
closure documents were sent by 8 March 2010. The assessment of the documents is 
in the final stage of assessment.  

18.2.  Objective 2 

The  eight  Austrian  Objective  2  regions  (Upper  Austria,  Lower  Austria,  Styria, 
Carinthia,  Salzburg,  Tyrol,  Vorarlberg  and  Vienna)  have  been  allocated  to  the  an 
ERDF contribution of EUR 703.7 million which was committed between 2001 and 
2006, and received the according ERDF contribution before end of 2009.  

In  2010  the  Commission  reimbursed  only  a  small  amount  EUR  0.86  million 
representing 0.12% of the total ERDF contribution for one programme (Vorarlberg), 

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and closed the programme for Vienna by a recovery of EUR 0.82 million. In total, 
the Commission reimbursed EUR 686.1 million (including final payments) between 
2000 and 2010, which is equivalent to 97.5% of ERDF contributions allocated to the 
Austrian  Objective  2  programmes.  The  remainder  is  partly  due  to  de-commitments 
undertaken  by  the  Commission,  and/or  under-utilisation  of  programmes  taken 
account of at closure. 

The  closure  documents  for  all  programmes  were  formally  submitted  to  the 
Commission  between  September  2009  and  March  2010,  and  included  the  2008 
annual implementation reports as part of each final report.  

No  monitoring  committee  meetings  took  place  in  2010  but  all  necessary  decisions 
(inter alia, on closure documents) were carried out by written procedure.  

At  the  annual  meeting  on  16  November  2010  in  Bregenz,  the  state  of  play  of  the 
closure  of  all  programmes  was  discussed.  Before  the  end  of  the  year  2010  six  of 
eight  programmes  (Lower  Austria,  Tyrol,  Carinthia,  Salzburg,  Vienna  and 
Vorarlberg)  were  fully  closed,  and  closure  of  the  remaining  two  programmes  was 
under preparation 

In  the  period  2000-2006,  a  total  of  EUR  27.5  million  was  committed  and  EUR 26 
million was paid (i.e. 95.0 % of the total ESF contribution). The closure documents 
were  received  in  due  time.The  final  closure  payment  for  Carinthia  (146.915,34  €) 
and Styria (467.676,02 €) were  executed at the end of 2010 

18.3.  Objective 3 

The closure documents for the objective 3 programme were received in due time 

18.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The total FIFG allocation amounts to EUR 4.5 million. The total payment rate from 
the Commission reached 93.9 % of the total FIFG allocation. (EUR 4.2 million out of 
EUR 4.5  million).  There  have  been  no  decommitments.  There  were  two  priority 
axes,  ‘Aquatic  resources,  aquaculture,  fishing  ports,  processing  and  marketing, 
inland fisheries’ and ‘Other measures’. The closure letter was sent on 2 August 2010 
to the Austrian Permanent Representation. 

18.5.  Community Initiatives  

18.5.1.  Urban 

There  were  two  URBAN  II  programmes  for  Austria.  The  programme  for  Vienna 
received  EUR  3.5  million  and  the  one  for  Graz  EUR  4.0  million  from  the  ERDF. 
The total budget (including national co-financing) for Vienna was EUR 12.9 million 
and for Graz EUR 23.1 million. For both programmes, the final reports including the 
annual reports for 2008 were submitted in November 2009. Both programmes were 
fully closed in July 2010. 

18.5.2.  Equal 

The closure documents were received in due time 

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18.5.3.  Leader 

The  Leader+  programme  for  Austria  was  approved  by  Commission  Decision 
C(2001)  820  of  26  March  2001  and  amended  by  Decision  C(2006)  4830  of  6 
December  2006.  The  Austrian  Leader+  programme  covered  8  regions  of  Austria, 
excluding the urban area of Vienna. 

The total EAGGF amount paid for the Leader+ programme amounted to EUR 74 879 
475.53  for  the  whole  period,  including  the  final  payment  in  2010  of  EUR  1  887 
865.53. An amount of EUR 1 953 798.47 was decommitted in 2010.  

During the programming period 2001-2006, total expenditure under the programme 
was  initially  foreseen  to  be  EUR  164.30  million,  including  an  EU  contribution  of 
EUR 76.80 million. In practice, total expenditure amounted to EUR 184 162 554.35, 
comprising an EAGGF contribution of EUR 74.8 million, national funds (including 
national  public  expenditure)  of  around  EUR  29  346  951  and  private  financing  of 
some EUR 79 936 127.  

18.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

All programmes are closed 

All Austrian Programmes could be fully closed in 2010 after the final decisions about 
the last open cases 

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19. 

POLAND 

2000-2006 programming period 

19.1.  Objective 1 

In  2004-2006,  Poland  received  EUR  12.47  billion  (EUR  8.27  billion  Structural 
Funds and EUR 4.2 billion Cohesion Fund). At the end of 2010, payments for ERDF, 
ESF, FIFG and EAGGF taken together accounted for 94.84% of the total allocation 
for 2004-2006 or 7.97 billion EUR. Only final payments were still to be executed. 

For ERDF 95% of allocation (4.72 billion EUR) has been paid, which means that no 
final  payment  for  ERDF  programmes  was  made  in  2010.  As  the  final  date  of 
eligibility  for  all  operational  programmes,  except  for  the  OP  Technical  Assistance 
and  CIP  EQUAL,  was  extended  up  to  30  June  2009,  the  closure  documents  were 
submitted  in  September-October  2010.  Until  the  end  of  December  2010  the 
assessment  of  closure  documentation  for  SOP  Improvement  of  the  competitiveness 
of the economy, Integrated regional operational programme and SOP Transport was 
ongoing  and  resulted  in  an  interruption  of  the  process  in  February  2011  due  to 
questions  related  to  the  final  report  and  winding  up  declaration.  In  the  case  of  OP 
Technical  assistance  the  closure  letter  proposing  a  small  financial  correction  was 
sent. The assessment of closure documentation for ESF programmes was interrupted 
in  the  beginning  of  2011  due  to  questions  related  to  closure  documents.  Pending 
assessment  of  additional  documents  and  clarifications  received  from  Poland,  CIP 
EQUAL  will  be  closed  by  mid-2011  and  remaining  programmes  -  by  the  third 
quarter of 2011 at the latest. 

For ESF the final date of eligibility of the Sectoral Operational Programme Human 
Resources  Development  and  Integrated  Regional  Operational  Programme  (IROP) 
was extended to 30 June 2009. As far as financial execution of the ESF is concerned, 
the overall rate of execution in terms of payments reached the level of 95 % and, in 
terms of contracts, – exceeded 100% of the allocation at the end of 2009..  

The  Sectoral  Operational  Programme  Human  Resources  Development  and  CIP 
EQUAL demonstrated satisfactory progress in implementation throughout the whole 
programming period. However, the Human Resources Development OP was affected 
by  corrective  measures  which  will  impact  on  the  final  payment.  As  far  as  the 
Integrated Regional Operational Programme (the ESF priority) is concerned, despite 
the  slower  pace  of  implementation  in  some  regions  the  risk  of  underspending  was 
successfully addressed. In 2010, the final Monitoring Committees took place, where 
consolidated  results  of  implementation  were  presented  and  discussed.  The  ex-post 
evaluation  of  ESF  programmes  was  finalised  and  fed  into  the  discussion  on  the 
current ESF OP (2007-2013).  

As  far  as  other  funds  are  concerned,  payments  for  the  EAGGF  programme  also 
reached 95.0 %. 98 % of the FIFG allocation was paid out to final beneficiaries. The 
payments for the FIFG executed by the Commission accounted for 88.1 % of the total 
FIFG allocation.  

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4.124  projects  were  implemented  in  the  framework  of  the  Sectoral  Operational 
Programme  "Fisheries  and  Fish  Processing  2004-2006".  The  most  important 
measures  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  budget  spent  were:  scrapping  of  fishing 
vessels, support to fish processing and market, fishing port facilities and aquaculture.  

The closure documents were received by the Commission on 30 June 2010 and their 
evaluation is ongoing. 

Structural  Funds  became  one  of  the  main  pro-development  sources  of  financing 
(in 2007, 35 % of overall public spending). The main impact of the cohesion policy is 
expected  after  2012,  as  a  result  of  higher  allocations  of  funds  in  the  period  2007-
2013 and expected accumulation of outputs after 2012. 

The  ex-post  evaluations  of  Cohesion  Policy  implemented  in  Poland  in  2004-2009 
and  the  final  implementation  reports  of  the  operational  programmes  allow  to  draw 
the  conclusion  that  EU  funds  played  a  positive  role  in  the  socio-economic 
development of the country. Positive effects of interventions may be observed both at 
macro-economic level and at microeconomic level under respective strategic areas of 
support.  

Macroeconomic impact 

Cohesion  Policy  contributed  to  the  increase  of  socio-economic  welfare  of  Poland. 
Evaluations  show  that  GDP  level  (in  current  prices)  in  the  2004-2009  period  was 
higher  by  3%  on  average  in  2009  due  to  EU  funds.  Due  to  implementation  of 
Cohesion  Policy,  the  yearly  average  pace  of  GDP  increase  in  Poland  in  the  2004-
2009  period  was  higher  by  0.4  percentage  point.  In  2009,  in  the  period  of  world 
economic  crisis,  Poland  was  the  only  EU  Member  State  to  experience  a  GDP 
increase  (+1.7%).  It  is  estimated  that  half  of  this  increase  resulted  from  the 
implementation of Cohesion Policy. 

The labour market interventions within Cohesion Policy contributed to the reduction 
of unemployment and increase of employment in Poland. In 2009 an increase in the 
employment  ratio  reached  due  to  the  interventions  financed  by  Structural  Funds 
ranged  from  0.5  to  as  much  as  2.6  percentage  points,  i.e.  the  average  circa  200 
thousand  new  jobs.  By  stimulating  new  employment,  the  policy  contributed  to  the 
decrease of the unemployment level. In 2009, the unemployment level was lower by 
over 1 percentage point due to the EU funds.  

Evaluations demonstrate that support provided under Cohesion Policy contributed to 
the  increase  of  competitiveness  and  innovation  of  Polish  enterprises  and  economy. 
Structural funds interventions contributed to the increase of spending on research and 
development  in  the  economy,  both  in  public  and  private  sectors  (without  Cohesion 
Policy support, the share of R&D expenditure in GDP would decrease). In particular, 
an increase of innovation expenditure of enterprises as compared to 2003 was circa 6 
percentage points higher than in a scenario without EU funds.  

Cohesion  Policy  decreased  the  pace  of  inter-regional  divergence  processes.  In 
addition, as compared to the GDP level and the level of competitiveness of regions, 
Cohesion  Policy  played  a  more  important  role  in  speeding  up  the  development 
processes in regions with a lower level of development.  

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19.2.  Community Initiatives 

19.2.1.  Equal 

The  eligibility  period  for  EQUAL,  until  30  April  2009,  was  not  extended.  In 
financial  terms  the  level  of  expenditure  declared  to  the  Commission  represented 
102 % of the total ESF allocation by the end of 2009.  

CIP  EQUAL  principles,  e.g.  partnership,  gender  mainstreaming,  transnational 
cooperation  and  innovation  have  been  successfully  transferred  to  the  new 
programming period 2007-2013. 

The  last  Monitoring  Committee  Meeting  for  CIP  EQUAL  took  place  in  2010, 
approving the final implementation report. .  

Closure documents were submitted on time. While Poland had to provide additional 
intormaiton on the winding-up declaration, the implementation report was considered 
satisfactory. The final stage of the closure procedure is on-going. 

19.2.2.  Leader 

As  with  other  recently  acceded  Member  States,  a  Leader+  type  measure  is 
mainstreamed 
the  EAGGF  Objective  1  programme  ‘Restructuring  and 
modernisation of the agri-food sector and rural development’. 

in 

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20. 

PORTUGAL 

2000-2006 programming period 

20.1.  Objective 1 

The  Portuguese  Community  Support  Framework  III  (2000-2006) received  financial 
support under Objective 1 (with Lisbon and the Tejo valley region as a phasing out 
region) and consisted of twenty operational  programmes.  Out  of  the  20  operational 
programmes, seven covered each of the Portuguese regions individually and thirteen 
were cross-regional.  

For operations included in the CSF III, as part of the response to the financial crisis, 
an  extension  of  the  expenditure  eligibility  date  to  30  June  2009  was  agreed  for  all 
operational programmes. 

During  the  year  2010  there  was  no  implementation  activity  just  administrative  in 
order  to  prepare  the  final  reports,  as  well  as  the  2008  and  2009  annual 
implementation  reports,  the  final  expenditure  certification  and  the  winding-up 
declarations from the audit authority. 

The final Monitoring Committee meetings were held during the first quarter of 2010 
(exception  of  one  OP  "Administração  Pública"  held  in  December  2009),  where  the 
overall  execution  of  each  programme  was  discussed  and  the  final  reports  were 
approved, as well as the two specific sections, for 2008 and 2009, as annual activity 
reports for those years. In few cases the consultation of the monitoring committees 
took  the  form  of  written  procedure.  Considered  not  to  have  any  useful  purpose,  no 
annual  meetings  under  article  34.2  of  the  regulation  1260/1999  were  organised  in 
2010.  

Initiative  Programmes 

All  the  Portuguese  CSF  III  2000-2006  operational  programmes,  and  the  three 
URBAN  Community 
their 
implementation  period  and  the  execution  of  the  ERDF  2000-2006  programming 
period  is  globally  satisfactory  in  financial  and  physical  terms  being  the  rate  of 
execution  above  100%  (109%)  with  some  overbooking  in  most  of  the  operational 
programmes  which  allowed  for  substitution  of  potential  irregular  expenditure  by 
other  regular  expenditure.  This  was  the case  of  the  PRIME  operational  programme 
showing 128% execution rate. 

in  Portugal,  completed 

No financial transactions were carried out in 2010, for most of the programmes the 
ceiling  of  95%  of  interim  payments  with  the  advance  was  reached  in  2009  so  no 
further intermediate payment claims were submitted by the Member State. 

All the closure documents were submitted within the deadline (30th September 2010), 
the  final  reports  were  submitted  first,  as  they  were  approved  by  the  monitoring 
committees  and  the  balance  payment  claims,  with  the  final  certification  of 
expenditure  and  the  winding-up  declarations,  were  submitted  close  to  the  deadline 
but all in time according to the sending date. 

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No  automatic  decommitment  procedures  were  initiated,  as  the  ‘n+2’  threshold  will 
be calculated at programme closure. 

Several  programmes  are  affected  by  irregularities  reported  by  the  Member  State  to 
OLAF (in application of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1681/94). In the run-up to 
closure of the programmes, initial arbitration made it possible to propose the closure 
of a number of cases to OLAF. 

There  were  no  financial  transactions  in  2010  as  the  seventeen  operational 
programmes  co-financed  by  the  ESF  reached  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  in  2009.  A 
total  amount  of  4.545  mio  EUR  was  paid  out  of  4.748  mio  EUR  ESF  total 
allocation.. 

As  far  as  the  FIFG  is  concerned,  at  the  end  of  2010  reimbursements  amounted  to 
EUR 221 million out of EUR 237 million, corresponding to 93.5 % of the total FIFG 
appropriations  to  the  eight  operational  programmes.  With  the  extension  to  30  June 
2009  of  the  eligibility  deadline  for  the  height  multi-funds  programmes,  the  final 
execution is between 98 and 100% according the operational programme concerned. 

As for the EAGGF Guidance Section, at the end of 2009 two out of nine programmes 
did not reach the 95.0 payment limit (according to Article 32(3) of Regulation (EC) 
No  1260/1999).  The  Norte  programme  (1999PT161PO017)  reached  the  payment 
limit in 2010 by submitting a last interim payment application, while while no more 
the  Technical Assistance  programme 
applications  were 
(2000PT161PO001)  whose  execution  rate  reached  only  42.1 %.  The  27  closure 
documents  were  submitted  on  time  (30  September  2010).  Check  of  the  documents 
started in the last quarter of 2010. 

received 

the 

for 

Three  recovery  orders  have  been  established  for  a  total  of  EUR  17.8  million.  The 
Norte, Centro and Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural programmes are touched by 
these financial corrections resulting from Commission audit missions. 

20.2.  Community Initiatives 

20.2.1.  Equal 

The  95.0 %  payment  limit  of  the  programme  budget  was  reached  in  2009,  so  no 
financial  transaction  was  carried  out  in  2010.  An  amount  of  EUR110  million  was 
reimbursed. out of EUR115,8 million toal allocation.. 

No monitoring committee meetings were organised in 2009. 

The  managing  authority  continued  its  efforts  to  mainstream  EQUAL  best  practice 
and  took  advantage  of  the  extended  eligibility  period  to  make  full  use  of  the 
allocations available. 

Efforts  were  also  made  to  transfer  knowledge,  mainly  by  promoting  the  use  of 
EQUAL innovation solutions by training operators (especially in the field of social 
development contracts and difficult areas).  

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20.2.2.  Leader 

By  the  end  of  2008,  the  LEADER+  programme  had  already  reached  the  95.0 % 
payment limit. 

The  closure  documents  for  the  programme  have  been  submitted  on  time 
(30 September 2010) and their check started in the last quarter of 2010. 

No automatic decommitment procedure was initiated, as the ‘n+2’ threshold will be 
calculated at programme closure. 

The  programme  is  affected  by  a  small  number  of  irregularities  reported  by  the 
to  OLAF  (in  application  of  Commission  Regulation  (EC) 
Member  State 
No 1681/94). In the run-up to closure of the programmes, initial arbitration made it 
possible to propose the closure of four cases to OLAF. 

20.2.3.  Urban 

these  programmes 

There  are  three  URBAN  II  Programmes  in  Portugal:  Amadora,  Lisboa  and  Porto-
Gondomar.  Overall, 
tackle  serious  socio-economic  and 
environment  problems  in  inner-city  areas.  The  managing  authorities  for  the 
programmes  are  at  regional  level,  whereas  the  beneficiaries  are  different  bodies  of 
the  corresponding  municipalities  and  local  public  enterprises.  As  it  has  been 
indicated for the Objective 1 interventions, the Monitoring Committees of the three 
Programmes approved at the end of 2009 a request for extending the payments end 
date, which was approved by a global Commission  Decision in March 2010 for all 
the  Portuguese  interventions.  The  Monitoring  Committee  met  in  January  2010  and 
approved the related final implementation reports. 

20.3.  Closure of 1994-1999 programming period 

The closure is now complete for the 1994-1999 programming period for CSF II with 
a  recovery  of  18.5  M€  on  Operational  Programme  "Modernização  do  Tecido 
Económico" related to irregular expenditure. 

4  cases  reported  by  the  Member  State  to  OLAF  (in  application  of  Commission 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1681/94)  were  still  open  in  2010  and  were  closed  in  the 
meantime in the database. 

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21. 

SLOVAKIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

Slovakia  received  a  total  EU  contribution  of  over  EUR  1  137  million  for  the 
programming  period  2004-2006  under  the  CSF  (i.e.  funding  from  the  ERDF,  ESF, 
EAGGF and FIFG). This is split into three mono-fund operational programmes (two 
ERDF and one ESF) and one operational programme funded from the EAGGF and 
the FIFG respectively, as described below. There are also Objective 2 and Objective 
3 single programming documents for the Bratislava Region 

21.1.  Objective 1 

OP Basic Infrastructure 

The programme benefitted from the extension of the eligibility period until 30 June 
2009.  In  2010,  the  monitoring  committee  approved  the  final  implementation  report 
via written procedure. The closure documents (final report, winding-up declaration, 
final  payment  claim)  were  formally  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  September 
2010.  The  analysis  of  the  closure  documents  by  the  Commission  Services  had  not 
been fully completed by the end of 2010; the closure process has been interrupted. In 
total,  EUR  401.2  million  had  already  been  paid  out  up  to  the  end  of  2008, 
representing  95.0  %  of  overall  commitments.  Therefore,  in  2009,  only  clearing  of 
pre-financing took place. There were no payments and no clearing of pre-financing in 
2010.  No  ‘n+2’  decommitments  were  carried  out  during 
the  period  of 
implementation.  There  is  an  agreed  5.0  %  flat-rate  financial  correction  for  this 
programme  resulting  from  deficiencies  in  public  procurement  procedures.  About  1130 
projects  (excluding  technical  assistance)  were  financed  under  the  operational 
programme,  including  large  environmental  projects,  road  and  railway  projects, 
schools,  hospitals,  social  care  facilities,  cultural  facilities,  information  technology 
projects and regeneration of settlements. 

OP Industry & Services 

The programme benefitted from the extension of the eligibility period until 30 June 
2009.  In  2010,  the  monitoring  committee  approved  the  final  implementation  report 
via written procedure. The closure documents (final report, winding-up declaration, 
final  payment  claim)  were  formally  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  September 
2010.  The  analysis  of  the  closure  documents  by  the  Commission  Services  had  not 
been fully completed by the end of 2010; the closure process has been interrupted. By 
the end of 2008, EUR 140.7 million had already been paid, representing 93.1 % of 
the  overall  commitment.  There  were  no  payments  and  no  clearing  of  pre-financing  in 
2010.  There  is  an  agreed  10  %  flat-rate  financial  correction  for  this  programme 
resulting  from  deficiencies  in  public  procurement  procedures.  About  480  projects 
(excluding  technical  assistance)  were  supported  under  the  operational  programme, 
including  investments  in  private  companies  and  public  infrastructure  to  support 
innovation,  business  incubators,  industrial  parks,  research  and  development,  energy 
efficiency and tourism 

The Agriculture and Rural Development OP  

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The  programme  benefited  from  the extension of the eligibility  period until  30  June 
2009. In terms of financial resources, the programme accounts for 16 % of funds for 
programming  period  2004  –  2006  under  the  CSF,  with  a  contribution  from  the 
EAGGF  Guidance  section  of  EUR  181  million.  The  main  intervention  areas  were 
investments  in  agricultural  and  processing  holdings  and  support  for  promoting 
adaptation  and  development  of  rural  areas.  In  2010,  two  consultations  by  written 
procedure  were  held  within  the  Monitoring  Committee  on  the  final  report  of  the 
programme.  No  amount  was  paid  out  by  the  Commission  as  95.0 %  of  the  total 
programmed  amount  had  been  reached  by  the  end  of  June  2008.  All  closure 
documents were submitted to the Commission in due time, by the end of September 
2010.  

The  level  of  contracting  was  104 %  from  the  FIFG  contribution  to  the  operational 
programme  and  the  FIFG  funding  was  mainly  used  in  aquaculture  (52  %)  and 
processing & marketing (44 %). The Commission made the last interim payment in 
2008, reaching the 95.0 % payment limit. All projects were completed by the end of 
2008.  Slovakia  requested  an  extension  until  30  June  2009  of  the  final  date  for 
eligibility of expenditure under the Agriculture and Rural Development Operational 
Programme. SK has used 100 % of its FIFG allocation (1,9 M€) for 20 operations. 
The  closure  letter  was  sent  on  31/03/2011  and  the  final  balance  was  paid  out  on 
19/04/2011. 

The ESF Human Resources OP benefitted from the extension of the eligibility period 
until  30  June  2009.  There  was  no  monitoring  committee  meeting  in  2009;  the  last 
one  took  place  in  2010.  The  Commission  did  not  process  any  payments  in  2010.  In 
total  (advance  and  interim  payments)  EUR  270.2  million  was  paid  to  the  Paying 
Authority,  representing  95.0 %  of  the  total  2004-2006  allocation.  Decommitments 
under  the  ‘n+2’  rule  did  not  take  place  for  this  programme.  The  projects  financed 
included active labour market policy development, improving the qualifications and 
adaptability of employees and job seekers, and increasing social inclusion and equal 
opportunities  in  the  labour  market.  The  closure  documents  were  received  on  6 
October 2010 and the analysis of the documents is on-going. 

21.2.  Objective 2 

SPD 2 programme Bratislava 

The programme benefitted from the extension of the eligibility period until 30 June 
2009.  In  2010,  the  monitoring  committee  approved  the  final  implementation  report 
via written procedure. The closure documents (final report, winding-up declaration, 
final  payment  claim)  were  formally  submitted  to  the  Commission  in  September 
2010.  The  analysis  of  the  closure  documents  by  the  Commission  Services  had  not 
been fully completed by the end of 2010; the closure process has been interrupted. In 
total, EUR 35.2 million had already been paid out up to the end of 2008, of which 
EUR  14.1  million  was  paid  in  2008.  This  amounts  to  95.0  %  of  overall 
commitments.  Therefore,  in  2009  only  clearing  of  pre-financing  took  place  under. 
There were no payments and no clearing of pre-financing in 2010. A decommitment 
under the ‘n+2’ rule took place in relation to the 2004 annual commitment. There is 
an agreed 5.0 % flat-rate financial correction for this OP resulting from deficiencies in 
public procurement. About 260 projects (excluding technical assistance) were financed 

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under  the  SPD,  including  investments  in  SMEs,  public  infrastructure  in  support  of 
entrepreneurs, tourism and regeneration of settlements. 

21.3.  Objective 3 

SPD 3 programme Bratislava 

The  programme  benefitted  from  the  extension  of  the  eligibility  period  until 
30 June 2009.  SPD  held  no  monitoring  committee  meetings  in  2009;  the  last  one 
took place in 2010. The Commission  did  not  process  any  payments in 2010. In total 
(advance and interim payments), EUR 35.3 million was paid to the Paying Authority, 
representing  95.0 %  of  the  total  2004-2006  allocation.  Decommitment  under  the 
‘n+2’ rule took place in relation to the 2004 and 2005 annual commitment. Projects 
financed  included  demand-driven  and  national  projects  for  active  labour  market 
policy development, life-long learning development and support to R&D.The closure 
documents were received on 5 October 2010 (the analysis of the documents is in progress). 

21.4.  Community Initiatives  

21.4.1.  Equal 

The  eligibility  period  was  extended  until  30 June 2009.  There  were  no  monitoring 
committee meetings in 2009; the last one took place in 2010. The Commission did not 
process  any  payments  in  2010.  In  total  (advance  and  interim  payments),  EUR  21.1 
million was paid to the Paying Authority, representing 95.0 % of the total 2004-2006 
allocation.  Decommitment  under  the  ‘n+2’  rule  did  not  take  place  in  relation  to 
EQUAL. The closure documents were received on 5 October 2010 and the analysis of the 
documents is on-going. 

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22. 

SLOVENIA 

2000-2006 programming period 

22.1.  Objective 1 

During  2010  the  national  authorities  concentrated  on  the  closure  of  the  programme 
and funds. In line with the extension of the final date for eligibility of expenditure for 
the Slovene Single programming Document (SPD) 2004-2006 by six months until 30 
June  2009,  the  Commission  received  the  complete  closure  documents  on  30 
September 2010, and the final report was considered admissible by all Commission 
services  involved.  The  assessment  of  the  final  report  and  other  closure  documents 
was completed only in 2011.  

The ERDF interventions were to a large extent Lisbon-oriented and focussed on key 
areas  such  as  improving  the  business  environment  for  entrepreneurship,  enhancing 
public economic infrastructure and related public services necessary for investment, 
transfer  of  knowledge  and  the  promotion  of  entrepreneurship  as  well  as  fostering 
innovation  and  research.  A  preliminary  analysis  of  the  final  report  for  the  ERDF 
interventions showed that the majority of target values of the indicators fixed for the 
programme  were  achieved  or  exceeded.  Over  7,900  jobs  were  created,  and  nine 
centres  of  excellence,  15  business  zones  across  Slovenia  and  over  5,900  small  and 
medium-sized  enterprises  received  support.  The  impact  of  the  ERDF  was  overall 
positive with a clear added value at macro economic level and, for instance, in terms 
of  initiating  research  and  development  networks  and  organisational  structures 
(technology centres/parks, clusters). The main portion of ERDF funds was invested 
in  the  Eastern  and  South-Eastern  parts  of  Slovenia  thus  contributing  to  reduce  the 
development disparities within the country. 

The cumulative amount of ERDF payments made by the Commission until the end of 
2010 (incl. advance payments) amounted to EUR 129.7 million equivalent to 95% of 
the  total  allocation  to  the  programme.  No  automatic  de-commitments  under  the 
“n+2”  rule  had  to  be  made  during  its  implementation,  and  it  is  expected  that  after 
assessment of the closure documents, the ERDF allocation will be fully absorbed. 

As the final date for eligibility of expenditure was set on 30 June 2009, no meeting of 
the Monitoring Committee took place in 2010, yet the committee was duly consulted 
on the closure of the programme and endorsed the final report by written procedure.  

The annual reports for 2008 and the first semester of 2009 were included in the final 
report  submitted  on  30  September  2010  and  were  declared  admissible,  though  its 
assessment was continued in 2011. No annual meeting took place in 2010. 

The  Slovene  SPD  2004-2006  contains  a  specific  priority  for  technical  assistance 
which  was  destined  to  ensure  financial  support  from  the  ERDF  and  the  ESF  for 
effective  implementation  of  the  development  strategy.  This  included  activities  to 
facilitate  the  management,  follow-up,  control,  monitoring  and  evaluation  of  the 
programme. 

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The  eligibility  period  was  extended  until  30 June 2009.  The  payments  for  the  ESF 
share  of  the  programme  reached  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  (including  advance 
payments)  before  the  beginning  of  2009.  All  closure  documents  were  submitted  to 
the  Commission  in  due  time  by  the  end  of  September  2010.  The  expected  level  of 
reimbursement at closure is 98.6%. 

As  regards  financial  execution  of  the  EAGGF-Guidance  section,  the  Slovenian 
Objective 1 programme already reached the 95.0 % payment limit for the 2004-2006 
period  in  2008,  amounting  to  total  payments  of  EUR 22.4  million.  Therefore  no 
payments were made in 2010. 

The total FIFG allocation within the SPD for structural assistance in Slovenia under 
Objective  1  (2004-2006)  amounts  to  EUR  1.8  million,  of  which  an  amount  of 
EUR 1.5 million was certified before the end of 2008. Legally binding commitments 
were  reported  to  have  covered  the  whole  FIFG  allocation.  The  payment  limit  of 
95.0 %  was  reached;  payments  to  the  Member  State  amounted  to  EUR 1.7  million. 
The  latest  statement  of  expenditure  showed  EUR  1.9  million  spent  for  the 
Community  share,  which  is  an  ‘overbooking’  in  case  some  of  the  expenditure  is 
found not to be eligible at closure. 

In  fact  EUR  0.4  million,  or  possibly  more,  risks  having  to  be  recovered  and 
decommitted at closure due to the sale of the company to which the aid was granted, 
the largest beneficiary of FIFG aid under the Slovenian SPD. 

The aforementioned risk could be averted by explanations given at Closure, and the 
remaining  5%  of  the  budget  were  prepared  still  in  2010  for  payment  of  the  final 
balance thsu bringing the execution rate of the Slovenian FIFG budget to 100%. 

22.2.  Community Initiatives  

22.2.1.  Equal 

The closure documents were submitted to the Commission within the deadline, on 31 
March  2010.  The  programme  was  closed  in  March  2011  with  a  recovery  in  the 
amount of 1 million EUR. The reimbursement rate at the end of the programme was 
70%.  

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23. 

FINLAND 

2000-2006 programming period 

For  the  2000-2006  period,  Finland  was  allocated  EUR  2 124  million  from  the 
Structural  Funds,  of  which  approximately  60.0 %  ERDF,  26.0 %  ESF, 
13.5 % EAGGF  and  0.5 %  FIFG.  The  funds  were  allocated  to  two  Objective  1 
programmes,  three  Objective  2  programmes,  two  Objective  3  programmes, 
one FIFG programme,  nine  IINTERREG  programmes,  one  URBAN  programme, 
one LEADER programme and one EQUAL Community Initiative programme. 

23.1.  Objective 1 

The Northern and Eastern Finland Objective 1 programmes did not have any ongoing 
activity in 2010. At the national level, EU funds were fully committed to projects and 
approximately 100.0 % of  EU  funding  was  paid  to  final  beneficiaries.  At  the 
Commission  level,  100.0 % of  the  programme  funds  were  committed  by  the  end  of 
2007  and  95.0 %  of  programme  funds  had  been  paid  to  Finland,  including  advance 
payments. No ‘n+2’ decommitments were made for any of the programmes.  

No monitoring committee meetings were organised for the two programmes in 2010. 

The  quantitative  and  horizontal  objectives  set  for  the  programmes  were  achieved. 
The  programmes  helped  to  create  nearly  40 000  jobs  and  8 300 enterprises.  Over 
250 000  people  participated 
the  programmes 
strengthened the role of regions, fostered regional identity and responsibility for local 
development,  improved  multi-annual  strategic  planning,  and  promoted  partnership 
and  cooperation  between  the  different  levels  of  public  administration  and  other 
stakeholders. New methods and models were created in the field of employment and 
education and training policies 

in  ESF measures.  In addition, 

At the closure of the programmes, an amount of EUR 129.3 million or 99.9 % of the 
total  EAGGF  for  the  programme  was  paid  out  for  the  Eastern  Finland  programme, 
EUR 0.121 million was decommitted at the closure.  

For  Northern  Finland  programme  EUR  69.9  million  was  paid  out  at  the  closure, 
corresponding to 96.9% of the total EAGGF financing for the programme. EUR 2.3 
million was decommitted at the closure. 

The Northern and Eastern Finland Objective 1 programmes did not have any activity 
in  2010.  EU  funds  were  fully  committed  to  projects  and  approximately 100.0 % of 
EU  funding  was  paid  to  final  beneficiaries.  95.0 %  of  programme  funds  had  been 
paid to Finland, including advance payments. No ‘n+2’ decommitments were made 
for  any  of  the  programmes.  In  both  programmes  support  was  allocated  mainly  to 
inland fishing measures including ice-fishing, followed by processing and marketing 
measures.  The  closure  documentation  was  submitted  on  25th  June  2010  for  the 
Eastern  program  and  on  30th  June  2010  for  the  Northern  program.  The  analysis  is 
ongoing. 

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23.2.  Objective 2 

The  three  Finnish  Objective  2  programmes  for  Southern  Finland,  Western Finland 
and the Åland Islands did not have any ongoing activity in 2010. At national level, 
over  100.0 %  of  EU  funds  were  committed  to  projects  and  100.0 %  of  EU  funding 
was  paid  to  final  beneficiaries  in  Southern  and  Western  Finland,  and,  for  the 
Åland Islands,  the  funds  are  virtually  fully  committed  and  payment  levels  about 
93.0 %. At Commission level, 100.0 % of the programme funds had been committed 
by the end of 2008 and 95.0 % of programme funds paid to the national authorities, 
including advance payments. The programmes had no ‘n+2’ decommitments.  

The Southern and Western Finland programmes helped to create nearly 40 000 jobs 
and  over  7 500  enterprises.  Over  180 000  people  participated  in ESF  measures.  The 
horizontal targets for equality, environmental sustainability and information society 
were  reached,  apart  from  gender  equality  projects  in Southern  Finland,  where  only 
50.0 %  of  the  target  was  met.  Due  to  very  ambitious  target  setting,  the  target  for 
creating  new  enterprises  will  only  be  partly  met:  50.0 %  for  Western  Finland  and 
57.0 %  for  Southern  Finland.  The  Åland  Islands  Objective  2  programme  helped  to 
create around 200 new jobs and 30 new enterprises. 

No  monitoring  committee  meetings  were  organised  for  the  Finnish  Objective  2 
programmes in 2010.  

Extension of 2000-2006 programming period 

Because  of  the  global  financial  crisis,  the  Commission  decided  to  give  the 
Member States  more  time  to  finalise  the  programming  period  2000-2006.  Finland 
applied  to  extend  the  programming  period  until  30  June  2009.  The  remaining 
resources  (approximately  EUR  38.5  million)  were  budgeted  again  and  there  were 
about 160 new projects. 

23.3.  Objective 3 

Budgeted  ESF  funding  for  Finland’s  Objective  3  programmes,  including  the 
Åland Islands, totalled EUR 436.6 million. Finland applied for the eligibility period 
for the Mainland programme to be extended until 30 June 2009. By the end of 2009, 
the payment limit of 95.0 % was reached for the mainland programme. No extension 
was  requested  for  the  Åland  programme,  which  reached  88.8 %  level  of  payments. 
About  540 000  people  in  total  participated  in  the  activities  funded  by  Objective  3 
programmes.  The  Mainland  programme  helped  to  create  9 114  new  enterprises  and 
21 040 new jobs.  

The  monitoring  committee  for  the  mainland  Finland  programme  met  on  15  April 
2010 to adopt the final report. The annual review meeting was held in Helsinki on 11 
March  2010.  The  issue  relevant  to  the  Objective  3  programme  was  the  progress  of 
the closure process and expected delivery of the final report. The closure documents 
for  the  Mainland  programme  were  submitted  in  June  2010.  Those  for  the 
Åland Islands programme were submitted in March 2010 

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23.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The programme did not have any activity in 2010. EU funds were fully committed to 
projects  and  approximately 100.0 % of  EU  funding  was  paid  to  final  beneficiaries. 
95.0 % of programme funds had been paid to Finland, including advance payments. 
Support was mainly given to processing and marketing measures followed by fishing 
port  facilities  and  collective  actions.  No  ‘n+2’  decommitments  were  made  for  the 
program.  The  closure  documentation  was  received  on  1  October  2010.  Analysis  is 
ongoing. 

23.5.  Community Initiatives  

23.5.1.  Equal 

Finland had decided to run down the EQUAL programme according to the original 
schedule,  and  no  prolongation  of  the  eligibility  period  was  requested.  Thus  there 
were  no  operations  running  in  2010.  The  final  payment  level  was  estimated  to  be 
94.0 %. Finland submitted the closure documents in March 2010Leader 

In 2001, the Commission approved a Leader+ programme for Finland. Twenty-five 
Local Action Groups (LAGs) were selected and are supported by a national network. 

At the closure of the programme, an amount of EUR 51.3 million or 91.0 % of the 
total EAGGF funding was paid out, while EUR 5.0 million were decommitted.  

Overall,  the  Leader+  programme  has  reached  or  exceeded  its  targets.  Only  the 
overall  employment  target  has  not  been  achieved,  but  employment  of  women  and 
young  people  has  exceeded  the  expected  level.  All  in  all  4 612  projects  were 
financed.  The  majority  of  the  projects  were  non-farm-related  investment  in 
enterprises.  The  Leader+  programme  provided  a  good  complement  to  the  other 
EU-financed programmes on rural areas. 

23.5.2.  Leader 

In 2001, the Commission approved a Leader+ programme for Finland. Twenty-five 
Local Action Groups (LAGs) were selected and are supported by a national network. 
At the closure of the programme, an amount of EUR 51.3 million or 91.0 % of the 
total  EAGGF  financing  was  paid  out,  while  EUR  5.0  million  was  decommitted.  
Overall,  the  Leader+  programme  has  reached  or  exceeded  its  targets.  Only  the 
overall  employment  target  has  not  been  achieved,  but  employment  of  women  and 
young  people  has  exceeded  the  expected  level.  All  in  all  4612  projects  were 
financed.  The  majority  of  the  projects  were  non-farm-related  investment  in 
enterprises. The Leader+ programme provided a good complement to the other EU 
financed programmes on rural areas 

23.5.3.  Urban 

The Helsinki-Vantaa URBAN II programme is the only one in Finland. The ERDF 
will  contribute  a  total  of  EUR  5.4 million  to  this  programme,  for  which  the  total 
eligible  cost  amounts  to  EUR  20.4 million.  The  managing  authority  for  the 
programme  is  the  City  of  Helsinki  and  the  functional  day-to-day  management  is 
delegated to URBAN Helsinki-Vantaa. 

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The  URBAN  programme  in  Helsinki/Vantaa  did  not  have  any  ongoing  activity  in 
2010. 

23.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

All  Finnish  Structural  Fund  programmes  from  the  1994-1999  programming  period 
were closed before 2006. 

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24. 

SWEDEN 

2000-2006 programming period 

General Objectives 1 and 2 

The  two  Objective  1  programmes  for  Sweden,  Norra  Norrlandsregionen  and 
Södra Skogslänsregionen,  cover  65 %  of  Sweden’s  land  area  but  only  11 %  of  the 
total  population.  The  funding  of  the  programmes  accounts  for  33%  of  the  total 
allocation from the Structural Funds 2000-2006 in Sweden. When including national 
public  and  private  participation,  the  Structural  Funds  generated  assistance  of 
EUR 2 100 million through the Objective 1 programmes. 

The  four  Objective  2  programmes,  the  North,  West,  South  and  the  Islands 
programmes, cover approximately 16 % of the Swedish population. The funding for 
the  programmes  represents  18%  of  the  total  allocation  from  the  Structural  Funds 
2000-2006 in Sweden. When including national public and private participation, the 
Structural Funds generated assistance of EUR 1 500 million through the Objective 2 
programmes. 

The  Swedish  programmes  (all  funds)  created  more than  110 000  new  or  preserved 
jobs and more than 26 000 new companies.  

There  were  no  monitoring  committee  meetings  in  2009  and  2010.  Annual 
implementation  reports  for  2008  for  three  programmes  were  approved  in  written 
procedure by the Monitoring Committees and accepted by the Commission at the end 
of  2009.  Annual  implementation  reports  for  2008  for  the  remaining  programmes 
were  included  in  the  final  reports,  submitted  end  March  2010.  Activities  in  2010 
were  dominated  by  the  closure  of  the  2000-2006  programmes.  Closure  documents 
for all programmes were submitted to the Commission end of March 2010 

24.1.  Objective 1 

ERDF, ESF and EAGGF-Guidance Section 

By  the  end  of  2009,  the  Commission  had  already  paid  out  95 %  of  the  total 
ERDF budget,  94.0 %  of  the  total  ESF  budget  and  95.0 %  of  the  total  EAGGF 
budget.  No  decommitments  following  the  ‘n+2’  rule  were  necessary  in  2010.  The 
closure is carried out by fund and is progressing according to plan. Financial closure 
is expected in 2011. 

The  ERDF  contributed  to  improving  the  competitiveness  of  SMEs  and  increasing 
cooperation  between  them.  The  support  for  R&D  activities  in  SMEs  and  research 
centres  contributed  to  raising  the  expenditure  on  R&D  in  the  regions.  It  also 
strengthened local partnerships.  

The  EAGGF  contributed  to  the  development  in  the  farm-,  forestry  and  reindeer 
sector  (e.g:  modernisation,  processing  and  marketing,  training)  and  to  rural 
development  measures  such  as  small  scale  tourism,  services,  village  development 

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and  conservation  of  rural  heritage  and  last  but  not  least  environmental  protection 
measures connected to agriculture and forestry as well as animal welfare. 

24.2.  Objective 2 

By the end of 2009, the Commission had already paid out 95 % of the total budget. 
The closure of the programmes is carried out by fund and is progressing according to 
plan. By the end of 2010, the payment of the final ERDF balance had been carried 
out  for  one  of  the  Objective  2  programmes  (the  Islands  programme),  with  the 
remaining expected to follow in 2011.  

The ERDF helped to adapt development to the requirements of global competition. It 
contributed  to  a  substantial  increase  in  expenditure  on  R&D,  the  development  of 
advanced  services  and  scientific  and  cultural  exchanges,  improving  the  business 
environment and stimulating knowledge-driven development. 

24.3.  Objective 3 

The  available  ESF  allocation  for  the  SPD  amounted  to  EUR  780  million  for  the 
period 2000-2006. By the end of 2009, 94.0 % of the total ESF budget had been paid 
out by the Commission. The closure documents were submitted in March 2010. The 
closure is expected to be finalised in 2011. 

Almost  48 000  projects  were  implemented  in  the  programming  period  and  most  of 
the targets set were reached. The number of participants exceeded the targets for all 
priorities,  amounting  to  a  total  of  about  1.7  million  persons.  The  targets  for  the 
number  of  persons  who  started  a  company  and  the  number  of  people  at  work  six 
months  after  participating  in  a  project  were  not  fully  reached.  Nonetheless,  the 
programme showed good overall results. 

24.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The  total  FIFG  allocation  to  the  Swedish  fisheries  programme  outside  Objective  1, 
including the reserve, is EUR 65 million. The programme had a rather low level of 
in 
implementation.  There  were  decommitments  for  four  consecutive  years 
application  of  the  ‘n+2’  rule.  In  total,  the  programme  has  so  far  been  reduced  by 
EUR 11  million.  The  financial  execution  reached  86.5 %  (EUR  46.7  million  out  of 
EUR  54  million).  Sweden  submitted  the  closure  documents  in  April  2010.  The 
closure  procedure  has  reached  an  advanced  phase  of  analysis.  The  Swedish  final 
payment claim amounts to EUR 45.5 million. The main measures in the programme 
were  scrapping  of  vessels,  processing  and  marketing,  innovative  measures/pilot 
projects,  fishing  port  equipment,  protection  of  aquatic  resources,  collective 
investments, and renewal and modernisation of the fleet. 

24.5.  Community Initiatives  

24.5.1.  Equal 

The rate of financial execution of the ESF part of the programme already reached the 
95.0 % payment limit in 2008.. Three monitoring committee meetings and an annual 
review meeting were held in 2009. The closure documents were submitted in March 
2010. The closure is expected to be finalised in 2011. 

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Many of the experiences from the EQUAL programme, especially when it comes to 
partnership,  innovation,  transnationality  and  ways  to  influence  system  and  policies, 
have been mainstreamed in the 2007-2013 ESF operational programme.  

24.5.2.  Leader 

In 2001, the Commission approved one Swedish Leader+ programme. Total support 
from the EAGGF-Guidance Section amounted to EUR 41.2 million. In total, twelve 
Local Action Groups were selected. The implementation of the programme reached 
its  end  in  2008.  By  the  end  of  2008  approximately  116.0 %  of  the  total  EAGGF 
budget  for  2000–2006  had  been  allocated  to  projects.  By  the  end  of  2009  the 
Commission  had  in  total  paid  out  EUR  39.2  million  (of  which  EUR 2.8  million  as 
advances), an amount equivalent to 95.0 % of the total EAGGF budget. No automatic 
decommitment needed to be executed. Payment claims presented to the Commission 
up  to  the  end  of  2009  amounted  to  EUR  38.2  million.  The  final  report  has  been 
accepted  in  December  2010  and  the  financial  closure  procedure  will  be  finished  in 
2011. The final amount accepted beginning of 2011 is 37.977.806,42 € = 92,15 % of 
the total financial plan. 

24.5.3.  Urban 

The  Göteborg  URBAN  II  programme  is  the  only  URBAN  programme  in  Sweden. 
The  funding  for  the  programmes  represents  0.2%  of  the  total  allocation  from  the 
Structural  Funds  2000-2006  in  Sweden.  When  including national  participation,  the 
Structural  Funds  generated  assistance  of  EUR  16  million  through  the  URBAN 
programme.  The  programme  strategy  has  a  coherent  approach  combining 
entrepreneurship, 
improvement  and  equal  opportunities.  The 
programme  reached  94.7 %  of  payments  in  2009  and  the  ‘n+2’  rule  was  met.  The 
annual  implementation  report  for  2008  was  included  in  the  final  report,  submitted 
end of March 2010. The closure of the programme is progressing according to plan 
with financial closure expected in 2011. 

infrastructure 

24.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

The last programmes from the budget period 1994-1999 were already closed in 2004.  

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25. 

UNITED KINGDOM  

2000-2006 programming period 

25.1.  Objective 1 

The ERDF provided a total of EUR 3 970 million (excluding Peace II programme) to 
Objective  1  programmes  in  the  United  Kingdom  during  the  programming  period. 
FIFG support was available in five Objective 1 programmes, for a total of EUR 94.3 
million.Closure  documents  for  all  FIFG  programmes  were  received  in  due  time  in 
2010.  Four  final  narrative  reports  of  FIFG  Objective  1  programmes  have  been 
accepted  by  DG  MARE.  Analysis  of  the  last  final  narrative  report,  as  well  as  the 
financial information of all 5 programmes is in process. Final eligible FIFG uptake 
figures are therefore not available yet.The ESF provided a total of EUR 1 886 million 
to  Objective  1programmes  in  the  United  Kingdom  during  the  programming  period 
(including the Northern Ireland BSP programme). 

The total ERDF amount paid out in 2010 was EUR 71.7 million. 

All the final claims for UK Objective 1 arrived in due time as scheduled. The total 
average  consumption  was  92%  of  the  total  ESF  allocated  for  the  2000-2006 
programming period. 

Automatic  decommitments  were  made  for  a  total  of  EUR  77  million.  in  2010  and 
EUR  27million.  in  2011.  The  closure  process  is  underway  for  the  English 
programmes,  after  the  irregularities  reconciliation  was  made.  Concerning  Scotland 
further clarifications are still needed concerning irregularities. 

For the EAGGF, the total amount (excluding PEACE II) paid by the end of 2009 was 
EUR  344  million 
the  2000-2006 
programming period).  Closure  documents  for  the  UK  objective  1  operational 
programmes  were  received  by  the  deadline  of  31/3/2010  (3  programmes)  or 
30/9/2010 (3 programmes). The documents are under treatment. 

the  scheduled  budget 

(95 %  of 

for 

Assistance  was  provided  through  five  Single  Programming  Documents  and  two 
Operational Programmes. Three of the Single Programming Documents concern the 
English regions of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Merseyside and South Yorkshire; 
the other two Single Programming Documents concern Wales (West Wales and The 
Valleys)  and  Scotland  (transitional  programme  for  Highlands  and  Islands).  Each 
programme  covers  four  to  six  priority  areas,  grouped  around  five  main  themes: 
support  for  small  and  medium-sized  business,  support  for  business  modernisation, 
community  economic  regeneration,  human  resource  development  and  development 
of strategic infrastructure. 

The  two  Operational  Programmes  under  the  Northern  Ireland  Community  Support 
Framework are funded by all four Structural Funds. They are: ‘Building Sustainable 
Prosperity’ (BSP), a transitional Objective 1 programme, and the EU Programme for 
Peace  and  Reconciliation  in  Northern  Ireland  and  the  Border  Region  of  Ireland 
(‘PEACE II’ programme 2000–2006). 

EN 

103 

   EN 

 
Extension of the final date of eligibility of expenditure until 30 June 2009 was given 
for  West  Wales  and  the  Valleys,  Highlands  and  Islands  of  Scotland  and  the  BSP 
Operational Programme of Northern Ireland, due to the impact of the 2008 financial 
crisis. 

PEACE II 

The  ‘PEACE  II’  programme  covers  Northern  Ireland  and  the  border  regions  of 
Ireland.  It  builds  on  the  experience  of  the  special  support  programme  ‘PEACE  I’ 
(1995–1999)  and  exemplifies  the  practical  support  given  by  the  EU  to  the  peace 
process  after  the  Belfast  Agreement.  Initially  PEACE  II  covered  the  period  2000-
2004  but  in  2004  it  was  decided  to  provide  additional  funding  and  extend  the 
programme to 2006, bringing it into line with the other Structural Funds programmes 
in the rest of the European Union. 

No  interim  payment  claims  were  received  for  the  PEACE  II  programme  for  the 
ERDF in 2010. An extension of the final date of eligibility until 30 June 2009 was 
given for the PEACE II programme. 

The  final  claim  for  the  PEACE  II  programme  arrived  in  time  as  scheduled.  The 
absorption  was  100%  of  the  total  ESF  funding  for  the  period  2000/2006  of  which 
95% was already paid. 

The analysis of the documents is finished except for the OLAF reconciliation where 
some more clarifications are needed concerning irregularities. 

The total FIFG allocation for Northern Ireland is EUR 0.8 million. No execution took 
place  in  2009  as  the  95.0 %  payment  limit  had  already  been  reached.  Closure 
documents for the programme were received in due time in 2010 and the final FIFG 
narrative  report  have  been  accepted  by  DG  MARE.  Analysis  of  the  financial 
information  of  the  programme  is  in  process.  Final  eligible  FIFG  uptake  figures  are 
therefore not available yet. 

25.2.  Objective 2 

The ERDF provided a total of EUR 4 526 million and the ESF a total of EUR 526.8 
million  for  Objective  2  programmes  in  the  United  Kingdom.  The  funds  were 
implemented  through  fourteen  Single  Programming  Documents.  Nine  programmes 
covered  the  English  regions  of  West  Midlands,  Yorkshire  and  the  Humber,  East 
Midlands, North East of England, North West of England, East England, South East 
England,  South  West  England  and  London;  three  covered  the  regions  of  South  of 
Scotland, East of Scotland and Western Scotland; one concerns East Wales and one 
Gibraltar.  Each  programme  covered  an  average  of  three  priority  areas,  grouped 
around  three  main  themes:  developing  diverse,  dynamic  and  competitive  business 
bases, strategic spatial development, and community regeneration and economic and 
social  development.  The  UK  Objective  2  programmes  were  adopted  in  2001, 
meaning  that  increasing  levels  of  activity  and  progress  were  not  registered  until 
2003. The total amount of ERDF paid in 2010 was EUR 24.6 million. 

EN 

104 

   EN 

 
Extensions of the final date of eligibility  of expenditure  until 30 June 2009, due to 
the  impact  of  the  2008  financial  crisis,  were  given  for  East  Wales,  Gibraltar,  and 
Eastern, Western and South Scotland. 

The  total  ESF  amount  of  interim  claim  paid  out  in  2010  for  Western  Scotland 
Objective  2  is  EUR  16.5  million.  The  final  claims  for  all  UK  Objective  2 
programmes  arrived  in  due  time  as  scheduled.  The  total  average  consumption  was 
92%  of  the  total  ESF  allocated  for  the  2000-2006  programming  period.  Automatic 
decommitments  were  made  for  a  total  of  €  59  ml.  in  2010.  The  analysis  of  the 
documents is finished but the final reports are not yet approved Overall summary of 
the 2000-2006 period 

The  final  eligibility  dates  for  PEACE  II,  BSP  Northern  Ireland  Objective  1,  the 
Welsh and Scottish Operational Programmes were extended to 30 June 2010. and all 
closure packages were received by that date. 

All  English  ESF  and  the  two  GB  EQUAL  programmes  retained  the  original  final 
eligibility date of 31 December 2008 and closure packages were received by end of 
March 2010  

On 31 March 2010, the Commission received all closure-related documents for those 
UK  and  Irish  programmes  for  which  the  final  date  of  eligibility  had  not  been 
extended. These included all English programmes, URBAN II Clyde Waterfront and 
URBAN II West Wrexham. In the case of Ireland, the closure package sent was that 
of  URBAN  II  Dublin  Ballyfermot.  The  closure  package  for  Northern  Ireland 
"Building Sustainable Prosperity" had been sent in August 2009. 

The  remainder  of  the  closure  packages  for  the  UK  and  Ireland  were  sent  on  30 
September 2010. For the UK these included Highlands & Islands, South of Scotland, 
East of Scotland and Western Scotland; West Wales and the Valleys and East Wales 
as  well  as  Gibraltar  and  PEACE  II.  In  the  case  of  Ireland  the  closure  packages 
covered the Productive Sector OP, the Technical Assistance OP, the Economic and 
Social  Infrastructure  OP,  the  Southern  and  Eastern  Ireland  OP  and  the  Borders, 
Midland and Western OP.  

The Gibraltar programme was closed on 20 December 2010. 

25.3.  Objective 3 

The  ESF  provides  a  total  of  EUR  4 948  million  for  Objective  3  programmes  in 
Great Britain,  implemented  through  one  Community  Support  Framework  and  three 
Operational Programmes: England (EUR 4 290 million), Scotland (EUR 520 million) 
and East Wales (EUR 138.0 million).  

The programmes were implemented through five policy fields: active labour markets, 
equal  opportunities  and  social  inclusion,  lifelong  learning,  adaptability  and 
entrepreneurship  and  gender  equality. The  English  OP  alone  supported  about  6 630 
projects and helped more than 5.26 million people through a range of employability, 
training,  advice  and  guidance  activities.  Almost  half  a  million  unemployed  or 
inactive participants gained jobs and 1.4 million participants gained qualifications. 

EN 

105 

   EN 

 
After a formal suspension of the Objective 3 Scotland Programme in 2008 and after 
the action plan had been implemented by the Scottish Authorities, the audit problems 
were solved end 2009. An Interim payment was then paid out for Scotland Objective 
3 of EUR 107.6 ml in 2010. 

All the closure documents for the three programmes were received in due time. 

The  English  Objective  3  programme  consumption  was  92%  of  the  total  ESF 
allocated  for  the  2000-2006  programming  period  and  an  automatic  decommitment 
was made for 214.4M 

The  East  Wales  Objective  3  programme  consumption  was  94.7  of  the  total  ESF 
allocated for the 2000-2006 programming period and an automatic decommitment of 
9.1 ml. was made. 

The  Scottish  Objective  3  programme  consumption  was  89.1%  of  the  total  ESF 
allocated for the 2000-2006 programming period and an automatic decommitment of 
28.8 ml. was made. 

The  analysis  of  the  documents  is  finished  and  some  clarification  is  still  needed 
concerning irregularities 

25.4. 

Fisheries outside Objective 1 

The UK FIFG outside Objective 1 programme was closed in 2008; the end date of 
eligibility  was  30  April  2009.  DG  MARE  accepted the final narrative report of the 
progamme  in  March  2011,  the  analysis  of  financial  information  is  in  process.  The 
was  
to 
total 
EUR 88.9 million following the last decommitment  in 2008 of  EUR 4.3 million of 
the  2005  commitment.  Total  declared  FIFG  expenditures  amount  77,2  MEUR,  i.e. 
only  61%  of  the  original  allocation  of  125,5  MEUR.  Final  eligible  FIFG  uptake 
figures are not available yet.  

programme 

allocation 

FIFG 

the 

The  most  important  measures  were  processing  and  marketing  (35.3 %  of  FIFG 
committed), scrapping (19.8 % of FIFG committed), operations by members of trade 
(15.1 % of FIFG committed) and fishing port facilities (16.4 % of FIFG committed).  

25.5.  Community Initiatives  

25.5.1.  Equal 

The  UK  has  two  EQUAL  programmes:  Great  Britain  (GB)  and  Northern  Ireland 
(NI).  

The closure package for N.I. Equal programme and UK Equal programme were sent 
in due time. The documents were analysed and accepted.  

The  N.I.  Equal  programme  is  closed,  a  final  payment  of  1.157.192€  was  made  on 
16/12/2010  and  the  closure  letter  was  sent  to  the  MS  on  22/12/2010.  The  total 
consumption  is  92.9%  of  the  total  ESF  allocated  for  the  2000-2006  programming 
period and an automatic decommitment of 0.8 M.was made. 

EN 

106 

   EN 

 
The UK Equal programme closure is underway. All documents have been accepted 
and a final payment of 25.010.727€ is proposed. 

25.5.2.  Leader 

The  UK  has  four  Leader+  programmes:  England,  Northern  Ireland,  Scotland  and 
Wales  with  fifty-five  Local  Action  Groups.  The  total  cost  of  the  four  programmes 
amounts to EUR 266.0 million, of which the EAGGF-Guidance Section contributes 
EUR 115.0 million.  

By the end of 2009, a total amount of EUR 109.4 million was paid (95 % of the total 
budget for the 2000-2006 programming period). 

All the programmes reached their ‘n+2’ targets. 

The extension of the final date of eligibility of expenditure until 30 June 2009 was 
requested in December 2008 for Leader+ Northern Ireland, due to the impact of the 
2008 financial crisis. 

Closure documents for the UK Leader+ programmes were submitted by the deadline 
of 31/3/2010 (3 programmes) or 30/9/2010 (Northern Ireland Leader+ programme). 
The Leader+ England programme was closed at the end of 2010. For the other UK 
Leader+ programmes, the closure documents are under treatment. 

25.5.3.  Urban 

In  the  UK,  the  ERDF  supported  eleven  programmes  under  the  URBAN  II 
Community Initiative, eight of them in England, one in Wales, one in Scotland and 
one  in  Northern  Ireland.  These  programmes  proposed  innovative  development 
models for the economic and social regeneration of the areas concerned, and finance 
projects to this end. Partnership in design, selection and implementation of projects 
was a key feature of the URBAN II programmes. 

The total ERDF support allocated to all 11 programmes was EUR 126.2 million. In 
2010,  total  payments  to  URBAN  II  programmes  reached  EUR  11.6  million  (the 
average absorption rate for all programmes reached 92 %). 

25.6.  Closure of the 1994-1999 programming period 

All ERDF programmes are closed 

All ESF programmes were already closed at the end of 2008. 

All EAGGF programmes are closed. 

EN 

107 

   EN 

 
Part 3: List of Major Projects 

A list of major projects for the 2000-2006 programming period was included in Part 
3  of  the  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  accompanying  the  18th  Annual 
Report  on  the  Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  (COM(2007)  676),  as 
amended in Part 3 of Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the 20th 
Annual Report on the Implementation of the Structural Funds (COM(2009) 617) and 
the Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the 21st Annual Report on 
the  Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  (COM(2010)  587).  That  list  remains 
valid and can be consulted for further details. There were no major projects decisions 
in 2010.  

EN 

108 

   EN 

 
EN 

109 

   EN 

 
Part 4: Financial Figures 

Financial implementation 2010: Objectives 1-3 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

843,903,942.00 

1,045,114,317.00 

41,805,665.00 

1,556,226.00 

1,932,380,150.00 

2.Committed 

843,903,942.00 

1,022,053,069.47 

41,805,665.00 

1,556,225.78 

1,909,318,902.25 

-23,061,248.04 

-23,061,24

3.Paid 

799,985,250.39 

991,207,998.54 

36,663,486.00 

1,478,414.70 

1,829,335,149.63 

23,710,020.09 

1,518,147.72 

950,000.92 

26,178,16

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

97.79 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

98.81 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.80 % 

94.84 % 

87.70 % 

95.00 % 

94.67 % 

1.Decided 

985,562,948.00 

424,890,166.00 

169,790,354.00 

4,111,073.00 

1,584,354,541.00 

2.Committed 

985,562,948.00 

424,890,166.00 

169,790,354.00 

4,111,073.00 

1,584,354,541.00 

3.Paid 

936,284,800.60 

403,645,657.70 

161,300,836.00 

3,905,519.35 

1,505,136,813.65 

1,292,762.34 

1,292,76

Belgique-
België 

Ceska 
Republika 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

Danmark 

1.Decided 

141,648,773.00 

446,121,951.00 

587,770,724.00 

2.Committed 

141,648,773.00 

397,125,340.98 

538,774,113.98 

-34,049,348.12 

-34,049,34

3.Paid 

133,363,289.34 

362,762,350.49 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

89.02 % 

496,125,639.83 

91.66 % 

EN 

110 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (3)/(1) 

94.15 % 

81.31 % 

84.41 % 

1.Decided 

15,424,973,509.00 

11,289,253,220.00 

3,417,719,969.00 

91,495,213.00 

30,223,441,911.00 

2.Committed 

15,424,973,512.68 

10,921,876,551.95 

3,417,287,030.86 

91,495,212.58 

29,855,632,308.07 

-367,376,668.90 

-432,937.14 

Deutschland 

3.Paid 

14,721,321,360.25 

10,723,033,324.13 

3,284,973,761.86 

86,920,452.35 

28,816,248,898.59 

83,187,413.60 

38,139,792.86 

-367,809,60

121,327,20

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

96.75 % 

99.99 % 

100.00 % 

98.78 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.44 % 

94.98 % 

96.12 % 

95.00 % 

95.34 % 

1.Decided 

232,820,142.00 

69,275,610.00 

56,798,282.00 

12,469,418.00 

371,363,452.00 

2.Committed 

232,820,142.00 

68,816,786.76 

56,798,282.00 

12,469,418.00 

370,904,628.76 

-458,823.24 

-458,82

Eesti 

3.Paid 

221,179,134.88 

65,640,753.54 

53,958,367.00 

11,845,947.10 

352,624,202.52 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.34 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.88 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

94.75 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.95 % 

1.Decided 

15,152,463,366.00 

4,771,653,980.00 

2,550,311,562.00 

213,893,365.00 

22,688,322,273.00 

2.Committed 

15,152,463,366.20 

4,771,653,979.60 

2,550,311,562.00 

213,893,365.00 

22,688,322,272.80 

Ellada 

3.Paid 

14,394,840,197.60 

4,533,071,280.03 

2,422,795,979.00 

203,198,696.75 

21,553,906,153.38 

15,888,922.42 

3,051,126.75 

1,096,525.00 

20,036,57

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

España 

1.Decided 

27,904,766,267.00 

11,699,051,196.00 

5,232,503,468.00 

1,570,925,014.00 

46,407,245,945.00 

2.Committed 

27,904,766,267.00 

11,666,155,505.57 

5,232,503,468.28 

1,570,925,014.00 

46,374,350,254.85 

-32,895,691.28 

-32,895,69

EN 

111 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

3.Paid 

26,371,895,708.51 

10,919,194,712.78 

4,970,878,288.52 

1,492,378,763.30 

43,754,347,473.11 

346,388,171.05 

17,071,891.16 

363,460,06

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.72 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.93 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.51 % 

93.33 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.28 % 

1.Decided 

8,167,416,971.00 

6,666,386,443.00 

670,263,108.00 

33,842,296.00 

15,537,908,818.00 

2.Committed 

8,167,416,972.00 

6,306,018,437.59 

670,263,108.00 

33,842,296.00 

15,177,540,813.59 

758,730.98 

-360,368,004.01 

-359,609,27

France 

3.Paid 

7,745,898,631.80 

6,252,565,174.87 

636,749,950.00 

31,853,568.87 

14,667,067,325.54 

27,460,236.95 

34,344.44 

27,494,58

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.59 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

97.68 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.84 % 

93.79 % 

95.00 % 

94.12 % 

94.40 % 

1.Decided 

1,946,313,000.00 

1,016,487,000.00 

153,636,289.00 

67,800,000.00 

3,184,236,289.00 

2.Committed 

1,946,313,000.00 

1,016,487,000.00 

153,636,289.00 

67,800,000.00 

3,184,236,289.00 

Ireland 

3.Paid 

1,837,448,414.77 

961,937,618.00 

145,954,474.00 

64,410,000.00 

3,009,750,506.77 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.41 % 

94.63 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.52 % 

1.Decided 

18,639,088,813.00 

8,457,731,299.00 

3,258,998,890.00 

288,055,284.00 

30,643,874,286.00 

2.Committed 

18,639,088,813.00 

8,422,039,892.39 

3,258,998,890.00 

288,055,283.61 

30,608,182,879.00 

-35,691,407.03 

-35,691,40

Italia 

3.Paid 

17,699,749,395.62 

7,510,696,850.00 

3,033,531,694.00 

254,262,266.92 

28,498,240,206.54 

946,683,482.07 

101,651,077.73 

94,131,901.00 

5,536,379.17 

1,148,002,83

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.58 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.88 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.96 % 

88.80 % 

93.08 % 

88.27 % 

93.00 % 

EN 

112 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

28,022,807.00 

21,945,197.00 

2.Committed 

28,022,807.00 

21,945,197.00 

Kypros 

3.Paid 

26,621,666.65 

20,847,937.15 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

49,968,004.00 

49,968,004.00 

47,469,603.80 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

382,043,677.00 

127,341,960.00 

91,848,189.00 

24,335,000.00 

625,568,826.00 

2.Committed 

382,043,677.00 

127,341,960.00 

91,848,189.00 

24,335,000.00 

625,568,826.00 

Latvija 

3.Paid 

362,941,493.15 

120,974,862.00 

87,255,779.00 

23,118,250.00 

594,290,384.15 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

583,939,739.00 

176,217,551.00 

122,898,628.00 

12,116,766.00 

895,172,684.00 

2.Committed 

583,939,739.00 

176,217,551.00 

122,898,628.00 

12,116,766.00 

895,172,684.00 

Lietuva 

3.Paid 

554,742,752.05 

167,406,673.45 

116,753,696.00 

11,510,927.70 

850,414,049.20 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

Luxembourg 
(Grand-Duche) 

1.Decided 

44,000,000.00 

31,682,966.00 

2.Committed 

44,000,000.00 

31,682,966.63 

3.Paid 

41,800,000.00 

25,990,446.00 

75,682,966.00 

75,682,966.63 

67,790,446.00 

2,549,530.50 

2,549,53

EN 

113 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

82.03 % 

100.00 % 

89.57 % 

1.Decided 

1,239,381,188.00 

439,117,222.00 

312,828,868.00 

4,389,882.00 

1,995,717,160.00 

2.Committed 

1,239,381,188.00 

438,841,598.78 

312,828,868.00 

4,389,882.00 

1,995,441,536.78 

-275,623.22 

Magyarország 

3.Paid 

1,177,412,128.60 

417,153,038.84 

297,187,419.00 

3,990,044.92 

1,895,742,631.36 

17,459,007.36 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.94 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.99 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

90.89 % 

94.99 % 

1.Decided 

46,697,639.00 

9,457,500.00 

4,200,000.00 

2,837,500.00 

63,192,639.00 

2.Committed 

46,697,639.00 

9,457,500.00 

4,200,000.00 

2,837,500.00 

63,192,639.00 

Malta 

3.Paid 

44,362,757.05 

8,984,625.00 

3,990,000.00 

2,695,625.00 

60,033,007.05 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

940,660,000.00 

1,565,741,433.00 

10,398,242.00 

6,280,000.00 

2,523,079,675.00 

2.Committed 

940,660,000.00 

1,564,038,690.16 

10,398,242.00 

6,280,000.00 

2,521,376,932.16 

-1,702,742.84 

Nederland 

3.Paid 

890,236,188.62 

1,486,356,104.85 

9,878,329.00 

5,906,146.00 

2,392,376,768.47 

64,393,280.74 

6,220,169.83 

1,719,795.00 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.89 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.93 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.64 % 

94.93 % 

95.00 % 

94.05 % 

94.82 % 

Österreich 

1.Decided 

885,173,694.00 

656,938,420.00 

43,684,352.00 

257,784.00 

1,586,054,250.00 

-275,62

17,459,00

-1,702,74

72,333,24

EN 

114 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

2.Committed 

884,203,372.36 

655,988,574.07 

43,684,352.00 

257,784.09 

1,584,134,082.52 

-970,321.68 

-949,845.93 

3.Paid 

858,533,637.81 

624,706,090.36 

43,684,352.00 

195,451.73 

1,527,119,531.90 

861,378.51 

614,591.36 

2,184,218.00 

-1,920,16

3,660,18

% (2)/(1) 

99.89 % 

99.86 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.88 % 

% (3)/(1) 

96.99 % 

95.09 % 

100.00 % 

75.82 % 

96.28 % 

1.Decided 

4,972,788,583.00 

1,908,502,751.00 

1,192,689,238.00 

201,832,064.00 

8,275,812,636.00 

2.Committed 

4,972,788,583.00 

1,908,502,751.00 

1,192,689,238.00 

201,832,064.00 

8,275,812,636.00 

Polska 

3.Paid 

4,724,149,153.85 

1,813,077,613.45 

1,133,054,776.00 

177,788,079.98 

7,848,069,623.28 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

88.09 % 

94.83 % 

1.Decided 

13,229,822,910.00 

4,784,220,439.00 

2,185,038,433.00 

236,816,863.00 

20,435,898,645.00 

2.Committed 

13,229,822,910.00 

4,784,220,439.05 

2,185,038,432.57 

236,816,863.00 

20,435,898,644.62 

Portugal 

3.Paid 

12,568,231,567.68 

4,545,009,417.05 

2,060,567,852.00 

224,929,584.87 

19,398,738,421.60 

2,623,837.00 

3,443,884.68 

6,067,72

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.30 % 

94.98 % 

94.92 % 

Slovenija 

1.Decided 

136,523,478.00 

75,635,986.00 

23,569,093.00 

1,781,040.00 

237,509,597.00 

2.Committed 

136,523,478.00 

74,615,524.76 

23,569,093.00 

1,781,040.00 

236,489,135.76 

-1,020,461.24 

-1,020,46

3.Paid 

129,697,304.10 

71,854,186.70 

22,390,638.00 

1,691,988.00 

225,634,116.80 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

98.65 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.57 % 

EN 

115 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (3)/(1) 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

610,606,848.00 

321,599,056.00 

181,158,922.00 

1,829,065.00 

1,115,193,891.00 

2.Committed 

610,606,847.30 

321,599,057.12 

181,158,922.00 

1,829,065.00 

1,115,193,891.42 

Slovenska 
Republica 

3.Paid 

577,121,220.55 

305,519,103.20 

172,100,975.00 

1,737,611.75 

1,056,478,910.50 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.52 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.73 % 

1.Decided 

910,807,000.00 

834,231,400.00 

201,640,000.00 

8,884,000.00 

1,955,562,400.00 

2.Committed 

910,807,000.00 

804,747,800.28 

201,640,000.00 

8,884,000.00 

1,926,078,800.28 

-29,483,599.72 

Suomi/Finland 

3.Paid 

865,164,572.29 

792,351,783.30 

199,250,797.76 

8,439,800.00 

1,865,206,953.35 

7,692,797.76 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

96.47 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

98.49 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.99 % 

94.98 % 

98.82 % 

95.00 % 

95.38 % 

1.Decided 

875,439,631.00 

998,005,293.00 

116,044,514.00 

8,425,923.00 

1,997,915,361.00 

2.Committed 

875,439,631.00 

941,046,571.60 

116,044,514.00 

8,425,923.82 

1,940,956,640.42 

-56,971,671.00 

Sverige 

3.Paid 

832,003,029.30 

938,989,976.75 

110,242,287.00 

7,280,756.24 

1,888,516,049.29 

335,379.85 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.29 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

97.15 % 

% (3)/(1) 

95.04 % 

94.09 % 

95.00 % 

86.41 % 

94.52 % 

United 
Kingdom 

1.Decided 

8,864,321,357.00 

7,535,301,392.00 

400,196,902.00 

97,763,651.00 

16,897,583,302.00 

-29,483,59

7,692,79

-56,971,67

335,37

2.Committed 

8,864,321,357.28 

7,155,877,020.59 

400,196,902.00 

97,763,650.42 

16,518,158,930.29 

-379,424,370.99 

-379,424,37

EN 

116 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF

3.Paid 

8,381,088,485.54 

7,077,227,509.16 

380,298,950.00 

85,137,027.77 

15,923,751,972.47 

96,863,164.79 

123,559,228.32 

5,414,229.00 

225,836,62

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.96 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

97.75 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.55 % 

93.92 % 

95.03 % 

87.08 % 

94.24 % 

Total 

1. Decided 

123,189,186,282.00 

65,371,903,748.00 

20,438,022,968.00 

2,891,697,427.00 

211,890,810,425.00 

2.Committed 

123,188,215,964.82 

64,033,239,932.35 

20,437,590,029.71 

2,891,697,426.30 

210,550,743,353.18 

-211,590.70 

-1,323,729,505.56 

-432,937.14 

-1,324,374,0

3.Paid 

116,896,072,141.00 

61,140,205,087.34 

19,383,462,687.14 

2,704,674,923.30 

200,124,414,838.78 

1,578,311,213.12 

302,447,770.02 

153,003,095.62 

9,964,609.21 

2,043,726,68

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

97.95 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.37 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.89 % 

93.53 % 

94.84 % 

93.53 % 

94.45 % 

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM 

Financial implementation 2010: Objective 1 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

427,589,200.00 

200,203,797.00 

41,805,665.00 

1,556,226.00 

671,154,888.00 

Belgique-
België 

EN 

2.Committed 

427,589,200.00 

193,172,088.09 

41,805,665.00 

1,556,225.78 

664,123,178.87 

-7,031,708.91 

-7,031,708.9

3.Paid 

406,209,740.00 

190,193,607.15 

36,663,486.00 

1,478,414.70 

634,545,247.85 

1,633,809.05 

950,000.92 

2,583,809.9

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

96.49 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

87.70 % 

95.00 % 

98.95 % 

94.55 % 

117 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

914,267,548.00 

366,096,803.00 

169,790,354.00 

4,111,073.00 

1,454,265,778.00 

2.Committed 

914,267,548.00 

366,096,803.00 

169,790,354.00 

4,111,073.00 

1,454,265,778.00 

Ceska 
Republika 

3.Paid 

868,554,170.60 

347,791,962.85 

161,300,836.00 

3,905,519.35 

1,381,552,488.80 

1,292,762.34 

1,292,762.3

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

12,177,017,415.00 

5,816,988,103.00 

3,417,719,969.00 

91,495,213.00 

21,503,220,700.00 

2.Committed 

12,177,017,415.21 

5,678,824,751.65 

3,417,287,030.86 

91,495,212.58 

21,364,624,410.30 

Deutschland 

3.Paid 

11,647,928,536.51 

5,526,138,697.85 

3,284,973,761.86 

86,920,452.35 

20,545,961,448.57 

83,050,000.00 

-
138,163,350.94 

-432,937.14 

38,139,792.86 

-138,596,288.0

121,189,792.8

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.66 % 

97.62 % 

95.00 % 

99.99 % 

96.12 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.36 % 

95.55 % 

1.Decided 

232,820,142.00 

69,275,610.00 

56,798,282.00 

12,469,418.00 

371,363,452.00 

2.Committed 

232,820,142.00 

68,816,786.76 

56,798,282.00 

12,469,418.00 

370,904,628.76 

-458,823.24 

-458,823.2

Eesti 

3.Paid 

221,179,134.88 

65,640,753.54 

53,958,367.00 

11,845,947.10 

352,624,202.52 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.34 % 

94.75 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.88 % 

94.95 % 

1.Decided 

15,152,463,366.00 

4,771,653,980.00 

2,550,311,562.00 

213,893,365.00 

22,688,322,273.00 

2.Committed 

15,152,463,366.20 

4,771,653,979.60 

2,550,311,562.00 

213,893,365.00 

22,688,322,272.80 

Ellada 

3.Paid 

14,394,840,197.60 

4,533,071,280.03 

2,422,795,979.00 

203,198,696.75 

21,553,906,153.38 

15,888,922.42 

3,051,126.75 

1,096,525.00 

20,036,574.

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

25,351,187,210.00 

9,080,273,167.00 

5,232,503,468.00 

1,570,925,014.00 

41,234,888,859.00 

2.Committed 

25,351,187,210.00 

9,076,893,196.48 

5,232,503,468.28 

1,570,925,014.00 

41,231,508,888.76 

-3,379,970.16 

España 

3.Paid 

23,998,121,237.17 

8,452,555,425.24 

4,970,878,288.52 

1,492,378,763.30 

38,913,933,714.23 

228,827,259.04 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.66 % 

99.96 % 

93.09 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.99 % 

94.37 % 

EN 

118 

-3,379,970.

228,827,259.0

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

2,466,235,644.00 

947,715,419.00 

670,263,108.00 

33,842,296.00 

4,118,056,467.00 

2.Committed 

2,466,235,644.91 

907,452,800.28 

670,263,108.00 

33,842,296.00 

4,077,793,849.19 

758,730.98 

-40,262,618.72 

-39,503,887.7

France 

3.Paid 

2,332,574,931.08 

874,387,318.30 

636,749,950.00 

31,853,568.87 

3,875,565,768.25 

7,834,812.28 

34,344.44 

7,869,156.7

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.58 % 

95.75 % 

92.26 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.12 % 

99.02 % 

94.11 % 

1.Decided 

1,946,313,000.00 

1,016,487,000.00 

153,636,289.00 

67,800,000.00 

3,184,236,289.00 

2.Committed 

1,946,313,000.00 

1,016,487,000.00 

153,636,289.00 

67,800,000.00 

3,184,236,289.00 

Ireland 

3.Paid 

1,837,448,414.77 

961,937,618.00 

145,954,474.00 

64,410,000.00 

3,009,750,506.77 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

94.41 % 

94.63 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

94.52 % 

1.Decided 

15,918,088,813.00 

4,401,926,099.00 

3,258,998,890.00 

288,055,284.00 

23,867,069,086.00 

2.Committed 

15,918,088,813.00 

4,401,926,099.42 

3,258,998,890.00 

288,055,283.61 

23,867,069,086.03 

Italia 

3.Paid 

15,122,184,372.35 

3,659,856,235.35 

3,033,531,694.00 

254,262,266.92 

22,069,834,568.62 

946,683,482.07 

3,578,472.09 

94,131,901.00 

5,536,379.17 

1,049,930,234.3

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

83.14 % 

93.08 % 

88.27 % 

100.00 % 

92.47 % 

1.Decided 

382,043,677.00 

127,341,960.00 

91,848,189.00 

24,335,000.00 

625,568,826.00 

2.Committed 

382,043,677.00 

127,341,960.00 

91,848,189.00 

24,335,000.00 

625,568,826.00 

Latvija 

3.Paid 

362,941,493.15 

120,974,862.00 

87,255,779.00 

23,118,250.00 

594,290,384.15 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

583,939,739.00 

176,217,551.00 

122,898,628.00 

12,116,766.00 

895,172,684.00 

2.Committed 

583,939,739.00 

176,217,551.00 

122,898,628.00 

12,116,766.00 

895,172,684.00 

Lietuva 

3.Paid 

554,742,752.05 

167,406,673.45 

116,753,696.00 

11,510,927.70 

850,414,049.20 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

EN 

119 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

1,239,381,188.00 

439,117,222.00 

312,828,868.00 

4,389,882.00 

1,995,717,160.00 

2.Committed 

1,239,381,188.00 

438,841,598.78 

312,828,868.00 

4,389,882.00 

1,995,441,536.78 

Magyarország 

3.Paid 

1,177,412,128.60 

417,153,038.84 

297,187,419.00 

3,990,044.92 

1,895,742,631.36 

-275,623.22 

17,459,007.36 

-275,623.2

17,459,007.3

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.94 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

90.89 % 

99.99 % 

94.99 % 

1.Decided 

46,697,639.00 

9,457,500.00 

4,200,000.00 

2,837,500.00 

63,192,639.00 

2.Committed 

46,697,639.00 

9,457,500.00 

4,200,000.00 

2,837,500.00 

63,192,639.00 

Malta 

3.Paid 

44,362,757.05 

8,984,625.00 

3,990,000.00 

2,695,625.00 

60,033,007.05 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

81,660,000.00 

33,590,000.00 

10,398,242.00 

6,280,000.00 

131,928,242.00 

2.Committed 

81,660,000.00 

31,887,257.16 

10,398,242.00 

6,280,000.00 

130,225,499.16 

-1,702,742.84 

Nederland 

3.Paid 

77,577,000.00 

30,812,243.50 

9,878,329.00 

5,906,146.00 

124,173,718.50 

6,220,169.83 

1,719,795.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.93 % 

91.73 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.05 % 

98.71 % 

94.12 % 

1.Decided 

181,519,085.00 

57,440,139.00 

43,684,352.00 

257,784.00 

282,901,360.00 

2.Committed 

181,519,085.00 

57,251,995.76 

43,684,352.00 

257,784.09 

282,713,216.85 

-188,143.24 

Österreich 

3.Paid 

172,443,130.75 

54,568,132.05 

43,684,352.00 

195,451.73 

270,891,066.53 

2,184,218.00 

-1,702,742.8

7,939,964.8

-188,143.2

2,184,218.0

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.67 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

75.82 % 

99.93 % 

95.75 % 

1.Decided 

4,972,788,583.00 

1,908,502,751.00 

1,192,689,238.00 

201,832,064.00 

8,275,812,636.00 

2.Committed 

4,972,788,583.00 

1,908,502,751.00 

1,192,689,238.00 

201,832,064.00 

8,275,812,636.00 

Polska 

3.Paid 

4,724,149,153.85 

1,813,077,613.45 

1,133,054,776.00 

177,788,079.98 

7,848,069,623.28 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

88.09 % 

100.00 % 

94.83 % 

EN 

120 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

13,229,822,910.00 

4,784,220,439.00 

2,185,038,433.00 

236,816,863.00 

20,435,898,645.00 

2.Committed 

13,229,822,910.00 

4,784,220,439.05 

2,185,038,432.57 

236,816,863.00 

20,435,898,644.62 

Portugal 

3.Paid 

12,568,231,567.68 

4,545,009,417.05 

2,060,567,852.00 

224,929,584.87 

19,398,738,421.60 

2,623,837.00 

3,443,884.68 

6,067,721.6

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.30 % 

94.98 % 

100.00 % 

94.92 % 

1.Decided 

136,523,478.00 

75,635,986.00 

23,569,093.00 

1,781,040.00 

237,509,597.00 

2.Committed 

136,523,478.00 

74,615,524.76 

23,569,093.00 

1,781,040.00 

236,489,135.76 

-1,020,461.24 

-1,020,461.2

Slovenija 

3.Paid 

129,697,304.10 

71,854,186.70 

22,390,638.00 

1,691,988.00 

225,634,116.80 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

98.65 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

99.57 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

573,574,135.00 

284,480,923.00 

181,158,922.00 

1,829,065.00 

1,041,043,045.00 

Slovenska 
Republica 

2.Committed 

573,574,135.00 

284,480,923.00 

181,158,922.00 

1,829,065.00 

1,041,043,045.00 

3.Paid 

541,940,143.20 

270,256,876.85 

172,100,975.00 

1,737,611.75 

986,035,606.80 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

94.48 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

94.72 % 

1.Decided 

498,641,000.00 

279,835,000.00 

201,640,000.00 

8,884,000.00 

989,000,000.00 

2.Committed 

498,641,000.00 

276,937,540.69 

201,640,000.00 

8,884,000.00 

986,102,540.69 

-2,897,459.31 

Suomi/Finland 

3.Paid 

473,708,950.00 

265,843,250.00 

199,250,797.76 

8,439,800.00 

947,242,797.76 

7,692,797.76 

-2,897,459.3

7,692,797.7

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

98.96 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

98.82 % 

95.00 % 

99.71 % 

95.78 % 

1.Decided 

489,460,422.00 

164,021,802.00 

116,044,514.00 

8,425,923.00 

777,952,661.00 

2.Committed 

489,460,422.00 

154,091,910.85 

116,044,514.00 

8,425,923.82 

768,022,770.67 

-9,929,890.75 

-9,929,890.7

Sverige 

3.Paid 

464,987,400.90 

154,091,910.85 

110,242,287.00 

7,280,756.24 

736,602,354.99 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

93.95 % 

93.95 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

86.41 % 

98.72 % 

94.68 % 

EN 

121 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

1.Decided 

4,338,242,143.00 

2,060,065,687.00 

400,196,902.00 

97,763,651.00 

6,896,268,383.00 

2.Committed 

4,338,242,144.06 

1,983,023,061.85 

400,196,902.00 

97,763,650.42 

6,819,225,758.33 

-77,042,625.81 

United 
Kingdom 

3.Paid 

4,120,374,693.76 

1,923,864,371.26 

380,298,950.00 

85,137,027.77 

6,509,675,042.79 

71,771,278.46 

5,414,229.00 

-77,042,625.8

77,185,507.4

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.98 % 

96.26 % 

93.39 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.03 % 

87.08 % 

98.88 % 

94.39 % 

Total 

1. Decided 

101,340,276,337.00 

37,070,546,938.00 

20,438,022,968.00 

2,891,697,427.00 

161,740,543,670.00 

2.Committed 

101,340,276,339.38 

36,788,193,519.18 

20,437,590,029.71 

2,891,697,426.30 

161,457,757,314.57 

758,730.98 

-
282,353,418.38 

-432,937.14 

-282,027,624.5

3.Paid 

96,241,609,210.05 

34,455,470,099.31 

19,383,462,687.14 

2,704,674,923.30 

152,785,216,919.80 

1,347,854,751.04 

39,436,350.65 

153,003,095.62 

9,964,609.21 

1,550,258,806.5

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

99.24 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

99.83 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.97 % 

92.95 % 

94.84 % 

93.53 % 

94.46 % 

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM 

Financial implementation 2010: Objective 2 

Country 

Belgique-
België 

EN 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

416,314,742.00 

48,499,226.00 

2.Committed 

416,314,742.00 

46,200,617.23 

464,813,968.00 

462,515,359.23 

-2,298,608.77 

3.Paid 

393,775,510.39 

45,185,882.01 

438,961,392.40 

22,076,211.04 

959,285.32 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.26 % 

99.51 % 

122 

-2,298,608.77 

23,035,496.36 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

% (3)/(1) 

94.59 % 

93.17 % 

1.Decided 

71,295,400.00 

Ceska 
Republika 

2.Committed 

71,295,400.00 

3.Paid 

67,730,630.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

141,648,773.00 

51,322,702.00 

2.Committed 

141,648,773.00 

45,376,450.61 

Danmark 

3.Paid 

133,363,289.34 

42,806,163.90 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.15 % 

88.41 % 

83.41 % 

94.44 % 

71,295,400.00 

71,295,400.00 

67,730,630.00 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

192,971,475.00 

187,025,223.61 

176,169,453.24 

96.92 % 

91.29 % 

-5,946,251.90 

-5,946,251.90 

1.Decided 

3,247,956,094.00 

509,753,617.00 

3,757,709,711.00 

2.Committed 

3,247,956,097.47 

492,005,399.64 

3,739,961,497.11 

-17,748,218.62 

Deutschland 

3.Paid 

3,073,392,823.74 

482,508,701.28 

3,555,901,525.02 

137,413.60 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.63 % 

96.52 % 

94.66 % 

99.53 % 

94.63 % 

1.Decided 

2,553,579,057.00 

310,304,761.00 

2,863,883,818.00 

2.Committed 

2,553,579,057.00 

288,207,164.39 

2,841,786,221.39 

-22,097,597.42 

España 

3.Paid 

2,373,774,471.34 

284,161,782.33 

2,657,936,253.67 

117,560,912.01 

16,217,709.34 

-17,748,218.62 

137,413.60 

-22,097,597.42 

133,778,621.35 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

92.96 % 

92.88 % 

91.58 % 

France 

1.Decided 

5,701,181,327.00 

800,573,924.00 

2.Committed 

5,701,181,327.09 

769,290,876.96 

3.Paid 

5,413,323,700.72 

748,903,096.22 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

96.09 % 

EN 

99.23 % 

92.81 % 

6,501,755,251.00 

6,470,472,204.05 

6,162,226,796.94 

99.52 % 

123 

-31,283,045.64 

-31,283,045.64 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

% (3)/(1) 

94.95 % 

93.55 % 

1.Decided 

2,721,000,000.00 

2.Committed 

2,721,000,000.00 

Italia 

3.Paid 

2,577,565,023.27 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.73 % 

1.Decided 

28,022,807.00 

2.Committed 

28,022,807.00 

Kypros 

3.Paid 

26,621,666.65 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

44,000,000.00 

2.Committed 

44,000,000.00 

Luxembourg 
(Grand-Duche) 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

41,800,000.00 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

859,000,000.00 

2.Committed 

859,000,000.00 

Nederland 

3.Paid 

812,659,188.62 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.61 % 

Österreich 

1.Decided 

703,654,609.00 

27,525,881.00 

94.78 % 

2,721,000,000.00 

2,721,000,000.00 

2,577,565,023.27 

100.00 % 

94.73 % 

28,022,807.00 

28,022,807.00 

26,621,666.65 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

44,000,000.00 

44,000,000.00 

41,800,000.00 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

859,000,000.00 

859,000,000.00 

812,659,188.62 

64,393,280.74 

64,393,280.74 

100.00 % 

94.61 % 

731,180,490.00 

2.Committed 

702,684,287.36 

26,764,178.31 

729,448,465.67 

-970,321.68 

-761,702.69 

3.Paid 

686,090,507.06 

26,764,178.31 

712,854,685.37 

861,378.51 

614,591.36 

% (2)/(1) 

99.86 % 

97.23 % 

99.76 % 

EN 

124 

-1,732,024.37 

1,475,969.87 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

% (3)/(1) 

97.50 % 

97.23 % 

1.Decided 

37,032,713.00 

Slovenska 
Republica 

2.Committed 

37,032,712.30 

3.Paid 

35,181,077.35 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

412,166,000.00 

117,834,000.00 

2.Committed 

412,166,000.00 

113,244,026.29 

Suomi/Finland 

3.Paid 

391,455,622.29 

111,942,300.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.98 % 

96.10 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

385,979,209.00 

54,020,791.00 

2.Committed 

385,979,209.00 

51,350,420.56 

Sverige 

3.Paid 

367,015,628.40 

51,319,751.45 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.09 % 

95.06 % 

95.00 % 

97.49 % 

37,032,713.00 

37,032,712.30 

35,181,077.35 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

530,000,000.00 

525,410,026.29 

503,397,922.29 

99.13 % 

94.98 % 

440,000,000.00 

437,329,629.56 

418,335,379.85 

335,379.85 

99.39 % 

95.08 % 

-2,670,370.44 

1.Decided 

4,526,079,214.00 

526,806,805.00 

5,052,886,019.00 

United 
Kingdom 

2.Committed 

4,526,079,213.22 

467,729,142.05 

4,993,808,355.27 

-59,077,662.87 

3.Paid 

4,260,713,791.78 

459,621,519.77 

4,720,335,311.55 

25,091,886.33 

16,545,045.91 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.14 % 

88.79 % 

87.25 % 

98.83 % 

93.42 % 

-4,589,973.71 

-4,589,973.71 

-2,670,370.44 

335,379.85 

-59,077,662.87 

41,636,932.24 

Total 

1. Decided 

21,848,909,945.00 

2,446,641,707.00 

24,295,551,652.00 

2.Committed 

21,847,939,625.44 

2,300,168,276.04 

24,148,107,901.48 

-970,321.68 

-

-147,443,753.74 

EN 

125 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 
146,473,432.06 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

3.Paid 

20,654,462,930.95 

2,253,213,375.27 

22,907,676,306.22 

230,456,462.08 

34,336,631.93 

264,793,094.01 

% (2)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.01 % 

% (3)/(1) 

94.53 % 

92.09 % 

99.39 % 

94.29 % 

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM 

Financial implementation 2010: Objective 3 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Belgique-België 

Ceska Republika

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Danmark 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

796,411,294.00

782,680,364.15

755,828,509.38

98.28 %

94.90 %

58,793,363.00

58,793,363.00

55,853,694.85

100.00 %

95.00 %

394,799,249.00

351,748,890.37

319,956,186.59

796,411,294.00

782,680,364.15

755,828,509.38

98.28 %

94.90 %

58,793,363.00

58,793,363.00

55,853,694.85

100.00 %

95.00 %

394,799,249.00

351,748,890.37

319,956,186.59

-13,730,930.36

558,862.40

-13,730,930.36

558,862.40

-28,103,096.22

-28,103,096.22

EN 

126 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Deutschland 

España 

France 

Italia 

Kypros 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

EN 

89.10 %

81.04 %

4,962,511,500.00

4,751,046,400.66

4,714,385,925.00

95.74 %

95.00 %

2,308,473,268.00

2,301,055,144.70

2,182,477,505.21

99.68 %

94.54 %

4,918,097,100.00

4,629,274,760.35

4,629,274,760.35

94.13 %

94.13 %

4,055,805,200.00

4,020,113,792.97

3,850,840,614.65

99.12 %

94.95 %

21,945,197.00

21,945,197.00

20,847,937.15

89.10 %

81.04 %

4,962,511,500.00

4,751,046,400.66

4,714,385,925.00

95.74 %

95.00 %

2,308,473,268.00

2,301,055,144.70

2,182,477,505.21

99.68 %

94.54 %

4,918,097,100.00

4,629,274,760.35

4,629,274,760.35

94.13 %

94.13 %

4,055,805,200.00

4,020,113,792.97

3,850,840,614.65

99.12 %

94.95 %

21,945,197.00

21,945,197.00

20,847,937.15

127 

-211,465,099.34

-211,465,099.34

-7,418,123.70

854,181.82

-288,822,339.65

19,625,424.67

-35,691,407.03

98,072,605.64

-7,418,123.70

854,181.82

-288,822,339.65

19,625,424.67

-35,691,407.03

98,072,605.64

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Luxembourg 
(Grand-Duche) 

Nederland 

Österreich 

Slovenska 
Republica 

Suomi/Finland 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

EN 

100.00 %

95.00 %

31,682,966.00

31,682,966.63

25,990,446.00

100.00 %

82.03 %

1,532,151,433.00

1,532,151,433.00

1,455,543,861.35

100.00 %

95.00 %

571,972,400.00

571,972,400.00

543,373,780.00

100.00 %

95.00 %

37,118,133.00

37,118,134.12

35,262,226.35

100.00 %

95.00 %

436,562,400.00

414,566,233.30

414,566,233.30

100.00 %

95.00 %

31,682,966.00

31,682,966.63

25,990,446.00

100.00 %

82.03 %

1,532,151,433.00

1,532,151,433.00

1,455,543,861.35

100.00 %

95.00 %

571,972,400.00

571,972,400.00

543,373,780.00

100.00 %

95.00 %

37,118,133.00

37,118,134.12

35,262,226.35

100.00 %

95.00 %

436,562,400.00

414,566,233.30

414,566,233.30

2,549,530.50

2,549,530.50

-21,996,166.70

-21,996,166.70

128 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Sverige 

United Kingdom 

94.96 %

94.96 %

779,962,700.00

735,604,240.19

733,578,314.45

94.31 %

94.05 %

4,948,428,900.00

4,705,124,816.69

4,693,741,618.13

95.08 %

94.85 %

94.96 %

94.96 %

779,962,700.00

735,604,240.19

733,578,314.45

94.31 %

94.05 %

4,948,428,900.00

4,705,124,816.69

4,693,741,618.13

95.08 %

94.85 %

-44,371,409.81

-44,371,409.81

-243,304,082.31

107,014,182.41

-243,304,082.31

107,014,182.41

Total 

1. Decided 

25,854,715,103.00

  25,854,715,103.00

2.Committed 

24,944,878,137.13

  24,944,878,137.13

-894,902,655.12

3.Paid 

24,431,521,612.76

  24,431,521,612.76

228,674,787.44

-894,902,655.12

228,674,787.44

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

96.48 %

94.50 %

96.48 %  

94.50 %  

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM 

Financial implementation 2010: Community Initiatives 

EN 

129 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

21,387,345.00 

68,237,842.00 

14,326,747.00 

103,951,934.00 

Belgique-
België 

2.Committed 

21,387,345.62 

62,079,628.20 

14,627,257.00 

3.Paid 

20,317,977.75 

61,804,746.41 

12,115,845.83 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Ceska 
Republika 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

90.98 % 

90.57 % 

102.10 % 

84.57 % 

32,100,930.00 

32,100,929.00 

30,495,883.34 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

5,380,115.00 

30,0428,011.00 

17,300,208.00 

2.Committed 

5,380,115.00 

25,599,382.14 

17,300,208.00 

Danmark 

3.Paid 

5,111,109.25 

24,627,778.43 

16,380,016.89 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

84.13 % 

80.94 % 

100.00 % 

94.68 % 

98,094,230.82 

94,238,569.99 

94.36 % 

90.66 % 

32,100,930.00 

32,100,929.00 

30,495,883.34 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

53,108,334.00 

48,279,705.14 

46,118,904.57 

90.91 % 

86.84 % 

-6,158,210.45 

3,307,552.79 

4.81 

-6,158,210.45

3,307,557.60

-4,414,565.31 

1,118,601.89 

-4,414,565.31

1,118,601.89

1.Decided 

149,639,795.00 

523,585,685.00 

255,874,055.00 

929,099,535.00 

2.Committed 

148,635,680.92 

477,370,553.76 

255,284,372.65 

881,290,607.33 

-1,004,113.42 

-46,215,131.24 

-589,681.60 

Deutschland 

3.Paid 

144,140,156.61 

477,370,553.76 

244,873,682.62 

866,384,392.99 

2,983,595.33 

2,744,695.62 

-47,808,926.26

5,728,290.95

99.77 % 

95.70 % 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

99.33 % 

96.32 % 

91.17 % 

91.17 % 

4,068,097.00 

3,864,692.15 

3,864,692.15 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

94.85 % 

93.25 % 

4,068,097.00 

3,864,692.15 

3,864,692.15 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

-203,404.85 

-203,404.85

130 

EN 

Eesti 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

24,130,374.00 

105,938,327.00 

186,129,877.00 

316,198,578.00 

2.Committed 

24,130,375.81 

105,938,102.00 

186,129,877.00 

Ellada 

3.Paid 

19,528,289.77 

100,641,410.65 

176,823,383.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

80.93 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

316,198,354.81 

296,993,083.42 

100.00 % 

93.93 % 

1.Decided 

114,199,845.00 

511,222,482.00 

497,080,370.00 

1,122,502,697.00 

2.Committed 

114,199,845.00 

467,941,719.75 

497,080,370.00 

1,079,221,934.75 

-43,280,761.26 

España 

3.Paid 

102,248,121.76 

467,941,719.75 

467,847,531.24 

1,038,037,372.75 

1,860,367.67 

8,252,457.24 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

89.53 % 

91.53 % 

91.53 % 

100.00 % 

94.12 % 

1.Decided 

4,324,336,688.00 

cross-

EU 
border 
cooperation 

2.Committed 

4,308,610,350.95 

3.Paid 

4,064,329,672.21 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

99.64 % 

93.99 % 

1.Decided 

18,031,417.00 

2.Committed 

16,276,024.00 

EU 
needs. 

internal 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

16,276,024.00 

90.26 % 

90.26 % 

EU 
Interregional 
cooperation. 

1.Decided 

1,320,811,837.00 

2.Committed 

1,320,811,836.35 

3.Paid 

1,196,962,659.47 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

90.62 % 

EN 

96.14 % 

92.48 % 

4,324,336,688.00 

4,308,610,350.95 

-15,726,336.00 

4,064,329,672.21 

80,460,454.58 

99.64 % 

93.99 % 

18,031,417.00 

-43,280,761.26

10,112,824.91

-15,726,336.00

80,460,454.58

16,276,024.00 

-1,755,393.00 

-1,755,393.00

16,276,024.00 

90.26 % 

90.26 % 

1,320,811,837.00 

1,320,811,836.35 

1,196,962,659.47 

9,845,228.82 

9,845,228.82

100.00 % 

90.62 % 

131 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

102,548,897.00 

287,438,101.00 

259,909,081.00 

649,896,079.00 

2.Committed 

102,066,812.33 

274,755,717.37 

259,909,081.00 

636,731,610.70 

-482,084.67 

-12,682,382.96 

France 

3.Paid 

97,974,887.43 

273,016,214.61 

246,913,626.00 

617,904,728.04 

1,690,778.58 

-13,164,467.63

1,690,778.58

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

99.53 % 

95.54 % 

95.59 % 

94.98 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

5,380,115.00 

34,498,648.00 

45,927,997.00 

2.Committed 

5,380,115.00 

33,024,446.24 

45,927,997.00 

Ireland 

3.Paid 

4,521,094.57 

32,772,223.93 

43,631,597.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

84.03 % 

95.73 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

97.97 % 

95.08 % 

85,806,760.00 

84,332,558.24 

80,924,915.50 

98.28 % 

94.31 % 

1.Decided 

114,065,379.00 

401,364,808.00 

281,553,068.00 

796,983,255.00 

2.Committed 

114,065,379.16 

401,364,808.00 

281,553,068.00 

796,983,255.16 

-1,474,201.76 

-1,474,201.76

Italia 

3.Paid 

107,651,827.15 

375,382,693.35 

248,923,490.14 

731,958,010.64 

1,411,211.50 

9,815,808.35 

533,730.14 

11,760,749.99

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Kypros 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Latvija 

EN 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

94.38 % 

93.53 % 

88.41 % 

1,808,793.00 

1,808,793.00 

1,718,353.35 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

8,025,784.00 

8,024,903.78 

8,024,903.78 

99.99 % 

99.99 % 

100.00 % 

91.84 % 

1,808,793.00 

1,808,793.00 

1,718,353.35 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

8,025,784.00 

8,024,903.78 

8,024,903.78 

99.99 % 

99.99 % 

132 

-880.22 

400,408.98 

-880.22

400,408.98

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Lietuva 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Luxembourg 
(Grand-Duche) 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Magyarország 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Malta 

11,866,395.00 

11,376,778.42 

11,347,602.05 

95.87 % 

95.63 % 

4,048,041.00 

2,137,084.00 

4,048,241.09 

2,137,084.00 

3,551,071.25 

1,991,135.00 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

87.72 % 

93.17 % 

30,292,135.00 

28,777,527.28 

28,777,527.28 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

1,241,163.00 

1,218,073.52 

1,179,104.85 

98.14 % 

95.00 % 

11,866,395.00 

11,376,778.42 

11,347,602.05 

95.87 % 

95.63 % 

6,185,125.00 

6,185,325.09 

5,542,206.25 

100.00 % 

89.61 % 

30,292,135.00 

28,777,527.28 

28,777,527.28 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

1,241,163.00 

1,218,073.52 

1,179,104.85 

98.14 % 

95.00 % 

-489,616.58 

74,526.80 

-489,616.58

74,526.80

591,776.63 

591,776.63

-1,514,607.72 

-1,514,607.72

-23,089.48 

-23,089.48

1.Decided 

30,250,460.00 

158,221,240.00 

81,787,596.00 

270,259,296.00 

2.Committed 

30,250,460.00 

152,960,434.31 

81,787,596.00 

264,998,490.31 

-5,220,909.87 

Nederland 

3.Paid 

27,953,364.17 

120,808,590.54 

77,037,758.00 

225,799,712.71 

1,057,923.46 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

92.41 % 

96.68 % 

76.35 % 

100.00 % 

94.19 % 

98.05 % 

83.55 % 

EN 

133 

-5,220,909.87

1,057,923.46

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

8,526,975.00 

103,801,243.00 

76,833,274.00 

189,161,492.00 

2.Committed 

7,699,937.42 

94,280,831.68 

74,879,475.53 

176,860,244.63 

-827,037.58 

-9,520,411.32 

Österreich 

3.Paid 

7,699,937.42 

94,280,831.68 

74,879,475.53 

176,860,244.63 

1,887,865.53 

-10,347,448.90

1,887,865.53

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Polska 

90.30 % 

90.30 % 

90.83 % 

90.83 % 

97.46 % 

97.46 % 

133,938,206.00 

133,938,206.00 

127,241,295.70 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

93.50 % 

93.50 % 

133,938,206.00 

133,938,206.00 

127,241,295.70 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

1.Decided 

19,456,845.00 

115,809,622.00 

164,453,735.00 

299,720,202.00 

2.Committed 

19,456,845.00 

115,809,622.00 

164,453,735.00 

Portugal 

3.Paid 

16,782,859.71 

110,019,140.90 

156,231,048.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Slovenija 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Slovenska 
Republica 

EN 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

86.26 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

6,165,847.00 

5,351,962.47 

5,351,962.47 

86.80 % 

86.80 % 

22,266,351.00 

22,266,351.00 

21,153,033.45 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

299,720,202.00 

283,033,048.61 

100.00 % 

94.43 % 

6,165,847.00 

5,351,962.47 

5,351,962.47 

86.80 % 

86.80 % 

22,266,351.00 

22,266,351.00 

21,153,033.45 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

-813,884.69 

355,188.96 

-813,884.69

355,188.96

134 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

1.Decided 

5,380,115.00 

73,576,763.00 

56,378,322.00 

135,335,200.00 

2.Committed 

5,380,115.00 

69,897,924.85 

56,378,322.00 

Suomi/Finland 

3.Paid 

4,911,492.23 

69,897,924.85 

47,898,886.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

91.29 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

84.96 % 

131,656,361.85 

122,708,303.08 

97.28 % 

90.67 % 

1.Decided 

5,380,115.00 

87,722,227.00 

41,215,200.00 

134,317,542.00 

2.Committed 

5,380,115.00 

86,334,165.13 

41,215,200.00 

Sverige 

3.Paid 

5,096,390.40 

83,336,115.65 

39,154,439.00 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

94.73 % 

98.42 % 

95.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

132,929,480.13 

127,586,945.05 

98.97 % 

94.99 % 

1.Decided 

126,178,934.00 

406,656,637.00 

114,690,197.00 

647,525,768.00 

-3,678,838.15 

-3,678,838.15

-1,388,061.87 

-1,388,061.87

2.Committed 

126,178,934.00 

405,819,709.32 

114,690,197.00 

646,688,840.32 

-836,927.68 

United 
Kingdom 

3.Paid 

114,136,734.97 

380,808,981.92 

109,470,989.98 

604,416,706.87 

1,058,648.44 

1,157,192.60 

736,241.98 

-836,927.68

2,952,083.02

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

100.00 % 

90.46 % 

99.79 % 

93.64 % 

100.00 % 

95.45 % 

99.87 % 

93.34 % 

Total 

1. Decided 

6,395,085,251.00 

3,164,323,378.00 

2,095,596,811.00 

11,655,005,440.00 

2.Committed 

6,375,290,286.56 

3,025,953,502.46 

2,093,353,840.18 

11,494,597,629.20 

-19,794,964.67 

-
137,915,885.41 

-589,681.60 

-158,300,531.68

3.Paid 

5,955,642,598.87 

2,915,414,356.10 

1,964,172,904.23 

10,835,229,859.20 

100,368,208.38 

15,702,455.11 

15,273,597.21 

131,344,260.70

% (2)/(1) 

99.69 % 

95.63 % 

99.89 % 

% (3)/(1) 

93.13 % 

92.13 % 

93.73 % 

98.62 % 

92.97 % 

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM 

EN 

135 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Financial implementation 2010: Objective F 

Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Belgique-
België 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Danmark 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Deutschland 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

España 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

France 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

EN 

21,309,355.00 

21,309,355.00 

21,309,355.23 

21,309,355.23 

19,600,054.39 

19,600,054.39 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

91.98 % 

91.98 % 

182,587,747.00 

182,587,747.00 

182,587,746.81 

182,587,746.81 

165,065,915.10 

165,065,915.10 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

90.40 % 

90.40 % 

62,992,329.00 

62,992,329.00 

62,992,329.22 

62,992,329.22 

48,850,567.16 

48,850,567.16 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

77.55 % 

77.55 % 

216,600,000.00 

216,600,000.00 

216,600,000.00 

216,600,000.00 

205,770,000.00 

205,770,000.00 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

243,800,000.00 

243,800,000.00 

243,800,000.00 

243,800,000.00 

231,610,000.00 

231,610,000.00 

136 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

Italia 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Kypros 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Nederland 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Österreich 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

Suomi/Finland 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

EN 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

99,734,031.00 

99,734,031.00 

99,734,031.00 

99,734,031.00 

94,747,329.45 

94,747,329.45 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

3,419,073.00 

3,419,073.00 

3,419,073.00 

3,419,073.00 

3,248,119.35 

3,248,119.35 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

95.00 % 

95.00 % 

32,754,732.00 

32,754,732.00 

32,754,732.00 

32,754,732.00 

26,310,085.24 

26,310,085.24 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

80.32 % 

80.32 % 

4,500,000.00 

4,500,000.00 

4,500,000.00 

4,500,000.00 

4,229,726.52 

4,229,726.52 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

93.99 % 

93.99 % 

33,500,000.00 

33,500,000.00 

33,500,000.00 

33,500,000.00 

30,781,875.81 

30,781,875.81 

137 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sum of all transactions, up to 2010, since the beginning of the programming period 
2000-2006 

Financial year: 2010 

Country 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total SF 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

Sverige 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1.Decided 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

United 
Kingdom 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

91.89 % 

91.89 % 

54,014,745.00 

54,014,745.00 

54,014,745.08 

54,014,745.08 

46,721,761.87 

46,721,761.87 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

86.50 % 

86.50 % 

88,913,742.00 

88,913,742.00 

88,913,742.00 

88,913,742.00 

57,770,640.53 

57,770,640.53 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

64.97 % 

64.97 % 

Total 

1. Decided 

1,044,125,754.00 

1,044,125,754.00 

2.Committed 

3.Paid 

% (2)/(1) 

% (3)/(1) 

1,044,125,754.34 

1,044,125,754.34 

934,706,075.42 

934,706,075.42 

100.00 % 

100.00 % 

89.52 % 

89.52 % 

Source: Commission database SFC / ABAC / SINCOM

EN 

138 

EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Part 5: Use of Structural Funds in the 2000-2006 period by Objective and Field of Intervention 

Total (SF) 

Objective 1 (SF) 

1. Productive Environment 
10. Productive Environment 
1. Productive Environment 

1. Productive Environment 
11. Agriculture 
11. Agriculture 
111. Investments in agricultural holdings 
112. Setting up young farmers 
114. Improving processing and marketing of 
agricultural products 

113. Agriculture-specific vocational training 
1182. Meeting standards: use of farm advisory 
services 

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)
222,786,376,488 100.00 %

224,613,432,069 100.00 %

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)
73.15 %

161,740,543,670

162,971,187,791

72.01 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

56,487,988,042
31,267,582
31,267,582

34.93 %
0.06 %
100.00 %

53,523,362,783
37,301,123
37,301,123

32.84 %
0.07 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

56,487,988,042
8,598,071,899
624,878,777
3,871,721,686
1,131,953,445
2,745,575,629

34.93 %
15.22 %
7.27 %
45.03 %
13.17 %
31.93 %

(SF) 

53,523,362,783
8,310,362,907
605,555,023
3,845,974,839
1,112,487,410
2,542,088,091

32.84 %
15.53 %
7.29 %
46.28 %
13.39 %
30.59 %

189,717,003
34,225,359

2.21 %
0.40 %

170,541,178
33,716,365

2.05 %
0.41 %

1. Productive Environment 
12. Forestry 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

56,487,988,042
2,019,003,988

34.93 %
3.57 %

53,523,362,783
2,022,821,403

32.84 %
3.78 %

EN 

139 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
12. Forestry 
122. Improving harvesting, processing and 
marketing of forestry products 

123. Promoting new outlets for the use and 
marketing of forestry products 

124. Establishment of associations of forest 
holders 

125. Restoring forestry production potential 
damaged by natural disasters and fire and 
introducing appropriate prevention instruments 

121. Investments in forest holdings 
128. Forestry-specific vocational training 
126. Planting of non-farm land 
127. Improving and maintaining the ecological 
stability of protected woodlands 

489,706,179
98,323,271

24.25 %
4.87 %

496,913,274
95,763,285

24.57 %
4.73 %

45,188,848

2.24 %

47,321,004

2.34 %

21,638,173

1.07 %

22,484,444

1.11 %

480,045,072

23.78 %

500,315,451

24.73 %

457,344,364
78,351,288
238,157,797
110,248,995

22.65 %
3.88 %
11.80 %
5.46 %

441,210,252
73,608,167
230,780,937
114,424,588

21.81 %
3.64 %
11.41 %
5.66 %

1. Productive Environment 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the 
development of rural areas 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the development 
of rural areas 

1301. Land improvement 
1302. Reparcelling 
1303. Setting up of farm relief and farm 
management services 

1304. Marketing of quality agricultural products 
1305. Basic services for the rural economy and 
population 

1306. Renovation and development of villages and 
protection and conservation of the rural heritage 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

56,487,988,042
10,479,070,105

34.93 %
18.55 %

53,523,362,783
10,207,048,186

32.84 %
19.07 %

876,085,410

8.36 %

808,787,592

7.92 %

189,958,209
550,740,342
160,279,871

179,406,269
332,988,448

1.81 %
5.26 %
1.53 %

1.71 %
3.18 %

182,528,935
537,456,537
161,142,784

170,914,466
318,870,724

1.79 %
5.27 %
1.58 %

1.67 %
3.12 %

2,100,281,868

20.04 %

2,078,691,574

20.37 %

EN 

140 

EN 

 
  
 
1307. Diversification of agricultural activities and 
activities close to agriculture, to provide multiple 
activities or alternative incomes 

1308. Agricultural water resources management 
1309. Development and improvement of 
infrastructire connected with the development of 
agriculture 

1310. Encouragement for tourist activities 
1311. Encouragement for craft activities 
1312. Preservation of the environment 
inconnection with land, forestry and landscape 
conservation as well as with the improvement of 
animal welfare 

1313. Restoring agricultural production potential 
damaged by natural disaters and introducing 
appropriate prevention instruments 

488,653,279

4.66 %

435,767,731

4.27 %

2,160,194,076
1,602,667,446

20.61 %
15.29 %

1,963,193,733
1,662,351,611

19.23 %
16.29 %

391,948,168
434,892,992
702,630,596

3.74 %
4.15 %
6.71 %

392,143,441
439,991,424
739,103,963

3.84 %
4.31 %
7.24 %

250,798,235

2.39 %

246,372,607

2.41 %

1314. Financial engineering 
1399. LEADER+ 

43,178,009
14,366,887

0.41 %
0.14 %

52,088,325
17,642,740

0.51 %
0.17 %

1. Productive Environment 
14. Fisheries 
14. Fisheries 
141. Adjustment of the fishing effort 
142. Renewal and modernisation of the fishing 
fleet 

143. Processing, marketing and promoting of 
fisheries products 

144. Aquaculture 
145. Equipment of the fishing ports and protection 
of the coastal marine zones 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

56,487,988,042
2,920,327,130
57,551,432
431,621,728
518,781,002

34.93 %
5.17 %
1.97 %
14.78 %
17.76 %

(SF) 

53,523,362,783
2,622,680,891
37,245,090
430,688,651
465,161,674

32.84 %
4.64 %
64.72 %
99.78 %
89.66 %

630,943,772

21.61 %

567,353,980

89.92 %

337,670,049
390,106,792

11.56 %
13.36 %

286,409,977
289,250,975

84.82 %
74.15 %

EN 

141 

EN 

 
  
 
146. Socio-economic measures (including aids to 
the temporary stopping and compensation for 
technical restrictions) 

147. Actions by professionals (including 
vocational training, small coastal fishing) 

148. Measures financed by other Structural Funds 
(ERDF, ESF) 

339,915,760

11.64 %

346,157,608

101.84 %

110,922,865

3.80 %

104,522,971

94.23 %

102,813,729

3.52 %

95,889,965

93.27 %

1. Productive Environment 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
151. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

152. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

153. Business advisory services (including 
internationalisation, exporting and environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

154. Services to stakeholders (health and safety, 
providing care for dependants) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

56,487,988,042
4,364,959,091
438,279,245
2,847,969,052

34.93 %
7.73 %
10.04 %
65.25 %

(SF) 

53,523,362,783
4,380,849,014
446,090,015
2,789,482,851

32.84 %
8.18 %
10.18 %
63.67 %

358,284,408

8.21 %

376,522,000

8.59 %

504,032,744

11.55 %

569,202,976

12.99 %

56,297,890

1.29 %

56,559,585

1.29 %

155. Financial engineering 

160,095,751

3.67 %

142,991,587

3.26 %

1. Productive Environment 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
161. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

162. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

56,487,988,042
15,020,123,741
763,725,373
7,896,909,788

34.93 %
26.59 %
5.08 %
52.58 %

(SF) 

53,523,362,783
15,061,255,464
763,008,954
7,954,433,027

32.84 %
28.14 %
5.07 %
52.81 %

811,331,951

5.40 %

845,393,174

5.61 %

EN 

142 

EN 

 
  
 
 
163. Business advisory services (information, 
business planning, consultancy services, 
marketing, management, design, 
internationalisation, exporting, environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

164. Shared business services (business estates, 
incubator units, stimulation, promotional services, 
networking, conferences, trade fairs) 

165. Financial engineering 
166. Services in support of the social economy 
(providing care for dependents, health and safety, 
cultural activities) 

1,747,059,287

11.63 %

1,786,552,276

11.86 %

2,004,489,982

13.35 %

2,050,083,341

13.61 %

1,087,944,964
300,677,117

7.24 %
2.00 %

1,032,987,005
296,445,911

6.86 %
1.97 %

167. Vocational training 

407,985,278

2.72 %

332,351,776

2.21 %

1. Productive Environment 
17. Tourism 
17. Tourism 
171. Physical investment (information centres, 
tourist accommodation, catering, facilities) 

172. Non-physical investments (development and 
provision of tourist services, sporting, cultural and 
leisure activities, heritage) 

173. Shared services for the tourism industry 
(including promotional activities, networking, 
conferences and trade fairs) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

56,487,988,042
5,141,814,509
572,532,726
3,113,182,196

34.93 %
9.10 %
11.13 %
60.55 %

(SF) 

53,523,362,783
5,251,164,642
588,123,456
3,188,415,411

32.84 %
9.81 %
11.20 %
60.72 %

681,891,664

13.26 %

673,632,187

12.83 %

613,587,949

11.93 %

628,374,789

11.97 %

174. Vocational training 

160,619,973

3.12 %

172,618,799

3.29 %

1. Productive Environment 
18. Research, technological development and 

56,487,988,042
7,913,349,997

34.93 %
14.01 %

53,523,362,783
8,083,212,797

32.84 %
15.10 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

143 

EN 

 
  
 
 
innovation (RTDI) 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 

181. Research projects based in universities and 
research institutes 

182. Innovation and technology transfers, 
establishment of networks and partnerships 
between businesses and/or research institutes 

533,631,025

6.74 %

529,774,352

6.55 %

1,939,709,568

24.51 %

2,008,760,563

24.85 %

2,640,461,537

33.37 %

2,667,431,925

33.00 %

183. RTDI Infrastructure 
184. Training for researchers 

2,445,597,218
353,950,649

30.90 %
4.47 %

2,523,955,651
353,290,306

31.22 %
4.37 %

2. Human Resources 
20. Human Resources 
2. Human Resources 

2. Human Resources 
21. Labour market policy 
21. Labour market policy 

2. Human Resources 
22. Social inclusion 
22. Social inclusion 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

36,469,898,378
98,582,302
98,582,302

22.55 %
0.27 %
100.00 %

37,006,528,445
93,712,100
93,712,100

22.71 %
0.25 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

36,469,898,378
11,169,905,319
11,169,905,319

22.55 %
30.63 %
100.00 %

37,006,528,445
11,446,763,293
11,446,763,293

22.71 %
30.93 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

36,469,898,378
4,902,656,985
4,902,656,985

22.55 %
13.44 %
100.00 %

37,006,528,445
4,934,542,032
4,934,542,032

22.71 %
13.33 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2. Human Resources 
23. Developing educational and vocational 

36,469,898,378
11,376,619,570

22.55 %
31.19 %

37,006,528,445
11,553,614,983

22.71 %
31.22 %

EN 

144 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
training (persons, firms) 
23. Developing educational and vocational training 
(persons, firms) 

11,376,619,570

100.00 %

11,553,614,983

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial 
activity, innovation, information and 
communication technologies (persons, firms) 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial activity, 
innovation, information and communication 
technologies (persons, firms) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

36,469,898,378
7,010,515,844

22.55 %
19.22 %

37,006,528,445
7,048,424,640

22.71 %
19.05 %

7,010,515,844

100.00 %

7,048,424,640

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 

36,469,898,378
1,911,618,359
1,911,618,359

22.55 %
5.24 %
100.00 %

37,006,528,445
1,929,471,398
1,929,471,398

22.71 %
5.21 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
30. Basic Infrastructure 
3. Basic Infrastructure 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
311. Rail 
3121. National roads 

EN 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

65,085,431,094
4,997,238
4,997,238

40.24 %
0.01 %
100.00 %

69,081,841,854
5,197,480
5,197,480

42.39 %
0.01 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

65,085,431,094
32,460,747,092
477,381,715
7,537,857,661
2,267,519,323

40.24 %
49.87 %
1.47 %
23.22 %
6.99 %

145 

(SF) 

69,081,841,854
35,170,514,692
473,347,241
8,382,170,576
2,626,505,142

42.39 %
50.91 %
1.35 %
23.83 %
7.47 %

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
3122. Regional/local roads 
3123. Cycle tracks 
312. Roads 
313. Motorways 
314. Airports 
315. Ports 
316. Waterways 
317. Urban Transport 
318. Multimodal Transport 
319. Intelligent Transport Systems 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 

321. Basic infrastructure 
322. Information and Communication Technology 
(including security and safe transmission 
measures) 

323. Services and applications for the citizen 
(health, administration, education) 

324. Services and applications for SMEs 
(electronic commerce and transactions, education 
and training, networking) 

2,767,047,249
33,401,364
9,199,064,879
4,305,893,031
915,485,819
1,437,264,597
79,523,156
2,070,842,642
940,816,936
428,648,719

8.52 %
0.10 %
28.34 %
13.26 %
2.82 %
4.43 %
0.24 %
6.38 %
2.90 %
1.32 %

3,013,880,040
36,433,745
9,999,151,451
4,521,233,178
1,057,556,866
1,488,139,879
82,636,316
2,062,894,496
993,205,357
433,360,407

8.57 %
0.10 %
28.43 %
12.86 %
3.01 %
4.23 %
0.23 %
5.87 %
2.82 %
1.23 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

65,085,431,094
5,568,003,450

40.24 %
8.55 %

69,081,841,854
5,759,206,450

42.39 %
8.34 %

335,924,949

6.03 %

357,386,810

6.21 %

998,129,349
1,463,126,644

17.93 %
26.28 %

1,052,588,350
1,483,630,045

18.28 %
25.76 %

1,831,855,673

32.90 %

1,884,457,449

32.72 %

938,966,835

16.86 %

981,143,795

17.04 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, 
delivery) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

65,085,431,094
1,355,363,505

40.24 %
2.08 %

69,081,841,854
1,334,285,235

42.39 %
1.93 %

EN 

146 

EN 

 
  
 
 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, delivery) 
331. Electricity, gas, petrol, solid fuel 
332. Renewable sources of energy (solar power, 
wind power, hydro-electricity, biomass) 

333. Energy efficiency, cogeneration, energy 
control 

384,203,715
357,302,037
379,311,638

28.35 %
26.36 %
27.99 %

391,055,077
359,768,002
362,446,895

29.31 %
26.96 %
27.16 %

234,546,114

17.31 %

221,015,261

16.56 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including 
water) 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including water)
341. Air 
342. Noise 
343. Urban and industrial waste (including hospital 
and dangerous waste) 

344. Drinking water (collection, storage, treatment 
and distribution) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

65,085,431,094
10,360,323,077

40.24 %
15.92 %

69,081,841,854
10,731,115,326

42.39 %
15.53 %

2,070,332,225
280,869,612
44,736,817
1,315,569,362

19.98 %
2.71 %
0.43 %
12.70 %

2,106,486,382
281,814,983
45,084,324
1,381,808,498

19.63 %
2.63 %
0.42 %
12.88 %

2,832,897,955

27.34 %

2,874,170,855

26.78 %

345. Sewerage and purification 

3,815,917,107

36.83 %

4,041,750,284

37.66 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
351. Upgrading and Rehabilitation of industrial 
and military sites 

352. Rehabilitation of urban areas 
353. Protection, improvement and regeneration of 
the natural environment 

354. Maintenance and restoration of the cultural 
heritage 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

65,085,431,094
8,888,625,815
204,820,245
1,194,182,796

40.24 %
13.66 %
2.30 %
13.43 %

(SF) 

69,081,841,854
9,193,437,700
209,344,327
1,192,660,878

42.39 %
13.31 %
2.28 %
12.97 %

3,291,314,250
2,459,235,873

37.03 %
27.67 %

3,485,282,008
2,451,378,498

37.91 %
26.66 %

1,739,072,652

19.57 %

1,854,771,989

20.17 %

EN 

147 

EN 

 
  
 
 
3. Basic Infrastructure 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 

65,085,431,094
6,447,370,917
6,447,370,917

40.24 %
9.91 %
100.00 %

69,081,841,854
6,888,084,970
6,888,084,970

42.39 %
9.97 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4. Miscelllaneous 
40. Miscelllaneous 
4. Miscelllaneous 

4. Miscelllaneous 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 

411. Preparation, implementation, monitoring, 
publicity 

412. Evaluation 
413. Studies 
414. Innovative actions 
415. Information to the public 

4. Miscelllaneous 
49.  
499. Data not available 

EN 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,697,226,155
256,519,006
256,519,006

2.29 %
6.94 %
100.00 %

3,359,454,710
286,203,280
286,203,280

2.06 %
8.52 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,697,226,155
2,978,327,631

2.29 %
80.56 %

3,359,454,710
2,621,039,212

2.06 %
78.02 %

568,552,064

19.09 %

455,350,740

17.37 %

1,147,303,437

38.52 %

1,077,880,401

41.12 %

227,627,985
658,644,114
182,465,288
193,734,742

7.64 %
22.11 %
6.13 %
6.50 %

208,238,186
603,265,660
89,336,047
186,968,178

7.94 %
23.02 %
3.41 %
7.13 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,697,226,155
462,379,518
462,379,518

2.29 %
12.51 %
100.00 %

3,359,454,710
452,212,218
452,212,218

2.06 %
13.46 %
100.00 %

148 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
Objective 2 (SF) 

1. Productive Environment 
10. Productive Environment 
1. Productive Environment 

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)
10.66 %

23,754,059,201

24,295,551,652

10.82 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

13,458,381,153
8,008,875
8,008,875

55.39 %
0.06 %
100.00 %

13,020,352,807
7,924,553
7,924,553

54.81 %
0.06 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

1. Productive Environment 
11. Agriculture 
11. Agriculture 
112. Setting up young farmers 
113. Agriculture-specific vocational training 

13,458,381,153
29,318,825
6,298,307
8,168,382
14,852,136

55.39 %
0.22 %
21.48 %
27.86 %
50.66 %

(SF) 

13,020,352,807
27,233,185
5,802,777
6,950,963
14,479,445

54.81 %
0.21 %
21.31 %
25.52 %
53.17 %

1. Productive Environment 
12. Forestry 
123. Promoting new outlets for the use and 
marketing of forestry products 

128. Forestry-specific vocational training 
127. Improving and maintaining the ecological 
stability of protected woodlands 

1. Productive Environment 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the 
development of rural areas 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

13,458,381,153
9,601,560
353,218

55.39 %
0.07 %
3.68 %

13,020,352,807
10,065,662
407,849

54.81 %
0.08 %
4.05 %

5,167,142
4,081,201

53.82 %
42.51 %

5,308,087
4,349,726

52.73 %
43.21 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

13,458,381,153
591,784,017

55.39 %
4.40 %

13,020,352,807
580,733,562

54.81 %
4.46 %

EN 

149 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the development 
of rural areas 

1301. Land improvement 
1302. Reparcelling 
1304. Marketing of quality agricultural products 
1305. Basic services for the rural economy and 
population 

1306. Renovation and development of villages and 
protection and conservation of the rural heritage 

1307. Diversification of agricultural activities and 
activities close to agriculture, to provide multiple 
activities or alternative incomes 

1308. Agricultural water resources management 
1309. Development and improvement of 
infrastructire connected with the development of 
agriculture 

1310. Encouragement for tourist activities 
1311. Encouragement for craft activities 
1312. Preservation of the environment 
inconnection with land, forestry and landscape 
conservation as well as with the improvement of 
animal welfare 

81,367,577

13.75 %

79,688,852

13.72 %

2,640,677
7,727,620
1,141,974
58,585,548

0.45 %
1.31 %
0.19 %
9.90 %

2,600,971
6,642,731
1,132,719
55,841,300

0.45 %
1.14 %
0.20 %
9.62 %

204,851,425

34.62 %

202,462,970

34.86 %

11,498,154

1.94 %

10,875,293

1.87 %

9,929,872
34,664,176

1.68 %
5.86 %

9,699,910
31,963,696

1.67 %
5.50 %

51,694,452
15,891,092
109,450,725

8.74 %
2.69 %
18.50 %

55,641,038
15,022,746
106,853,581

9.58 %
2.59 %
18.40 %

1314. Financial engineering 

2,340,726

0.40 %

2,307,757

0.40 %

1. Productive Environment 
14. Fisheries 
14. Fisheries 
145. Equipment of the fishing ports and protection 
of the coastal marine zones 

148. Measures financed by other Structural Funds 
(ERDF, ESF) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

13,458,381,153
12,751,774
4,573,486
1,900,470

55.39 %
0.09 %
35.87 %
14.90 %

(SF) 

13,020,352,807
12,732,091
4,684,075
1,850,095

54.81 %
0.10 %
36.79 %
14.53 %

6,277,819

49.23 %

6,197,921

48.68 %

EN 

150 

EN 

 
  
 
1. Productive Environment 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
151. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

152. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

153. Business advisory services (including 
internationalisation, exporting and environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

154. Services to stakeholders (health and safety, 
providing care for dependants) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

13,458,381,153
560,852,368
41,035,409
431,271,473

55.39 %
4.17 %
7.32 %
76.90 %

(SF) 

13,020,352,807
543,053,639
39,523,715
418,978,966

54.81 %
4.17 %
7.28 %
77.15 %

26,171,118

4.67 %

24,611,320

4.53 %

32,395,097

5.78 %

31,866,566

5.87 %

330,749

0.06 %

250,783

0.05 %

155. Financial engineering 

29,648,522

5.29 %

27,822,288

5.12 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

13,458,381,153
7,484,106,293
1,125,681,491
1,950,219,380

55.39 %
55.61 %
15.04 %
26.06 %

(SF) 

13,020,352,807
7,094,157,259
1,067,051,310
1,943,754,002

54.81 %
54.49 %
15.04 %
27.40 %

298,784,199

3.99 %

286,038,676

4.03 %

1,358,855,903

18.16 %

1,219,352,501

17.19 %

1. Productive Environment 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
161. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

162. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

163. Business advisory services (information, 
business planning, consultancy services, 
marketing, management, design, 
internationalisation, exporting, environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

EN 

151 

EN 

 
  
 
 
164. Shared business services (business estates, 
incubator units, stimulation, promotional services, 
networking, conferences, trade fairs) 

165. Financial engineering 
166. Services in support of the social economy 
(providing care for dependents, health and safety, 
cultural activities) 

1,647,734,223

22.02 %

1,553,049,174

21.89 %

488,597,562
382,570,955

6.53 %
5.11 %

446,240,108
365,286,193

6.29 %
5.15 %

167. Vocational training 

231,662,581

3.10 %

213,385,295

3.01 %

1. Productive Environment 
17. Tourism 
17. Tourism 
171. Physical investment (information centres, 
tourist accommodation, catering, facilities) 

172. Non-physical investments (development and 
provision of tourist services, sporting, cultural and 
leisure activities, heritage) 

173. Shared services for the tourism industry 
(including promotional activities, networking, 
conferences and trade fairs) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

13,458,381,153
2,269,394,363
268,978,354
1,397,406,167

55.39 %
16.86 %
11.85 %
61.58 %

(SF) 

13,020,352,807
2,300,508,411
266,241,830
1,426,212,546

54.81 %
17.67 %
11.57 %
62.00 %

369,775,600

16.29 %

376,407,890

16.36 %

198,632,162

8.75 %

197,144,733

8.57 %

174. Vocational training 

34,602,080

1.52 %

34,501,413

1.50 %

1. Productive Environment 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 

181. Research projects based in universities and 
research institutes 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

13,458,381,153
2,492,563,077

55.39 %
18.52 %

13,020,352,807
2,443,944,445

54.81 %
18.77 %

251,824,729

10.10 %

237,688,200

9.73 %

646,131,144

25.92 %

651,332,911

26.65 %

EN 

152 

EN 

 
  
 
 
182. Innovation and technology transfers, 
establishment of networks and partnerships 
between businesses and/or research institutes 

183. RTDI Infrastructure 
184. Training for researchers 

2. Human Resources 
20. Human Resources 
2. Human Resources 

2. Human Resources 
21. Labour market policy 
21. Labour market policy 

2. Human Resources 
22. Social inclusion 
22. Social inclusion 

2. Human Resources 
23. Developing educational and vocational 
training (persons, firms) 
23. Developing educational and vocational training 
(persons, firms) 

896,703,558

35.98 %

867,970,928

35.52 %

680,701,648
17,201,998

27.31 %
0.69 %

670,264,945
16,687,461

27.43 %
0.68 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,554,162,327
124,208,021
124,208,021

10.51 %
4.86 %
100.00 %

2,373,462,215
114,878,748
114,878,748

9.99 %
4.84 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,554,162,327
448,555,744
448,555,744

10.51 %
17.56 %
100.00 %

2,373,462,215
426,978,207
426,978,207

9.99 %
17.99 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,554,162,327
486,445,817
486,445,817

10.51 %
19.05 %
100.00 %

2,373,462,215
451,494,454
451,494,454

9.99 %
19.02 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,554,162,327
550,104,122

10.51 %
21.54 %

2,373,462,215
520,956,206

9.99 %
21.95 %

550,104,122

100.00 %

520,956,206

100.00 %

EN 

153 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
2. Human Resources 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial 
activity, innovation, information and 
communication technologies (persons, firms) 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial activity, 
innovation, information and communication 
technologies (persons, firms) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,554,162,327
807,932,364

10.51 %
31.63 %

2,373,462,215
730,122,190

9.99 %
30.76 %

807,932,364

100.00 %

730,122,190

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 

2,554,162,327
136,916,260
136,916,260

10.51 %
5.36 %
100.00 %

2,373,462,215
129,032,410
129,032,410

9.99 %
5.44 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
30. Basic Infrastructure 
3. Basic Infrastructure 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
311. Rail 
3121. National roads 
3122. Regional/local roads 
3123. Cycle tracks 
312. Roads 
313. Motorways 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

7,107,138,025
211,368,935
211,368,935

29.25 %
2.97 %
100.00 %

7,253,049,121
211,043,330
211,043,330

30.53 %
2.91 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

7,107,138,025
1,392,257,454
202,993,864
186,506,019
84,057,511
113,756,195
17,740,150
147,983,968
10,927,125

29.25 %
19.59 %
14.58 %
13.40 %
6.04 %
8.17 %
1.27 %
10.63 %
0.78 %

(SF) 

7,253,049,121
1,461,447,033
195,119,250
219,776,807
98,694,375
126,659,820
18,567,108
151,894,320
10,693,475

30.53 %
20.15 %
13.35 %
15.04 %
6.75 %
8.67 %
1.27 %
10.39 %
0.73 %

EN 

154 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
314. Airports 
315. Ports 
316. Waterways 
317. Urban Transport 
318. Multimodal Transport 
319. Intelligent Transport Systems 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 

321. Basic infrastructure 
322. Information and Communication Technology 
(including security and safe transmission 
measures) 

323. Services and applications for the citizen 
(health, administration, education) 

324. Services and applications for SMEs 
(electronic commerce and transactions, education 
and training, networking) 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, 
delivery) 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, delivery) 
331. Electricity, gas, petrol, solid fuel 
332. Renewable sources of energy (solar power, 
wind power, hydro-electricity, biomass) 

13,967,232
256,981,424
18,424,341
93,621,532
239,463,913
5,834,180

1.00 %
18.46 %
1.32 %
6.72 %
17.20 %
0.42 %

15,961,956
266,914,002
18,798,787
91,691,433
240,842,690
5,833,011

1.09 %
18.26 %
1.29 %
6.27 %
16.48 %
0.40 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

7,107,138,025
764,490,511

29.25 %
10.76 %

7,253,049,121
755,536,264

30.53 %
10.42 %

168,840,590

22.09 %

167,930,789

22.23 %

126,553,522
134,944,954

16.55 %
17.65 %

128,374,234
127,358,793

16.99 %
16.86 %

137,471,409

17.98 %

134,696,388

17.83 %

196,680,035

25.73 %

197,176,060

26.10 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

7,107,138,025
211,106,115

29.25 %
2.97 %

7,253,049,121
200,070,853

30.53 %
2.76 %

37,214,846
28,072,357
84,977,367

17.63 %
13.30 %
40.25 %

36,469,488
27,766,329
77,661,828

18.23 %
13.88 %
38.82 %

EN 

155 

EN 

 
  
 
 
333. Energy efficiency, cogeneration, energy 
control 

60,841,545

28.82 %

58,173,207

29.08 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including 
water) 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including water)
341. Air 
342. Noise 
343. Urban and industrial waste (including hospital 
and dangerous waste) 

344. Drinking water (collection, storage, treatment 
and distribution) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

7,107,138,025
1,006,746,732

29.25 %
14.17 %

7,253,049,121
1,062,283,473

30.53 %
14.65 %

306,454,041
39,873,502
7,550,801
141,038,835

30.44 %
3.96 %
0.75 %
14.01 %

309,280,718
39,754,827
7,880,504
154,872,496

29.11 %
3.74 %
0.74 %
14.58 %

214,185,759

21.28 %

227,500,281

21.42 %

345. Sewerage and purification 

297,643,794

29.56 %

322,994,647

30.41 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
351. Upgrading and Rehabilitation of industrial 
and military sites 

352. Rehabilitation of urban areas 
353. Protection, improvement and regeneration of 
the natural environment 

354. Maintenance and restoration of the cultural 
heritage 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

7,107,138,025
3,239,499,657
319,004,320
1,002,540,063

29.25 %
45.58 %
9.85 %
30.95 %

(SF) 

7,253,049,121
3,277,795,362
323,262,133
980,607,514

30.53 %
45.19 %
9.86 %
29.92 %

1,244,630,466
371,781,062

38.42 %
11.48 %

1,268,198,421
389,728,238

38.69 %
11.89 %

301,543,747

9.31 %

315,999,055

9.64 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 

7,107,138,025

29.25 %

7,253,049,121

30.53 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

156 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 

281,668,621
281,668,621

3.96 %
100.00 %

284,872,805
284,872,805

3.93 %
100.00 %

4. Miscelllaneous 
40. Miscelllaneous 
4. Miscelllaneous 

4. Miscelllaneous 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 

411. Preparation, implementation, monitoring, 
publicity 

412. Evaluation 
413. Studies 
414. Innovative actions 
415. Information to the public 

4. Miscelllaneous 
49.  
499. Data not available 

Objective 3 (SF) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1,175,870,147
37,027,783
37,027,783

4.84 %
3.15 %
100.00 %

1,107,195,058
36,904,678
36,904,678

4.66 %
3.33 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1,175,870,147
489,454,815

4.84 %
41.62 %

1,107,195,058
431,281,087

4.66 %
38.95 %

166,544,041

34.03 %

140,649,595

32.61 %

186,648,717

38.13 %

168,236,431

39.01 %

32,307,090
68,001,879
15,174,055
20,779,032

6.60 %
13.89 %
3.10 %
4.25 %

26,330,942
64,011,763
14,145,071
17,907,286

6.11 %
14.84 %
3.28 %
4.15 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1,175,870,147
649,387,549
649,387,549

4.84 %
55.23 %
100.00 %

1,107,195,058
639,009,292
639,009,292

4.66 %
57.71 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)
11.17 %

25,854,715,103

24,895,087,309

11.51 %

EN 

157 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
1. Productive Environment 
11. Agriculture 
113. Agriculture-specific vocational training 

142,037,033
28,076,240
28,076,240

0.55 %
19.77 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

1. Productive Environment 
12. Forestry 
128. Forestry-specific vocational training 

142,037,033
28,720,765
28,720,765

0.55 %
20.22 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

140,916,955
28,354,195
28,354,195

0.57 %
20.12 %
100.00 %

(SF) 

140,916,955
28,945,753
28,945,753

0.57 %
20.54 %
100.00 %

1. Productive Environment 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the 
development of rural areas 
1303. Setting up of farm relief and farm 
management services 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

142,037,033
644,525

0.55 %
0.45 %

140,916,955
591,558

0.57 %
0.42 %

644,525

100.00 %

591,558

100.00 %

1. Productive Environment 
14. Fisheries 
148. Measures financed by other Structural Funds 
(ERDF, ESF) 

142,037,033
644,525
644,525

0.55 %
0.45 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

140,916,955
591,558
591,558

0.57 %
0.42 %
100.00 %

1. Productive Environment 
15. Assisting large business organisations 

142,037,033
5,346,565

0.55 %
3.76 %

140,916,955
4,965,820

0.57 %
3.52 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

158 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
153. Business advisory services (including 
internationalisation, exporting and environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

5,346,565

100.00 %

4,965,820

100.00 %

1. Productive Environment 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
163. Business advisory services (information, 
business planning, consultancy services, 
marketing, management, design, 
internationalisation, exporting, environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

164. Shared business services (business estates, 
incubator units, stimulation, promotional services, 
networking, conferences, trade fairs) 

165. Financial engineering 
166. Services in support of the social economy 
(providing care for dependents, health and safety, 
cultural activities) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

142,037,033
36,000,905
5,346,565

0.55 %
25.35 %
14.85 %

(SF) 

140,916,955
35,686,245
4,965,820

0.57 %
25.32 %
13.92 %

644,525

1.79 %

591,558

1.66 %

644,525
644,525

1.79 %
1.79 %

591,558
591,558

1.66 %
1.66 %

167. Vocational training 

28,720,765

79.78 %

28,945,753

81.11 %

1. Productive Environment 
17. Tourism 
173. Shared services for the tourism industry 
(including promotional activities, networking, 
conferences and trade fairs) 

142,037,033
29,365,290
644,525

0.55 %
20.67 %
2.19 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

140,916,955
29,537,310
591,558

0.57 %
20.96 %
2.00 %

174. Vocational training 

28,720,765

97.81 %

28,945,753

98.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

159 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
1. Productive Environment 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 
181. Research projects based in universities and 
research institutes 

182. Innovation and technology transfers, 
establishment of networks and partnerships 
between businesses and/or research institutes 

142,037,033
13,238,218

0.55 %
9.32 %

140,916,955
12,244,516

0.57 %
8.69 %

8,294,893

62.66 %

7,828,918

63.94 %

2,579,280

19.48 %

2,294,425

18.74 %

184. Training for researchers 

2,364,045

17.86 %

2,121,174

17.32 %

2. Human Resources 
20. Human Resources 
2. Human Resources 

2. Human Resources 
21. Labour market policy 
21. Labour market policy 

2. Human Resources 
22. Social inclusion 
22. Social inclusion 

2. Human Resources 
23. Developing educational and vocational 
training (persons, firms) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

25,101,436,032
37,610,300
37,610,300

97.09 %
0.15 %
100.00 %

24,216,762,127
23,207,045
23,207,045

97.28 %
0.10 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

25,101,436,032
7,504,037,832
7,504,037,832

97.09 %
29.89 %
100.00 %

24,216,762,127
7,372,490,798
7,372,490,798

97.28 %
30.44 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

25,101,436,032
5,342,018,070
5,342,018,070

97.09 %
21.28 %
100.00 %

24,216,762,127
4,987,349,620
4,987,349,620

97.28 %
20.59 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

25,101,436,032
5,710,121,732

97.09 %
22.75 %

24,216,762,127
5,503,967,416

97.28 %
22.73 %

EN 

160 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
23. Developing educational and vocational training 
(persons, firms) 

5,710,121,732

100.00 %

5,503,967,416

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial 
activity, innovation, information and 
communication technologies (persons, firms) 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial activity, 
innovation, information and communication 
technologies (persons, firms) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

25,101,436,032
4,846,891,516

97.09 %
19.31 %

24,216,762,127
4,762,108,446

97.28 %
19.66 %

4,846,891,516

100.00 %

4,762,108,446

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 

25,101,436,032
1,660,756,583
1,660,756,583

97.09 %
6.62 %
100.00 %

24,216,762,127
1,567,638,801
1,567,638,801

97.28 %
6.47 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 
322. Information and Communication Technology 
(including security and safe transmission 
measures) 

323. Services and applications for the citizen 
(health, administration, education) 

324. Services and applications for SMEs 
(electronic commerce and transactions, education 
and training, networking) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

92,568,775
86,162,295

0.36 %
93.08 %

92,914,751
86,837,258

0.37 %
93.46 %

28,720,765

33.33 %

28,945,753

33.33 %

28,720,765

33.33 %

28,945,753

33.33 %

28,720,765

33.33 %

28,945,753

33.33 %

EN 

161 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
3. Basic Infrastructure 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 

92,568,775
6,406,480
6,406,480

0.36 %
6.92 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

92,914,751
6,077,493
6,077,493

0.37 %
6.54 %
100.00 %

4. Miscelllaneous 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 

411. Preparation, implementation, monitoring, 
publicity 

412. Evaluation 
413. Studies 
414. Innovative actions 
415. Information to the public 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2.01 %
518,673,263
518,673,263 100.00 %

1.79 %
444,493,475
444,493,475 100.00 %

436,206,490

84.10 %

371,947,869

83.68 %

41,724,453

8.04 %

40,701,354

9.16 %

6,135,011
5,937,976
11,283,857
17,385,475

1.18 %
1.14 %
2.18 %
3.35 %

3,922,386
4,316,526
9,689,846
13,915,495

0.88 %
0.97 %
2.18 %
3.13 %

Objective F (SF) 

1,044,125,754

0.46 %

912,638,218

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)

1. Productive Environment 
14. Fisheries 
141. Adjustment of the fishing effort 
142. Renewal and modernisation of the fishing 
fleet 

143. Processing, marketing and promoting of 
fisheries products 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

964,954,640
92.42 %
964,954,640 100.00 %
17.79 %
171,685,278
17.50 %
168,852,388

(SF) 

850,678,152
850,678,152
168,824,292
141,393,192

93.21 %
88.16 %
19.84 %
16.62 %

258,141,196

26.75 %

220,933,474

25.97 %

144. Aquaculture 

53,467,390

5.54 %

45,678,345

5.4 %

EN 

162 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
145. Equipment of the fishing ports and protection 
of the coastal marine zones 

146. Socio-economic measures (including aids to 
the temporary stopping and compensation for 
technical restrictions) 

147. Actions by professionals (including 
vocational training, small coastal fishing) 

162,726,258

16.86 %

142,137,472

16.71 %

27,070,729

2.81 %

25,984,224

3.05 %

123,011,401

12.75 %

105,727,152

12.43 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4. Miscelllaneous 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 

411. Preparation, implementation, monitoring, 
publicity 

413. Studies 
414. Innovative actions 
415. Information to the public 

79,171,114
7.58 %
79,171,114 100.00 %

12,583,072

15.89 %

6,599,303

8.34 %

2,515,727
57,158,546
314,466

3.18 %
72.20 %
0.40 %

IC (SF) 

1. Productive Environment 
10. Productive Environment 
1. Productive Environment 

Prog. complement  Total (%) Cert. Expenditure  Total (%)
5.01 %

11,678,495,890

11,166,042,188

5.20 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4,187,311,429
900,131
900,131

35.85 %
0.02 %
100.00 %

4,052,129,061
1,137,758
1,137,758

36.29 %
0.03 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1. Productive Environment 

4,187,311,429

35.85 %

4,052,129,061

36.29 %

EN 

163 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
11. Agriculture 
11. Agriculture 
111. Investments in agricultural holdings 
114. Improving processing and marketing of 
agricultural products 

47,998,696
1,141,770
14,790,961
27,554,969

1.15 %
2.38 %
30.82 %
57.41 %

47,886,752
1,153,377
14,229,244
27,938,032

1.18 %
2.41 %
29.71 %
58.34 %

113. Agriculture-specific vocational training 

4,510,996

9.40 %

4,566,099

9.54 %

1. Productive Environment 
12. Forestry 
12. Forestry 
122. Improving harvesting, processing and 
marketing of forestry products 

123. Promoting new outlets for the use and 
marketing of forestry products 

124. Establishment of associations of forest 
holders 

125. Restoring forestry production potential 
damaged by natural disasters and fire and 
introducing appropriate prevention instruments 

121. Investments in forest holdings 
128. Forestry-specific vocational training 
126. Planting of non-farm land 
127. Improving and maintaining the ecological 
stability of protected woodlands 

1. Productive Environment 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the 
development of rural areas 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

4,187,311,429
43,652,221
3,442,705
6,452,273

35.85 %
1.04 %
7.89 %
14.78 %

(SF) 

4,052,129,061
42,496,148
3,285,015
5,925,388

36.29 %
1.05 %
7.73 %
13.94 %

745,874

1.71 %

683,010

1.61 %

22,415

0.05 %

21,672

0.05 %

12,489,840

28.61 %

12,630,750

29.72 %

1,726,079
2,971,909
3,576,449
12,224,678

3.95 %
6.81 %
8.19 %
28.00 %

1,493,341
2,898,170
3,618,935
11,939,867

3.51 %
6.82 %
8.52 %
28.10 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4,187,311,429
2,460,491,826

35.85 %
58.76 %

4,052,129,061
2,393,215,905

36.29 %
59.06 %

EN 

164 

EN 

 
  
 
 
13. Promoting the adaptation and the development 
of rural areas 

1301. Land improvement 
1302. Reparcelling 
1303. Setting up of farm relief and farm 
management services 

1304. Marketing of quality agricultural products 
1305. Basic services for the rural economy and 
population 

1306. Renovation and development of villages and 
protection and conservation of the rural heritage 

1307. Diversification of agricultural activities and 
activities close to agriculture, to provide multiple 
activities or alternative incomes 

1308. Agricultural water resources management 
1309. Development and improvement of 
infrastructire connected with the development of 
agriculture 

1310. Encouragement for tourist activities 
1311. Encouragement for craft activities 
1312. Preservation of the environment 
inconnection with land, forestry and landscape 
conservation as well as with the improvement of 
animal welfare 

1313. Restoring agricultural production potential 
damaged by natural disaters and introducing 
appropriate prevention instruments 

1314. Financial engineering 
1399. LEADER+ 
1318. Leader + National networks 
1317. Leader + Transnational co-operation 
1316. Leader + Inter-territorial co-operation 

50,027,919

2.03 %

47,207,864

1.97 %

9,535,684
458,380
1,166,055

20,350,357
84,009,420

0.39 %
0.02 %
0.05 %

0.83 %
3.41 %

9,852,529
446,674
1,146,446

20,087,206
88,573,460

0.41 %
0.02 %
0.05 %

0.84 %
3.70 %

125,012,659

5.08 %

125,148,022

5.23 %

24,422,924

0.99 %

23,279,018

0.97 %

13,505,105
2,644,403

0.55 %
0.11 %

13,694,472
2,478,137

0.57 %
0.10 %

92,261,004
24,009,785
112,028,800

3.75 %
0.98 %
4.55 %

92,879,061
22,757,242
110,209,727

3.88 %
0.95 %
4.61 %

22,064,577

0.90 %

22,002,240

0.92 %

236,105
1,400,769,604
4,186,676
21,622,914
24,716,903

0.01 %
56.93 %
0.17 %
0.88 %
1.00 %

220,374
1,347,604,400
2,748,932
18,296,032
21,745,395

0.01 %
56.31 %
0.11 %
0.76 %
0.91 %

EN 

165 

EN 

 
  
1315. Leader + LAG overhead and animation costs

427,462,551

17.37 %

422,838,675

17.67 %

1. Productive Environment 
14. Fisheries 
14. Fisheries 
141. Adjustment of the fishing effort 
142. Renewal and modernisation of the fishing 
fleet 

143. Processing, marketing and promoting of 
fisheries products 

144. Aquaculture 
145. Equipment of the fishing ports and protection 
of the coastal marine zones 

146. Socio-economic measures (including aids to 
the temporary stopping and compensation for 
technical restrictions) 

147. Actions by professionals (including 
vocational training, small coastal fishing) 

148. Measures financed by other Structural Funds 
(ERDF, ESF) 

1. Productive Environment 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
15. Assisting large business organisations 
151. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

152. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

4,187,311,429
20,420,003
723,518
858,652
998,248

35.85 %
0.49 %
3.54 %
4.20 %
4.89 %

(SF) 

4,052,129,061
20,008,361
578,552
888,794
1,017,515

36.29 %
0.49 %
2.89 %
4.44 %
5.09 %

9,419,921

46.13 %

9,428,353

47.12 %

1,998,072
998,248

9.78 %
4.89 %

2,001,877
1,017,515

10.01 %
5.09 %

998,248

4.89 %

1,017,515

5.09 %

836,237

4.10 %

867,122

4.33 %

3,588,859

17.58 %

3,191,116

15.95 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

4,187,311,429
29,716,255
4,540,828
3,492,953

35.85 %
0.71 %
15.28 %
11.75 %

(SF) 

4,052,129,061
27,564,107
4,077,686
3,283,421

36.29 %
0.68 %
14.79 %
11.91 %

10,355,908

34.85 %

9,805,796

35.57 %

EN 

166 

EN 

 
  
 
 
153. Business advisory services (including 
internationalisation, exporting and environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

154. Services to stakeholders (health and safety, 
providing care for dependants) 

8,302,388

27.94 %

7,501,202

27.21 %

2,932,698

9.87 %

2,810,113

10.19 %

155. Financial engineering 

91,480

0.31 %

85,889

0.31 %

1. Productive Environment 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
16. Assisting SMEs and the craft sector 
161. Investment in physical capital (plant and 
equipment, cofinancing of state aids) 

162. Environment-friendly technologies, clean and 
economical energy technologies 

163. Business advisory services (information, 
business planning, consultancy services, 
marketing, management, design, 
internationalisation, exporting, environmental 
management, purchase of technology) 

164. Shared business services (business estates, 
incubator units, stimulation, promotional services, 
networking, conferences, trade fairs) 

165. Financial engineering 
166. Services in support of the social economy 
(providing care for dependents, health and safety, 
cultural activities) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

4,187,311,429
730,358,278
85,201,995
61,918,164

35.85 %
17.44 %
11.67 %
8.48 %

(SF) 

4,052,129,061
699,492,183
79,547,799
55,797,013

36.29 %
17.26 %
11.37 %
7.98 %

78,999,979

10.82 %

72,851,568

10.41 %

206,783,240

28.31 %

204,683,423

29.26 %

147,228,377

20.16 %

139,104,337

19.89 %

19,376,987
63,343,204

2.65 %
8.67 %

18,425,045
60,498,757

2.63 %
8.65 %

167. Vocational training 

67,506,331

9.24 %

68,584,239

9.80 %

1. Productive Environment 

4,187,311,429

35.85 %

4,052,129,061

36.29 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

167 

EN 

 
  
 
 
17. Tourism 
17. Tourism 
171. Physical investment (information centres, 
tourist accommodation, catering, facilities) 

172. Non-physical investments (development and 
provision of tourist services, sporting, cultural and 
leisure activities, heritage) 

173. Shared services for the tourism industry 
(including promotional activities, networking, 
conferences and trade fairs) 

559,672,523
124,042,065
104,027,774

13.37 %
22.16 %
18.59 %

539,595,996
118,022,693
103,302,175

13.32 %
21.87 %
19.14 %

167,161,620

29.87 %

158,725,765

29.42 %

116,071,576

20.74 %

112,552,303

20.86 %

174. Vocational training 

48,369,487

8.64 %

46,993,060

8.71 %

1. Productive Environment 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 
18. Research, technological development and 
innovation (RTDI) 

181. Research projects based in universities and 
research institutes 

182. Innovation and technology transfers, 
establishment of networks and partnerships 
between businesses and/or research institutes 

183. RTDI Infrastructure 
184. Training for researchers 

2. Human Resources 
20. Human Resources 
2. Human Resources 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4,187,311,429
294,101,497

35.85 %
7.02 %

4,052,129,061
280,731,852

36.29 %
6.93 %

57,337,330

19.50 %

54,667,527

19.47 %

71,093,962

24.17 %

67,345,283

23.99 %

117,852,814

40.07 %

112,650,743

40.13 %

35,436,438
12,380,953

12.05 %
4.21 %

34,827,940
11,240,358

12.41 %
4.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,411,936,417
215,530,122
215,530,122

29.22 %
6.32 %
100.00 %

3,242,353,636
201,230,232
201,230,232

29.04 %
6.21 %
100.00 %

EN 

168 

EN 

 
  
 
 
2. Human Resources 
21. Labour market policy 
21. Labour market policy 

2. Human Resources 
22. Social inclusion 
22. Social inclusion 

2. Human Resources 
23. Developing educational and vocational 
training (persons, firms) 
23. Developing educational and vocational training 
(persons, firms) 

2. Human Resources 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial 
activity, innovation, information and 
communication technologies (persons, firms) 
24. Workforce flexibility, entrepreneurial activity, 
innovation, information and communication 
technologies (persons, firms) 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,411,936,417
625,177,758
625,177,758

29.22 %
18.32 %
100.00 %

3,242,353,636
596,142,671
596,142,671

29.04 %
18.39 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,411,936,417
810,174,173
810,174,173

29.22 %
23.75 %
100.00 %

3,242,353,636
780,025,173
780,025,173

29.04 %
24.06 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,411,936,417
466,692,398

29.22 %
13.68 %

3,242,353,636
439,613,503

29.04 %
13.56 %

466,692,398

100.00 %

439,613,503

100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

3,411,936,417
905,356,244

29.22 %
26.53 %

3,242,353,636
858,622,869

29.04 %
26.48 %

905,356,244

100.00 %

858,622,869

100.00 %

2. Human Resources 

3,411,936,417

29.22 %

3,242,353,636

29.04 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

169 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 
25. Positive labour market actions for woman 

389,005,723
389,005,723

11.40 %
100.00 %

366,719,189
366,719,189

11.31 %
100.00 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
30. Basic Infrastructure 
3. Basic Infrastructure 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
31. Transport infrastructure 
311. Rail 
3121. National roads 
3122. Regional/local roads 
3123. Cycle tracks 
312. Roads 
313. Motorways 
314. Airports 
315. Ports 
316. Waterways 
317. Urban Transport 
318. Multimodal Transport 
319. Intelligent Transport Systems 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,600,517,431
900,401
900,401

22.27 %
0.03 %
100.00 %

2,550,910,854
1,138,100
1,138,100

22.85 %
0.04 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

2,600,517,431
841,334,747
81,468,928
48,502,092
53,809,835
28,525,199
23,086,554
211,449,091
98,788,095
19,850,084
68,785,626
48,817,229
53,123,971
60,517,096
44,610,948

22.27 %
32.35 %
9.68 %
5.76 %
6.40 %
3.39 %
2.74 %
25.13 %
11.74 %
2.36 %
8.18 %
5.80 %
6.31 %
7.19 %
5.30 %

(SF) 

2,550,910,854
828,898,178
75,273,108
45,136,742
55,475,452
28,852,450
23,549,279
211,286,553
104,656,583
19,365,635
62,748,902
47,419,232
52,992,683
59,285,588
42,855,969

22.85 %
32.49 %
9.08 %
5.45 %
6.69 %
3.48 %
2.84 %
25.49 %
12.63 %
2.34 %
7.57 %
5.72 %
6.39 %
7.15 %
5.17 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,600,517,431
545,103,042

22.27 %
20.96 %

2,550,910,854
520,138,391

22.85 %
20.39 %

EN 

170 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
32. Telecommunications infrastructure and 
information society 

321. Basic infrastructure 
322. Information and Communication Technology 
(including security and safe transmission 
measures) 

323. Services and applications for the citizen 
(health, administration, education) 

324. Services and applications for SMEs 
(electronic commerce and transactions, education 
and training, networking) 

3. Basic Infrastructure 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, 
delivery) 
33. Energy infrastructures (production, delivery) 
331. Electricity, gas, petrol, solid fuel 
332. Renewable sources of energy (solar power, 
wind power, hydro-electricity, biomass) 

333. Energy efficiency, cogeneration, energy 
control 

80,701,984

14.80 %

74,310,166

14.29 %

86,546,633
131,507,384

15.88 %
24.13 %

85,155,300
125,474,190

16.37 %
24.12 %

143,984,771

26.41 %

136,631,273

26.27 %

102,362,270

18.78 %

98,567,461

18.95 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,600,517,431
78,505,681

22.27 %
3.02 %

2,550,910,854
74,428,443

22.85 %
2.92 %

4,076,208
8,279,139
54,814,887

5.19 %
10.55 %
69.82 %

3,912,996
8,201,344
52,370,886

5.26 %
11.02 %
70.36 %

11,335,448

14.44 %

9,943,217

13.36 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including 
water) 
34. Environmental infrastructure (including water)
341. Air 
342. Noise 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

2,600,517,431
262,213,847

22.27 %
10.08 %

2,550,910,854
257,449,175

22.85 %
10.09 %

25,335,311
11,993,491
8,196,539

9.66 %
4.57 %
3.13 %

22,030,446
12,176,532
8,402,895

8.56 %
4.73 %
3.26 %

EN 

171 

EN 

 
  
 
 
343. Urban and industrial waste (including hospital 
and dangerous waste) 

344. Drinking water (collection, storage, treatment 
and distribution) 

78,290,749

29.86 %

78,929,108

30.66 %

78,501,866

29.94 %

76,851,677

29.85 %

345. Sewerage and purification 

59,895,891

22.84 %

59,058,517

22.94 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
35. Planning and rehabilitation 
351. Upgrading and Rehabilitation of industrial 
and military sites 

352. Rehabilitation of urban areas 
353. Protection, improvement and regeneration of 
the natural environment 

354. Maintenance and restoration of the cultural 
heritage 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

2,600,517,431
716,321,327
133,559,176
51,740,587

22.27 %
27.55 %
18.65 %
7.22 %

(SF) 

2,550,910,854
710,584,893
123,155,560
52,033,280

22.85 %
27.86 %
17.33 %
7.32 %

288,722,723
129,047,223

40.31 %
18.02 %

292,303,468
130,158,929

41.14 %
18.32 %

113,251,618

15.81 %

112,933,656

15.89 %

3. Basic Infrastructure 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 
36. Social infrastructure and public health 

2,600,517,431
156,138,387
156,138,387

22.27 %
6.00 %
100.00 %

2,550,910,854
158,273,674
158,273,674

22.85 %
6.20 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

4. Miscelllaneous 
40. Miscelllaneous 
4. Miscelllaneous 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1,478,730,612
1,315,101
1,315,101

12.66 %
0.09 %
100.00 %

1,320,648,636
1,225,976
1,225,976

11.83 %
0.09 %
100.00 %

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

EN 

172 

EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
4. Miscelllaneous 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 
41. Technical assistance and innovative actions 
(ERDF, ESF, EAGGF, FIFG) 

411. Preparation, implementation, monitoring, 
publicity 

412. Evaluation 
413. Studies 
414. Innovative actions 
415. Information to the public 

1,478,730,612
1,411,676,742

12.66 %
95.47 %

1,320,648,636
1,252,307,760

11.83 %
94.83 %

196,332,833

13.91 %

154,857,714

12.37 %

217,444,696

15.40 %

192,009,946

15.33 %

40,668,139
360,767,416
463,617,785
132,845,874

2.88 %
25.56 %
32.84 %
9.41 %

30,712,897
335,133,887
418,996,497
120,596,820

2.45 %
26.76 %
33.46 %
9.63 %

4. Miscelllaneous 
49.  
499. Data not available 

Prog. complement 
(SF) 

Total (%) Cert. Expenditure 

Total (%)

(SF) 

1,478,730,612
65,738,768
65,738,768

12.66 %
4.45 %
100.00 %

1,320,648,636
67,114,900
67,114,900

11.83 %
5.08 %
100.00 %

Source: Commission database SFC, data as of December 2010 

EN 

173 

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Part 6: Information on financial corrections and recoveries in the 
Structural Funds 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

It is important for the Commission to have reliable information on all types of financial 
corrections and recoveries resulting from Commission, European Court of Auditors and 
Member States audit activities. The Commission needs this information to perform its 
supervisory  role  and  to  provide  evidence  that  the  multi-annual  control  system  is 
working,  as  financial  corrections  and  recoveries  are  generally  carried  out  in  years 
subsequent  to  the  one  in  which  the  respective  payments  from  the  Union  budget  were 
made. 

In its most recent annual reports the European Court of Auditors noted weaknesses in 
the  information  provided  by  the  Commission  on  reporting  of  financial  corrections  by 
Member  States.  In  the  Annual  Report  for  2009,  the  Court  noted  for  the  second 
consecutive  year  that  the  Commission  reports  reliable  information  on  financial 
corrections  as 
its  own  audit  activities.  Based  on 
the Court’s observations,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  have  been 
consistently calling for detailed, complete and easily readable information on financial 
corrections and recoveries to be published and regularly updated. 

they  result  from 

long  as 

The Commission now regularly publishes this information. Figures on corrections and 
recoveries resulting from Commission audit work, audit work by the Court of Auditors 
and  OLAF  investigations  have  been  provided  in  the  explanatory  notes  to  the 
Commission’s  accounts  since  2006.  Since  the  beginning  of  2008  the  Commission  has 
also been reporting corrections resulting from its work and that of other EU bodies to 
the  Parliament  on  a  quarterly  basis,  under  the  Action  Plan  to  strengthen  the 
Commission’s supervisory role in the shared management of structural actions16. 

Information on corrections by the Member States has been provided in annexes to the 
Annual  Report  on  the  Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  since  200617.  The 
Commission  is  also  publishing  summary  information  on  Member  States’  financial 
corrections in the Notes to its Annual Accounts (Note 6). 

The  present  annex  contains  detailed  cumulative  information  on  Member  States’ 
corrections for the period 2000-2006, and repeats the data on corrections and recoveries 
resulting  from  its  own  and  other  EU  bodies’  work  published  in  Note  6  to  the 

16 
17 

See final impact report on the Action Plan in COM(2010) 52. 
See  Commission  staff  working  document  SEC(2007)  1456:  Annex  to  the  18th  Annual  Report  on 
Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  (2006)  (COM(2007)  676  final),  Part  7  ‘Information  on  financial 
corrections and recoveries in the Structural Funds’. See Commission staff working document SEC(2008) 
2649:  Annex  to  the  19th  Annual  Report  on  Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  (2007)  (COM(2008) 
659  final),  Part  6  ‘Information  on  financial  corrections  and  recoveries  in  the  Structural  Funds’.  See 
Commission  staff  working  document  SEC(2009)  1495:  Annex  to  the  20th  Annual  Report  on 
Implementation  of  the  Structural  Funds  (2008)  (COM(2009)  617  final),  Part  6  ‘Information  on  financial 
corrections and recoveries in the Structural Funds’. 

EN 

174 

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2. 

2.1. 

Commission’s  Annual  Accounts  for  2010,  in  order  to  provide  a  complete  picture  of 
correction activity in the Structural Funds. 

For  a  detailed  explanation  of  the  terminology  and  procedures  in  the  area  of  financial 
corrections and recoveries and the reporting of irregularities, reference is made to Note 
6 to the Commission's Annual Accounts for 2010. 

FINANCIAL CORRECTION ACTIVITY AND RECOVERIES BY MEMBER STATES 

Execution of financial corrections (withdrawals and recoveries) by Member States 
for the 2000-2006 period 

In the previous years, the Commission required Member States to provide information 
on  their  financial  corrections  (reported  as  withdrawals,  recoveries  and  pending 
recoveries)  of  Structural  Funds  both  for  the  year  in  question  and  cumulatively  for  the 
whole 2000-2006 period, and for all four funds (ERDF, ESF, EAGGF and FIFG). 

In  their  reports  on  financial  corrections,  the  Member  States  were  asked  to  distinguish 
between ‘withdrawals’ and ‘recoveries’. The distinction is as follows. When correcting 
irregular expenditure Member States have a choice between: 

– 

– 

withdrawing  the  expenditure  affected  from  the  programme  immediately  by 
deducting it from the next statement of expenditure submitted to the Commission, 
thereby  immediately  releasing  the  EU  funding  for  commitment  to  other 
operations; or  

leaving the expenditure for the time being in the programme pending the outcome 
of  proceedings  to  recover  the  unduly  paid  amount  from  the  beneficiaries  and 
removing  the  expenditure  once  the  recovery  has  been  effected18.  Recovery  is 
made either by obtaining repayment of the sums concerned from the beneficiary 
or  setting  off  the  sums  to  be  repaid  against  further  payments  due  to  the  same 
beneficiary. 

In addition, Member States were required to report the amounts awaiting recovery (i.e. 
subject to a recovery procedure but not yet recovered), or ‘pending recoveries’. 

As  the  period  2000-2006  is  now  at  closure  phase,  during  which  proof  of  deduction  is 
requested in relation to all irregularities, Member States were not required to separately 
submit  to  the  Commission  information  on  withdrawals,  recoveries  and  pending 
recoveries.  The  information  in  point  2.1.1  below  presents  cumulative  information 
submitted  by  the  Member  States  in  the  previous  years  for  the  whole  programming 
period  2000-2006,  complemented  by  additional  information  received  in  March  2011 
from Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal and regarding Inter-regional programmes. 

Based  on  data  received  so  far,  in  terms  of  EU  contribution,  Member  States  have 
reported  a  total  of  some  EUR  5,1  billion  of  cumulative  financial  corrections  resulting 

18 

If the unduly paid amounts cannot be recovered and the Member State wishes the EU contribution to be 
borne by the Community budget, it does not remove the expenditure but leaves it in the declaration. 

EN 

175 

   EN 

 
                                                 
from  their  national  audit  work  for  the  2000-2006  programmes  (total  withdrawals  of 
some EUR 4 billion and recoveries of some EUR 1,1 billion).  

2.1.1.  Cumulative totals of withdrawals and recoveries for the entire 2000–2006 period up to 

the end of 2010  

Below are the data submitted for the cumulative totals of withdrawals and recoveries for 
the entire 2000-2006 period. The data for a number of Member States are incomplete as 
they do not cover the earlier years of the programming period.  

EUR million  

Totals by Fund 

Fund 

Cumulative total of withdrawals 

Cumulative total of recoveries 

Total public 
funding* 

EU 
contribution 

Total public 
funding* 

EU 
contribution 

ERDF 

ESF 

EAGGF 

FIFG 

Total 

4 727.32 

2 803.65 

1 153.17 

1 648.07 

1 014.22 

192.85 

27.04 

129.17 

18.78 

487.50 

136.69 

12.54 

824.89 

214.54 

61.94 

8.52 

6 595.28 

3 965.83 

1 789.91.89 

1 109.88 

Source: Member States (rounded figures) 

* Total public funding includes national public funding and the EU contribution 

Total by Member State (all Funds) and for INTERREG/PEACE  

EUR million  

Member 
State 

BE 

CZ 

DK 

DE 

EE 

IE 

EL 

Cumulative total of withdrawals 

Cumulative total of recoveries 

Total public 
funding* 

EU 
contribution 

Total public 
funding* 

EU  
contribution 

63.84 

21.26 

0 

22.75 

15.69 

0 

12.13 

2.84 

5.16 

8.24 

1.67 

1.59 

238.62 

128.51 

266.92 

172.04 

2.60 

132.24 

1.57 

65.49 

2 227.45 

1 587.13 

0 

0.27 

0 

0 

0.21 

0 

EN 

176 

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Member 
State 

Cumulative total of withdrawals 

Cumulative total of recoveries 

Total public 
funding* 

EU 
contribution 

Total public 
funding* 

EU  
contribution 

ES 

FR 

IT 

CY 

LV 

LT 

LU 

HU 

MT 

NL 

AT 

PL 

PT 

SI 

SK 

FI 

SE 

UK 

2 072.97 

1 267.63 

155.00 

36.34 

6.89 

3.36 

4.84 

0.91 

1 025.07 

587.21 

459.28 

133.14 

0.51 

3.84 

3.54 

16.88 

15.22 

0 

0.25 

2.84 

2.57 

4.25 

11.45 

0 

74.12 

19.90 

0 

0 

0 

2.51 

1.41 

12.38 

1.26 

0 

0 

0 

1.88 

0.98 

4.71 

0.45 

476.99 

171.78 

0 

0.86 

0.57 

0 

5.74 

1.51 

28.91 

39.12 

27.73 

0 

0.65 

0.40 

0 

4.63 

1.11 

31.52 

20.90 

22.42 

549.21 

521.34 

2.05 

4.64 

6.90 

11.47 

327.26 

1.54 

3.17 

3.12 

6.29 

151.45 

INTERREG 
and PEACE 

47.55 

34.43 

27.73 

18.70 

Total 

6 595.28 

3 965.83 

1 789.91 

1 109.88 

Source: Member States (update 06/2011, rounded figures) 
* Total public funding includes national public funding and the EU contribution 

2.2. 

Verifications of reported data on corrections 

The on-the-spot audit work undertaken by DG Regional Policy under the 2008 Action 
Plan  to  audit  the  national  systems  for  recoveries  for  2000-2006  programmes  was 
completed in 2010 for the last six Member States, having covered thus all 25 concerned 
Member  States  (there  was  no  reporting  obligation  for  Bulgaria  and  Romania  for  the 
2000-2006  period).  Even  if  the  latest  results  are  still  preliminary,  the  results  of  the 
whole enquiry as well as the audits carried out by the Court of Auditors in the last two 

EN 

177 

   EN 

 
that  Member  States'  authorities  generally  follow 
in  respect  of 

the 
annual  reports  showed 
requirements,  although  significant  weaknesses  still  existed 
the 
completeness of data and the system for recording and reporting irregularities for some 
2000-2006 programmes in Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands. To a lesser extent, 
weaknesses  also  existed  in  programmes  in  the  UK,  Slovenia,  Finland,  Sweden  and 
Latvia.  Even  if  improvements  have  been  identified  in  all  Member  States  during  the 
years 2007-2010 by the Commission audits, the Commission remains prudent at closure 
and  requested  all  programmes  authorities  to  report  the  follow-up  (including  financial 
corrections) that was given at national level to all irregularities registered in the debtor's 
ledger  for  each  programme.  The  Commission  will  not  close  programmes  until  it 
assesses this information as coherent and complete. 

3. 

FINANCIAL CORRECTION ACTIVITY AND RECOVERIES BY THE COMMISSION 

3.1. 

Financial corrections 

The financial corrections (EC contribution) made to Structural Fund programmes over 
the last eight years (2003 to 2010), resulting from Commission audit work, audit work 
by the Court of Auditors, OLAF investigations and the closure process for 1994-1999 
programmes are given below for each programming period.  

The  Commission  published  figures  for  financial  corrections  in  the  Structural  Funds 
resulting  from  its  own  and  other  EU  bodies’  audit  work  for  the  first  time  in  the 
2006 Annual  Accounts,  distinguishing  between  corrections  by  formal  Commission 
decision and those accepted by Member States without a decision. Under a commitment 
given  in  the  2006  discharge  procedure,  from  2008  onwards  the  Commission  has  been 
reporting information on corrections on a quarterly basis to the European Parliament. 

The  financial  corrections  for  2010  and  cumulatively  for  both  programming  periods 
1994-1999 and 2000-2006, as reported in the notes to the Commission’s 2010 Annual 
Accounts, are reproduced below with a breakdown by Member State.  

There is a risk of overlap between the figures reported for financial corrections resulting 
from the work of EU bodies presented here and those reported by Member States shown 
in  section  2.  This  is  because  a  large  proportion  of  the  financial  corrections  resulting 
from  the  work  of  the  Commission  and  the  Court  of  Auditors  and  from  OLAF 
investigations are accepted by the Member States and implemented by them without a 
formal  Commission  decision  by  withdrawing  the  expenditure  concerned  from  their 
expenditure  declarations.  As  Member  States  are  not  obliged  to  distinguish  corrections 
resulting  from  EU  bodies’  work  from  those  due  to  their  own  controls  and  audits,  the 
extent of this overlap cannot be precisely quantified.  

3.1.1.  Financial corrections for the 1994-1999 and 2000-2006 programming periods up to the 

end of 2010 

Financial corrections confirmed – cumulative figures (EUR millions) 

 Fund 

1994-1999 

2000-2006 

EN 

178 

   EN 

 
Period 

Period 

ERDF  
Cohesion Fund  
ESF  
FIFG  
EAGGF Guidance  
Total  

1.758
273
397
100
124
2.652

4.165
490
1.174
96
41
5.965

Total financial corrections confirmed in 2010 for Structural Actions: 

Breakdown per Member State (EUR millions) 

Financial corrections confirmed in 2010 

EUR millions

Member State 

Cumulative 
end 2009 

ERDF

CF 

ESF 

FIFG 

Cumulati
ve end 
2010 

EAG
GF 
Guida
nce 

Total 
Year 
2010 

 125

 0

 4

1994-1999 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Germany 
Ireland 
Greece 
Spain 
France 
Italy 
Luxembourg 
Netherlands 
Austria 
Portugal 
Finland 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 
INTERREG 
2000-2006 
Belgium 
Bulgaria 
Czech Republic 
Denmark 
Germany 
Estonia 
Ireland 

EN 

2 516 
 5 
 3 
 339 
 42 
 526 
 548 
 84 
 505 
 5 
 177 
 2 
 137 
 1 
 1 
 131 
 10 
5 178 
 10 
 2 
 0 
 0 
 12 
 0 
 42 

 0

 1
 116

 0

 2

 6
 0
 368
 0

 4

 0
 0
 2

 0
 0

 0
 4

 3

 0

 1

 1

 3 

 1 

 0 
 1 
 0 
 0 

 1 

 0 

 258

 43

 89

 30 

 0

 0
 0

 18
 7

 1

179 

 136 
 0 
 0 
 1 
 0 
 2 
 117 
 4 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 4 
 0 
 0 
 7 
 0 
 788 
 0 
 18 
 11 
 0 
 1 
 0 
 2 

2 652
 5
 3
 340
 42
 528
 664
 88
 505
 5
 177
 2
 141
 1
 1
 138
 10
5 965
 10
 21
 11
 0
 13
 0
 44

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
Greece 
Spain 
France 
Italy 
Cyprus 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Hungary 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Austria 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovenia 
Slovakia 
Finland 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 
INTERREG 

 0
 104

 1
 0

 111
 13
 2

 2

 920 
2 503 
 261 
 825 

 40
 170
 16
 97

 4 
 2 
 2 
 52 

 2 

 134 
 126 
 10 
 2 
 39 
 0 
 11 
 217 
 1 

 0

 0
 0

 0

 0
 29
 9

 9 
 2 

 18 

 0
 2
 0
 4

 1
 0

 87

 1

 0

 0

 0

 36

 1 

 40 
 363 
 26 
 105 
 0 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 112 
 31 
 2 
 0 
 2 
 0 
 0 
 65 
 9 

 961
2 865
 287
 930
 0
 4
 2
 2
 52
 0
 2
 0
 246
 157
 12
 2
 41
 1
 11
 283
 10

The amount of financial corrections confirmed in the year and implemented by issuance 
of  a  recovery  order  by  the  Commission  (i.e.  cash  reimbursed  to  the  Commission)  is 
EUR  158  million  (compared  to  EUR  146  million  in  2009).  It  should  be  noted  that 
implementation  by  means  of  a  recovery  order  represent  only  a  limited  amount  of 
financial corrections (i.e. 20% of the amount implemented in 2010) since the applicable 
sectoral legislation foresees the possibility for the Member State to replace the irregular 
expenditure  by  a  regular  one,  if  it  accepts  the  financial  correction  proposed  by  the 
Commission - thus meaning that no recovery order needs to be issued. Recovery orders 
are only issued in the cases where the Member State refuses the financial correction or 
at  the  stage  of  the  programme  closure,  when  it  is  no  longer  possible  for  the  Member 
State to submit other expenditure to replace the irregular one. 

For ERDF, the large difference between confirmed/decided corrections in 2009 and 2010 
is  due  to  a  large  correction  in  Spain  (approximately  EUR  1.5  billion),  which  was 
confirmed  at  the  end  of  2009.  This  correction  concluded  an  important  action  plan 
initiated  in  2004  and  increased  significantly  the  amounts  of  corrections  reported  in 
2009. From 2010 onwards, the amounts linked to the 2000-2006 period will decrease as 
the closure period is winding down. Corrections reported will be linked to finalisation of 
procedures started in previous years, as well as to the results of closure proceedings and 
audits. 

3.1.2.  Corrections implemented  

Financial corrections implemented – cumulative figures (EUR millions) 

EN 

180 

   EN 

 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
2000-2006 
Period 

1994-
1999Period 

1.736 

266 

395 

100 

124 

1.972
227

1.146

94

41

ERDF  

Cohesion Fund  

ESF  

FIFG  

EAGGF Guidance  

Total 

2.621 

3.480

Concerning  the  programming  period  2000-2006,  the  implementation  rate  is  explained 
by the ongoing closure process whereby payment claims received end of 2010 are not 
yet  authorised,  and  the  related  financial  corrections  for  a  total  amount  of  EUR  2,3 
billion cannot be taken into account in the 2010 implementation figures. 

As regards ERDF, it should be noted that a large correction in Spain totalling EUR 1.5 
billion    was  certified  by  the  Member  State  in  February  2010  as  accounted  for  in  the 
local accounting systems of the relevant programmes. This amount was then deducted 
from  the  20  final  payment  claims  introduced  in  September  2010.  However  these 
payment  claims  being  still  under  authorising  process,  they  have  not  been  taken  into 
account in the above implementation figures. So are the majority of the claims received 
for the 2000-2006 closure. 

In relation to the ESF, all financial corrections confirmed in 2010 for the programming 
period  1994-1999  have  been  implemented  in  the  same  year.  Moreover  there  are  no 
outstanding  amounts  of  financial  corrections  to  be  implemented  concerning  that 
programming period. The amounts of financial corrections for the programming period 
2000-2006 confirmed in previous years will be identified and cleared within the closure 
process that is ongoing. 

EN 

181 

   EN 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total  financial  corrections  implemented  in  2010:  Structural  Actions  Breakdown  per 
Member State (EUR millions) 

Member State 

Cumulative 
end 2009 

Financial corrections implemented in 2010 

Cumulative 
end 2010 

ERDF 

CF 

ESF 

FIFG  Guidance Total 
2010 

1994-1999 

2 144 

462 

Belgium 

Denmark 
Germany 
Ireland 
Greece 

Spain 

France 
Italy 

Luxembourg 
Netherlands 

Austria 

Portugal 

Finland 

Sweden
United Kingdom 

INTERREG 

2000-2006 
Belgium 
Bulgaria 

Czech Republic 

Denmark 

Germany 

Estonia 

Ireland 

Greece 

Spain 

France 

Italy 

6 

4 
300 
40 
521 

293 

85 
483 

4 
177 

2 

118 

1 

1
108 

2 

3 222 
8 
2 

0 

0 

10 

0 

26 

904 

940 

239 

686 

- 

- 
37 
- 
1 

363 

- 
21 

- 
- 

- 

20 

0 

-
11 

7 

80 
- 
- 

- 

- 

0 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

79 

4

-

-

-

-

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

18

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

16

-

-

5

-

-

-

-

-

0

4

-

1

-

-

-

-

-
-

-

36

0

-

-

-

-

0

-

-

0

-

0

3

-

-

0

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-
1

-

3

-

-

1

-

0

1

0

-

-

-

-

1

-

-
0

-

87

38

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

87

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

8

9

2

476 

2 621

- 

- 
38 
- 
4 

365 

4 
21 

1 
0 

0 

23 

0 

-
13 

7 

259 
0 
- 

- 

- 

0 

0 

- 

- 

111 

9 

82 

6

4

338

40

525

658

89

504

5

177

2

141

1

1
120

9

3 480

8

2

0

0

10

0

26

904

1 051

248

786

EN 

182 

   EN 

 
Cyprus 

Latvia 
Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Hungary 

Malta 

Netherlands 
Austria 

Poland 

Portugal 
Romania 

Slovenia 

Slovakia 

Finland 
Sweden 

United Kingdom 

INTERREG 

4. 

CONCLUSION 

0 

3 
1 

2 

41 

0 

0 
0 

90 

95 
8 

2 

1 

0 
11 

151 

0 

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 

0 
- 

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 
- 

- 

0 

-

1

0

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

0

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

36

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

18

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

- 

1 
0 

- 

- 

- 

1 
- 

- 

18 
0 

0 

- 

- 
0 

37 

0 

0

4

1

2

41

0

1

0

90

113

8

2

1

0

11

188

6

The  measures  taken  by  the  Commission  over  the  past  years  have  led  to  a  substantial 
improvement in the quality and completeness of the information on financial corrections 
and recoveries that is available in the Commission. 

The  internal  procedures  set  up  to  ensure  reliable  recording  and  reporting  of  financial 
corrections resulting from the audit work of the Commission and other EU bodies in the 
cohesion policy area now work satisfactorily; a fact that has been acknowledged by the 
Court of Auditors in its Annual Report for 2008 and 2009. The Commission routinely 
reports on a quarterly basis with a review and any necessary adjustments at the end of 
the year. 

Progress has also been made regarding the reliability and completeness of the reporting 
by Member States on their own financial corrections and those they have accepted as a 
result  of  EU  work.  This  has  been  achieved  by  streamlining  the  requirements  from  the 
original system linked to expenditure declarations and irregularity reports to OLAF, to 
one modelled on the 2007-2013 legislation whereby Member States submit the figures 
as a single manageable package once a year.  Thanks to the  new reporting system and 
careful  analysis  of  the  data  submitted  and  follow-up  with  Member  States  to  resolve 
anomalies  and  obtain  missing  data,  the  Commission  has  observed  a  gradual 
improvement in the quality of the data over the three annual reporting cycles since the 
new  procedure  was  introduced.  The  audits  carried  out  in  2008,  2009  and  2010  have 
confirmed  the  improvement  but  also  shown  the  need  for  further  efforts  in  certain 

EN 

183 

   EN 

 
countries,  for  which  appropriate  recommendations  have  been  issued.  The  Member 
States  have  received  further  guidance  through  the  guidance  note19  on  the  reporting  of 
financial corrections by Member States in the 2007-2013 programming period and the 
remainder of the 2000-2006 period that was issued in early 2010. 

19 

COCOF Note #10/002/00/EN. 

EN 

184 

   EN