REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 2016 Summary Report of the programme annual implementation reports covering implementation in 2014-2015
Date: 2016-12-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: Cohesion Fund, EAFRD, EU employment policy, European Investment Fund, Structural Funds, economic growth, investment, structural adjustment, sustainable development

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 20.12.2016  COM(2016) 812 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 2016 Summary Report of the programme annual implementation reports  covering implementation in 2014-2015   
 
 
European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 
2016 Summary report of the programme annual implementation reports  
covering implementation in 2014-2015 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  the  context  of  signs  of  economic  recovery,  many  Member  States  and  regions  still  face 
fragile growth and structural weaknesses. Economic and social disparities between and within 
Member States persist while the overall level of investment remains below pre-crisis levels. 
The new generation of programmes under the European Structural and Investment Funds 
(ESI  Funds)  2014-2020  offer  significant  opportunities  for  public  and  private  investment  to 
support growth, employment and structural transformation. 

An  overall  investment  effort  worth  EUR  638  billion  between  2014  and  2020;  around  one 
million projects selected worth EUR 58.8 billion (already increased to EUR 128.8 billion by 
autumn  2016);  274  000  enterprises  receiving  support;  2.7  million  people  supported  in  their 
search  for  a  job,  training,  or  education;  and  investment  to  improve  the  biodiversity  of  11.1 
million hectares of agricultural land. These are some of the preliminary results emerging from 
the  2016  Annual  Implementation  Reports  (AIRs)  submitted  by  Member  States  on  the 
implementation of the ESI Funds in the first two years of the programming cycle. 

In  December  2015  the  Communication  "Investing  in  jobs  and  growth  -  maximising  the 
contribution of European Structural and Investment Funds" summarised the outcomes of the 
negotiations  with  all  Member  States  on  Partnership  Agreements  and  programmes1.  It  also 
highlighted the expected contribution of the five ESI Funds2 to the EU's growth strategy, the 
Investment Plan for Europe and to address structural challenges and reforms in the Member 
States. The ESI Funds also make direct contributions to the Commission's political priorities. 

This  report  is  the  first  in  a  series  of  annual  reports  to  the  EU  institutions  on  the 
implementation of the ESI Funds. This stock-taking is done in the context of major novelties 
introduced  in  2014  to  enhance  the  quality  of  spending,  such  as  thematic  concentration, 
stronger  links  to  economic  governance,  ex-ante  conditionalities,  enhanced  results  focus  and 
performance  measurement  mechanisms.  It  responds  to  two  formal  requirements:  (a)  to 
summarise the 2016 annual implementation reports on the 533 programmes provided by the 
Member States and regions covering the period 2014-2015 and (b) to synthesise the available 
evaluations of those programmes3. 

It summarises information on project selection and indicator achievements on the ground and 
on  the  building  of  delivery  mechanisms  by  the  Member  States  and  regions.  It  provides  a 

1   Communication  COM(2015)  639  of  14  December  2015  under  Article  16.3  of  the  Common  Provisions 

Regulation (CPR) - Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of 17 December 2013. 

2   The  five  ESI  Funds  are  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF),  the  European  Social  Fund 
(ESF);  the  Cohesion  Fund  (CF),  the  European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD),  the 
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Cohesion policy includes the ERDF, the ESF and the CF. 

3   Article 53.1, CPR. 

2 

 
 
 
                                                 
complement to the May 2016 technical analysis from the EU budget  perspective of the ESI 
Funds budgetary implementation4. 

Section  2  below  provides  an  overview  of  implementation  progress  until  end-2015  and 
describes  the  efforts  to  build  sound  strategies  and  mechanisms  to  deliver  effective 
investments. Section 3 presents in more detail the progress in the key thematic areas. Section 
4  presents  a  summary  of  the  work  under  way  to  deliver  robust  evaluation  of  policy 
implementation. 

2.  OVERVIEW  OF  THE  EFFORTS  TO  PROGRAMME  THE  ESI  FUNDS  AND  KICK-START 

INVESTMENT 

During 2014 and 2015 the national and regional authorities had three primary objectives (a) to 
complete negotiations and secure the adoption of the new programmes, (b) to launch the new 
programmes and (c) to complete implementation of the 2007-2013 programmes successfully. 

The  late  adoption  of  the  multiannual  financial  framework  for  the  period  2014-2020  had  a 
knock-on  effect  on  the  adoption  of  the  legislation  governing  the  ESI  Funds.  The  process  to 
agree  the  2014-2020  programmes,  together  with  the  expected  achievements  of  those 
programmes,  were  presented  in  December  20155.  By  end  2014,  220  programmes  were 
adopted. However, the majority - 313 programmes - were finalised in 2015, with 181 finalised 
only  in  the  second  semester.  As  a  result,  while  the  majority  of  the  programmes  adopted  in 
2015  have  reported  progress,  many  were  still  working  to  select  their  first  projects  by  end 
2015. 

The  2014-2020  generation  of  ESI  Fund  programmes  have  a  stronger  focus  on  results, 
transparency  and  accountability:  until  2023  all  programmes  will  submit  AIRs  that  should 
present  a  detailed  quantification  of  progress  in  relation  to  finances,  outputs  and  expected 
results.  This  aligns  the  programmes  clearly  within  the  "EU  Budget  Focussed  on  Results" 
initiative6.  

2.1.  Overview of implementation progress 

The  ESI  Funds  Open  Data  Platform7  has  been  updated  to  show  the  financial  volume  of 
project selection and the forecasts and achievements for common indicator as reported by the 
programmes in the 2016 AIRs. 

4   http://ec.europa.eu/budget/library/biblio/documents/2015/analysis-of-the-budgetary-implementation-of-the-

european-structural-and-investment-funds-in-2015_en.pdf  

5   Communication COM(2015) 639 – see footnote 1. 
6   The initiative "EU Budget Focussed on Results" was launched in 2015: 

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/budget4results/index_en.cfm  

7   ESI Funds Open Data Platform: https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/  

3 

 
 
                                                 
2.1.1. Financial overview 

In terms of EU payments to the Member States a total of EUR 15.4 billion was paid by end-
2015.  This  represented  13.8%  of  the  2014  and  2015  EU  commitments8  and  was 
predominantly made up of pre-financing payments. 

In  the  2016  AIRs,  covering  the  years  2014  and  2015,  the  Member  States  have  notified  the 
Commission of the financial allocations to selected projects. The total volume of the projects 
selected  for  support  was  EUR  58.8  billion  representing  9.2%  of  the  total  investment 
volume planned over the period 2014-2020. The EU contribution to the projects selected is 
estimated at EUR 41.8 billion. The breakdown of the volume of project selection by thematic 
objective, notified by Member State at end-2015, is presented in Table 1 below. 

Table 1: Total cost of selected projects by Thematic Objective (EUR millions) and rate 
of project selection by end-2015 

TO code 

Thematic Objectives 

01 
02 

03 
04 
05 

06 

07 

08 
09 
10 
11 
12 
DM 

Research & Innovation 
Information & Communication 
Technologies 
Competitiveness of SMEs 
Low-Carbon Economy 
Climate Change Adaptation & Risk 
Prevention 
Environment Protection & Resource 
Efficiency 
Network Infrastructures in Transport 
and Energy 
Sustainable & Quality Employment 
Social Inclusion 
Educational & Vocational Training 
Efficient Public Administration 
Outermost & Sparsely Populated 
Discontinued Measures 
Multiple Thematic Objectives 
(ERDF/CF/ESF) 

TA 

Technical Assistance 

Total 

Source: Commission based on data reported by programmes 

Total planned 
investment  
EUR Million9 

Total eligible 
cost of selected 
projects at end-
2015  
EUR Million 

2015 Rate of 
project 
selection  

59,549.3 
18,297.6 

83,593.6 
52,777.2 
37,783.6 

72,316.2 

66,659.5 

46,390.9 
53,551.9 
42,315.6 
6,080.2 
220.5 
928.0 
78,980.5 

18,712.1 

638,157 

3,378.4 
736.7 

7,476.6 
2,274.0 
6,554.2 

7,573.0 

4,139.6 

6,456.9 
4,966.8 
5,749.8 
680.7 
47.8 
- 
6,077.2 

2,674.3 

58,786 

5.7% 
4.0% 

8.9% 
4.3% 
17.3% 

10.5% 

6.2% 

13.9% 
9.3% 
13.6% 
11.2% 
21.7% 
0.0% 
7.7% 

14.3% 

9.2% 

Based on the most recently reported financial data to autumn 2016, implementation shows a 
sharp acceleration in terms of the volume of projects selection. The total financial volume of 

8   Commitments  covering  the  main  allocation  of  programmes  (not  including  commitments  made  for  the 

performance reserve). 

9   The reporting of financial data by MS for ERDF, CF and ESF does not provide a complete breakdown by 
TO in particular for priority axis that cover multiple TOs. As a result the planned investment and total cost 
of  selected  projects  by  TO  presented  above  are  understated  by  a  share  of  the  amounts  found  under  the 
heading "Multiple Thematic Objectives".  

4 

 
 
 
  
                                                 
the selected projects had more than doubled in 9 months from EUR 58.8 billion to EUR 128.8 
billion (20.2% of planned investment). 

The  financial  data  from  2014-2015  gives  a  first  snapshot  of  early  progress.  There  are 
indications  that,  overall,  early  progress  on  the  ground  in  selecting  projects  is  broadly 
comparable to the position at end-2009 (under the period 2007-2013) when Cohesion Policy 
project selection  was at a similar level. As then however,  progress in  selecting projects and 
progress towards indicator targets is varied by Member State and by programme. This results 
from  a  combination  of  the  timing  of  the  reporting  obligation  and  the  fact  that  many 
programmes were only just adopted in 2015 and had still to start implementation. 

As the 2015 data is very partial it does not provide a basis to draw robust conclusions across 
the  board  on  the  success  or  likely  success  of  the  launch  of  programming  in  the  Member 
States. The 2015 snapshot clearly does not represent a full year's activity. It is expected that 
the  data  by  end-2016  will  present  a  more  representative  picture  of  progress  with 
implementation activities at or approaching a full year's activity in terms of project selection, 
expenditure and delivery of real benefits. 

Annexes 1.1 and 1.2 show the breakdown by fund of project selection volumes at end-2015 
and  at  autumn  2016  respectively.  Annex  2.1  and  2.2  present  the  same  financial  data  as 
reported by each Member State. It can already be seen by comparing the two snapshots that 
the  early  implementation  trends  are  dynamic  with,  by  autumn  2016,  more  homogenous 
project selection rates across Member states and thematic objectives. While the Commission 
is aware of some under reporting of project selection in some programmes by autumn 2016, 
there are also indications in the most recent data of slow progress in specific areas. 

2.1.2. Progress towards programme objectives 

The  2016  AIRs  provide  information  on  progress  towards  the  programmes'  objectives. 
Progress  is  measured  by  the  number  of  project  selected  and  their  expected  contribution  to 
those objectives. 

By  end-2015,  Member  States  and  regions  selected  989 000  projects,  ranging  from  large 
infrastructure  investments  to  individual  support  to  farm  holdings.  The  headline  figures 
reported by end-2015 among the different measures of programme performance are: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

All ESI Funds finance so far projects supporting 274 000 firms the projects selected; 

2.7 million participants have benefitted from ESF supported projects; 

11.1  million  hectares  of  agricultural  land  or  6%  of  the  Utilized  Agricultural  Area 
(UAA) are selected for support for land management to better protect biodiversity; 

24%  of  the  total  rural  population  (69  million  inhabitants)  is  covered  by  selected 
LEADER Local Action Groups (LAGs); 

More than 10% of Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) are operational and local 
development strategies are selected. 

5 

 
 
Box 1: Overview of support to enterprises across ESI Funds 

Support to enterprises - including farm and fishing enterprises - is planned mainly under the dedicated thematic 
objective  to  improve  SME  competitiveness  but  also,  for  example,  under  the  TOs  on  research  and  innovation, 
digital economy and the low carbon economy. All ESI Funds target enterprise support. Progress in supporting 
enterprises by end-2015 is prominent in the 2016 AIRs. 

- 

- 

A total of 274,000 firms are targeted by selected operations. That represents around 13.6% of the target of 2 
million firms to be supported by the end of the period. 

The selected projects will support, or have delivered support to 138 000 firms under ERDF, 89 000 micro, 
small and medium-sized enterprises under ESF and 47 000 rural firms under EAFRD (young farmers and 
investments in physical assets in farm holdings). 

2.2.  Building programme delivery mechanisms 

The effectiveness and quality of the programmes relies on three pillars: (a) sound structures 
and  procedures,  (b)  fulfilment  of  pre-requisites  to  overcome  existing  barriers  to  investment, 
and (c) clear alignment with the priorities of the European Semester.  

First, the successful launch of a programme under shared management requires that national 
or regional managing authorities set up the programme structures and processes to ensure 
sound and good quality investments over the life of the programme. Key activities included: 

 

Designating responsible authorities; 

  Mobilising stakeholders, implementing bodies, and potential beneficiaries; 

 

 

 

Establishing  monitoring  committees  (selecting  members  and  developing  rules  and 
procedures); 

Adapting or building IT applications (including e-cohesion to facilitate communication 
with  beneficiaries)  and  project  monitoring  systems  (including  in  some  cases  data  on 
individual participants); 

Defining selection criteria and launching calls for proposals for the different investment 
areas,  providing  sufficient  time  to  applicants  to  develop  proposals  and  submit 
application  and  evaluating  the  application,  followed  by  finalising  the  offers  and 
agreeing physical (indicator) information on the selected operations. 

All  these  elements  were  a  major  preoccupation  of  the  programme  authorities  in  2014  and 
2015 and are often described in the AIRs. Putting these elements in place was important for 
the successful launch of the programmes but also underpins the medium and long term effort 
needed  to  deliver  quality  investments  focussed  on  results  with  the  support  of  multiple 
stakeholders in each programme. 

Second,  Member  States  and  regions  have  to  fulfil  the  prerequisites  for  the  effective  and 
efficient investments co-financed by the ESI Funds - so-called ex ante conditionalities. 

At programme adoption around 75% of all ex ante conditionalities were fulfilled. For the rest, 
the  Commission  agreed specific  action  plans,  which  the  majority  of  Member  States  have  to 

6 

 
 
 
complete  by  end-2016.  By  31  October  2016,  the  Commission  has  confirmed  a  third  of  the 
action  plans  were  completed.  Significant  progress  has  also  been  made  on  most  of  the 
remaining action plans. Member States are obliged to include information on the completion 
of  ex  ante  conditionality  action  plans  in  the  AIRs  or  the  national  progress  reports  to  be 
presented in mid-2017.  

Box 2: Value added of ex ante conditionalities 

Ex ante conditionalities improve the effectiveness and efficiency of investments supported by ESI Funds but also 
have a positive impact on wider public and private investment in the Member States. They mainly concern: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Establishing  Strategic  frameworks  and  management  plans  which  contribute  to  prioritising  investments  in 
order to reflect the needs of the European, national and regional level, as appropriate. 

Removing barriers to investment in a number of areas co-financed by the ESI Funds. 

Ensuring the presence of national regulatory frameworks that are compliant with legislation in the key areas 
of the ESI Funds interventions. 

Improving  institutional  and  administrative  capacity  of  the  public  administration,  as  well  as  of  the 
beneficiaries of ESI Funds support.  

Some examples of the implementation of ex-ante conditionalities and their benefits: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Italy  has  adopted  a  National  Strategy  on  broadband  (conditionality  2.2)  aligned  to  the  EU  2020  targets 
which aims to reduce the persisting gaps. The strategy envisages to provide coverage for up to 85% of the 
Italian  population  with  at  least  100  Mbps  broadband  and  coverage  of  at  least  30  Mbps  to  all  the  Italian 
population by 2020. 

Poland  successfully  completed  the  process  of  implementing  the  Directive  on  Energy  Performance  of 
Buildings (conditionality 4.1 on energy efficiency). Without this ex ante conditionality, this process would 
have taken longer to complete. 

In  Latvia,  elaboration  of  the  national  smart  specialisation  strategy  (conditionality  1.1)  contributed  to  the 
structural  reforms  in  the  R&I  sector,  including  a  reform  of  research  institutions.  It  also  helped  to  focus 
support on priority areas. 

In Romania, the national strategy for reducing early school leaving was adopted (conditionality 10.1) which 
was translated into the relevant territorial levels. The objective is to increase school attendance and reduce 
early school leaving, through a partnership approach and a robust monitoring mechanism. 

In Poland, General Ex-Ante Conditionality 3 on disability was fulfilled in 2015 by adoption of an agenda 
for  actions  on  equal  opportunities,  non-discrimination  and  gender  equality  for  EU  funds.  The  Polish 
Ministry  of  Economic  Development  ensured  that  corresponding  guidelines  were  compulsory  for  all 
Managing  Authorities.  Moreover,  Accessibility  Officers  have  been  designated  and  Commission  services, 
jointly with the Polish Ministry of Economic Development, monitor the implementation of these provisions 
giving effect to Articles 6 and 7 of the CPR.  

Estonia developed and improved the Public Health Development Plan 2009–2020 in order to fulfil ex ante 
conditionality  9.3  for  the  health  sector.  It  contains  a  long-term  mapping  of  necessary  infrastructure 
investment  needs  taking  into  account  the  expected  demographic  trends  and  a  framework  to  launch 
investment and enhance the cost-effectiveness of and the access to health care systems. 

Finland  adopted  national  legislation  that  ensures  administrative  capacity  is  available  to  comply  with  the 
implementation of a control inspection and enforcement system required by the Common Fisheries Policy. 

The  Commission  will  produce  a  staff  working  document  on  the  added  value  of  ex  ante 
conditionalities in spring 2017. A final analysis of fulfilment of ex ante conditionalities across 
the  ESI  Funds  will  be  presented  in  the  Strategic  report  by  end  2017.  By  mid-2017,  a 
communication on smart specialisation (EAC 1.1) will outline the achievements, challenges, 
lessons learnt and future Commission actions to help the over 120 national and regional smart 
specialisation  strategies  deliver  on  innovation-driven  growth  and  jobs.  It  will  in  particular 
outline  how  these  strategies  can  bring  together  a  bottom-up  territorial  approach  with  the 

7 

 
 
Commission's  priorities  and  policies  and  foster  synergies  between  directly  and  shared 
managed EU funds supporting innovation, research, and competitiveness. 

Third,  as  to  the  stronger  link  to  EU  economic  governance  and  the  European  Semester, 
more than two thirds of the Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) in 2014 were relevant 
for  ESI  Funds  investment  (in  particular  the  ERDF  and  ESF)  and  have  thus  been  integrated 
into the Member States' programme priorities. They cover reforms in six main areas: research 
and  innovation,  energy  and  transport,  health  care,  labour  market  participation,  education, 
social  inclusion  and  reform  of  the  public  administration.  The  Commission  will  finalise  in 
spring  2017  the  study  "Support  of ESI  Funds  to  the implementation  of  the  Country  Specific 
Recommendations  and  to  structural  reforms  in  Member  States".  It  will  analyse  how  the 
investment  relevant  CSRs  of  the  years  leading  to  programme  adoption  were  taken  into 
account in the ESI Funded programmes. The national progress reports due in 2017 will also 
set out information on and assess how the programmes are contributing to the Union's growth 
strategy and to relevant CSRs. 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION OVERVIEW BY KEY THEMES 

The  volume  of  planned  investments  and  expected  achievements  from  the  ESI  Funds  were 
presented in the December 201510. This report provides an overview of the early progress in 
implementing  the  programmes  in  2014  and  2015  in  terms  of  the  financial  volume  of  the 
projects  selected  and  progress  in  contracting  and  delivering  common  outputs  and  results 
focussing on the contents of the 2016 programme annual implementation reports. 

Table  1  above  provides  an  overview  of  the  financial  volume  and  rate  of  project  selection 
reported by thematic objective as at end-2015 for the ESI funds. In relation to the indicators 
this report relies on the forecasts of the contribution expected from the selected projects and 
the achievements reported under the common indicators for each fund. Examples of projects 
already supported are also provided. 

3.1.  R&I, ICT and SME competitiveness 

Overall, around EUR 181 billion support investments in this area, mainly from the ERDF and 
the EAFRD. Projects amounting to around 7% of this amount (more than EUR 11.5 billion11) 
were selected and many were already in the implementation phase at the end of 2015. 

The EUR 3.4 billion allocated to specific research and innovation projects under ERDF and 
EAFRD  represents  5.7%  of  the  2014-2020  total  planned.  By  end-2015,  19 000  firms  were 
forecast  to  benefit  from  selected  ERDF  schemes  promoting  cooperation  with  research 
institutes (15% of the target), while 5 000 researchers are forecast to benefit from improved 
RTD infrastructure (7 % of the target). 

Some  200  operational  groups  have  already  been  set  up  under  the  European  Innovation 
Partnership  for  Agriculture  Productivity  and  Sustainability  (EIP-AGRI).  These  projects 

10   Communication COM(2015) 639 - see footnote 1. 
11   A share of the selection volume under "multi-thematic objectives" falls under this areas – see Table 1 (See 

footnote 9). 

8 

 
 
                                                 
funded  by  the  EAFRD  aim  to  foster  innovative  solutions  for  a  competitive  and  sustainable 
farming and forestry sector. 

 

 

 

Phase  II  of  the  pan-European  project  "Extreme  Light  Infrastructure  –  nuclear  physics"  in  Magurele, 
Romania  has  been  selected  for  EUR  140  million  support  from  the  ERDF.  This  research  project  on  high 
intensity  lasers  is  open  to  researchers  from  public  and  private  bodies  worldwide  with  100  researchers 
already  working  there  and  a  further  100  researchers  expected  to  join  on  completion.  The  project  also 
brings socio-economic  benefits  and  creates  added value  for  the  region  (new  jobs, modern  infrastructure, 
business development and increased the visibility and development potential). 

A major cross border partnership is being supported in the Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak cross border area 
to exploit existing neutron and synchrotron research facilities and develop an international RTDI capacity. 
The project includes the creation of a new network for 150 researchers from universities and business, and 
is the largest such partnership ever supported by Interreg in that region. 

A  local  food  cluster  in  Lower  Austria  initiated  an  EIP  operational  group  for  seasonal,  low  energy  and 
innovative vegetable production. The operational group brings together farmers, researchers, advisors and 
an innovation broker to develop an innovative market niche, including the analysis and optimization of the 
work flow towards winter vegetable production and marketing. A further expected result is the economic 
and ecological assessment of the winter vegetable cultivation. 

The  EUR  737  million  allocated  to  projects  under  the  digital  economy  themes  at  end-2015 
was  4%  of  the  total  planned.  For  the  ERDF  this  activity  was  mainly  related  to  project 
selection in EE, FI, FR, IT, PL SE and SK. Most activities selected so far do not relate to the 
fund common indicators available under this theme. 

Early examples of progress are below. 

 

 

In Finland the first phase Open Data of the Six Cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku and Oulu) 
is  supported  with  EUR  3.4  million  EU  and  national  funds.  The  support  will  lead  to  common  publishing 
platforms  and  licencing  to  make  public  data  widely  available.  The  objective  is  to  foster  innovation  as 
business and developers use the data as the raw material for new services. The six participating cities offer 
an attractive test environment and market for new trials and services. 

In  France  a  project  was  selected  to  connect  77  000  households  in  Provence-Alpes-Côte  d'Azur  to  high 
speed broadband. 

Competiveness  of  SMEs  is  a  priority  under  ERDF,  EAFRD  and  EMFF  programmes.  EU 
support of EUR 7.5 billion was allocated to specific projects by end-2015 (8.9% of the total 
planned). 

ERDF  financing  was  granted  to  projects  supporting  113 000  SMEs.  Eight  Member  States 
(DE,  ES,  FI,  FR,  IE,  PT,  SE,  UK)  and  several  Interreg  programmes  provide  95%  of  these 
forecasts; 85 000 of those companies will be supported with advice and counselling; 25 000 
start-ups are forecasted; At this early stage 65 000 jobs are expected to be directly created in 
the supported firms. 

More  than  30 000  farm  holdings  were  selected  for  investment  operations  to  improve 
competitiveness (9% of the overall target). 10 000 farmers were selected to receive support to 
participate in quality schemes (8% of the target). 

Around  80%  of  the  EMFF  projects,  foreseen  over  the  period,  aim  to  strengthen  SMEs  and 
increase  the  competitiveness  of  the  fleet  and  of  aquaculture  enterprises.  The  start  of 
implementation has been relatively slow as only 10% of the projects selected until end-2015 
focus on SME development. 

9 

 
 
  The SME Initiative in Spain adopted in 2015 is the largest and the first instrument of this type set up with 
ERDF  support.  Implementation  is  progressing  quicker  than  expected.  By  March  2016  contracts  with 
financial institutions had already been signed for 76% of the total ERDF allocation for guarantees and the 
financial intermediaries had already provided loans to some 14 000 SMEs for a total volume of EUR 1.4 
billion.  In  view  of  its  success,  it  is  possible  that  Spain  will  increase  the  ERDF  allocation  to  the  SME 
Initiative. 

  EAFRD  will  also  play  an  important  role  in  Spain  addressing  the  needs  of  the  agri-food  SMEs  for 
investments  and  innovative  solutions.  The  first  projects  have  already  been  selected  and  benefit  from  a 
public support of 170 million EUR (EAFRD will support 8 500 projects, which are expected to receive 1.5 
billion EUR of public support). These investments will, for instance, improve the quality of the agricultural 
products, or enable a more efficient use of water and energy. 

  The  Hungarian  Economic  Development  and  Innovation  programme 

increase  of 
competitiveness and productivity of SMEs. Almost 2 900 contracts have been signed and close to EUR 200 
million was paid to enterprises varying from micro to medium-sized companies. Many of these enterprises 
are from the poorest areas of the country, where more favourable conditions encourage project promoters. 

targets 

the 

 

In France, 9 150 young farmers have been selected to benefit from 195 million EUR of EAFRD business 
start-up aid in 2015. At the same time, under EAFRD transitional rules, 3 600 young farmers successfully 
completed the implementation of their start-up projects supported by 57 million EUR. 

3.2.  Low  carbon  economy,  climate  change,  environment  and  transport  and  energy 

networks 

The  ESI  Funds  invest  more  than  EUR  260  billion  in  the  areas  addressing  sustainable 
development.  At  the  end  of  2015,  more  than  EUR  20  billion12  was  already  allocated  to 
specific projects, representing around 9% of the total amount (ranging from 4.3% to 10.5%) 
across all funds that directly contribute (ERDF, CF, EAFRD and EMFF)13. 

In relation to Low carbon economy priorities EUR 2.3 billion of investment was supported 
(4.3%  of  planned  investment).  The  EAFRD  project  selected  forecast  coverage  of  1 million 
hectares of agricultural or forestry land for sequestration or conservation actions (25% of the 
overall target corresponding to 2.4% of the overall Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA)) and 1.6 
million  hectares  of  agricultural  land  is  under  management  contracts  in  view  of  reduce 
greenhouse  gases  and  ammonia  emissions  (31%  of  the  target  corresponding  to  3%  of  the 
overall UAA). 

 

 

Lithuania has supported “Jessica II” Fund with EUR 150 million to finance the “Multi-apartment Building 
Modernisation  Programme".  It  targets  energy  efficiency  modernisation  of  residential  buildings  across 
Lithuania through preferential loans. By December 2015, EUR 100 million was paid to the fund and EUR 
40  million  was  disbursed  through  270  loan  contracts.  This  resulted  in  improved  energy  consumption  for 
over 1 014 households and reduced GHG emissions by 2 400 tons. 

Latvia  has  launched  a  project  to  create  a  network  of  218  electro  vehicles  charging  points  to  cover  the 
whole  country  by  2021.  The  aim  of  the  project  is  to  decrease  dependency  in  the  transport  system  on  oil 
products as well the use of innovative technologies in the transport sector. 

In relation to climate and risk prevention, EUR 6.6 billion of project selection was reported 
(17.3%  of  total  planned).  EAFRD  has  so  far  supported  11.1  million  hectares  of  agricultural 
land  for  specific  land  management  aiming  at  better  protection  of  biodiversity  (36%  of  the 

12   See footnote 11. 

13   The  ESF  contributes  to  sustainable  development  objectives,  i.e,  green  skills,  through  the  secondary 

objectives of support under thematic objective 8 and 10 in particular.  

10 

 
 
                                                 
farmed area to be supported) and 1.6 million hectares were under support to convert/maintain 
organic farming (15.7% of the farmed area to be supported). 

 

 

In Thuringia, Germany, a region prone to flooding having faced several severe floods in the past 15 years, 
almost 13 000 persons are benefiting from ERDF flood protection measures in 2014 and 2015. In Eisenach 
for  example,  it  is  estimated  that  a  damage  potential  of  around  EUR  180  million  could  be  avoided  as  a 
result. 

In  the  German  region  of  Schleswig-Holstein,  selected  investments  projects  to  provide  flood  and  coastal 
protection for rural areas will benefit from EUR 102 million. In 2015, EAFRD already contributed to the 
flood and coastal protection with EUR 73 million. 

In  relation  to  environment  and  resource  efficiency  priorities  total  investment  of  EUR  7.6 
billion  was  allocated  to  projects  (10.5%  of  total  planned).  That  includes  selected  EAFRD 
projects of more than 420 million in total public expenditure addressing renewable energy and 
water and energy efficiency objectives. Under ERDF and CF no significant values were yet 
reported for the common indicators measuring waste recycling capacity, improved wastewater 
treatment  or  improved  water  supply  outputs,  though  programmes  have  reported  values  for 
specific  indicators.  Around  90%  of  all  projects  selected  for  EMFF  support  by  end-2015 
promote resource efficiency and the protection of the environment. Most of those projects aim 
at protecting and restoring marine biodiversity by substantially increasing physical control of 
landings and lowering the volume of unwanted catches thereby supporting the implementation 
of the Common Fisheries Policy. 

 

In the Netherlands, 130 000 hectares benefited from EAFRD support to enhance biodiversity or to improve 
water  management,  e.g.,  through  better  use  of  fertilisers  and  pesticides.  Efficiency  of  the  environmental 
actions  has  also  been  increased  through  a  new  innovative  cooperative  approach.  Farmers  have  more 
flexibility to adapt the actions to changing factor such as weather conditions. 

In  relation  to  investment  in  strategic  networks,  significant  TEN-T  and  other  transport 
investments  are  planned  under  the  ERDF  and  Cohesion  Fund.  Overall  project  selection  by 
end-2015 was EUR 4.1 billion (6.2% of planned). In the case of transport projects the notable 
examples of projects selected are:  

 

 

Almost 150 km of reconstructed or upgraded TEN-T railways in Estonia and close to 140 km in Poland are 
already selected for funding;  

In Poland nearly 320 km of new TEN-T roads will be delivered under the selected projects; 

Box 3: Mainstreaming of climate action into ESI Funds 2014-2020 

Climate action is mainstreamed into the ESI Funds through the regulatory framework. A common methodology 
applies to the calculation of climate change support in all funds14. The methodology identifies specific categories 
of  support  that  contribute  to climate  action  giving  them  a  zero,  40%  or 100% weighting.  All funds contribute 
positively to climate action. Overall, about 25% of ESI Funds will support climate action objectives in the period 
2014-2020. ERDF and EAFRD are the two funds that contribute most of the support for climate action. 

The 2017 AIRs from the programmes will report for the first time on support used for climate change objectives. 
The  Commission  in  its  2017  summary  report  will  summarise  the  reported  information  on  climate  action  and 
provide a detailed breakdown of the climate related expenditure on the ESI Funds Open Data Platform. 

14   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 215/2014 of 7 March 2014 

11 

 
 
 
                                                 
3.3.  Employment, social inclusion and education 

Over  EUR  168  billion  in  support  is  planned  in  this  area,  particularly  from  the  ESF,  with 
ERDF,  EAFRD  and  EMFF  also  investing.  Projects  amounting  to  more  than  12%  of  this 
amount (more than EUR 11.5 billion15) were selected and many had already delivered support 
to people at the end of 2015. 

The  ESF  is  the  main  EU  fund  investing  in  employment,  social  inclusion  and  education, 
alongside the YEI, ERDF, EAFRD and EMFF. 

Overall,  implementation  of  the  ESF  by  end-2015  showed  an  average  ESF  project  selection 
rate of 13.3%, paving the way for a strong contribution of the ESI Funds to the Europe 2020 
objectives  in  these  areas.  The  breakdown  of  the  project  selection rate  by  thematic  objective 
for the ESI Funds as a whole is provided in Table 1 above.  

In aggregate terms the ESF and YEI actions delivered: 

 

 

 

 

2.7 million participants16, including 1.6 million unemployed and 700 000 inactive; 

Amongst  those  participants  235 000  were  in  employment  following  an  ESF  or  YEI 
operation, 181 000 had gained a qualification upon leaving an ESF or YEI operation; 

100 000 participants were in education or training thanks to ESF or YEI support; 

275 000 disadvantaged participants in ESF or  YEI-funded operations were engaged in 
job  searching,  education/training,  gained  a  qualification  or  were  in  employment, 
including self-employment. 

Implementation of operations in the area of employment (TO8) was ongoing in all Member 
States  by  end-2015,  albeit  to  varying  degrees  as  regards  the  different  investment  priorities. 
ESF  interventions  seeking  to  increase  access  to  the  labour  market  are  already  adequately 
reaching  unemployed  (1.1  million)  and  inactive  (230 000)  individuals.  Implementation  of 
self-employment and active and healthy ageing operations had a relatively slow start. 

 

 

In  Poland,  the  ESF  funded  national  programme  provided  support  to  122,900  participants,  of  which 
110,600 unemployed (90% of all participants), 11,100 inactive (9%) and 1,200 in work. As a result, over 
46,600  people  found  a  job,  7,500  people  gained  qualifications,  and  1,500  people  started  education  or 
training. 

Sweden is one of the Member State where YEI implementation has progressed rapidly. 6 215 young persons 
(15-24 years old) participated in YEI-supported activities, or 31% of the 20 000 participants targeted until 
2018. 3 362 participants finished the activities before the end of December 2015, of whom 25% found full 
time employment and another 25% part time employment. 

15   See footnote 11. 

16   96 % of which is reported by 10 Member States (ES, FR, IT, DE, BE, IE, PL, GR, NL, PT). 

12 

 
 
                                                 
Box 4: Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) 

The  Commission's  communication  on  "The  Youth  Guarantee  and  the  Youth  Employment  Initiative  Three 
Years On"17 already provided important insights on the first results of the YEI. 

Despite  the  early  eligibility  of  the  YEI  (from  1  September  2013)  and  the  increased  pre-financing  in  2015, 
Member States have encountered challenges, which have resulted in lower implementation on the ground than 
anticipated. The AIRs report that Member States took steps to overcome these challenges by strengthening and 
fine-tuning  implementation  structures,  procedures  and  tools.  The  vast  majority  of  YEI  programmes  (75%) 
identify YEI implementation as completely or mostly in line with their initial planning. This is a very positive 
signal for future implementation. By end-2015, out of the 501 000 young participants, who took part in a YEI-
supported operation: 

- 

- 

- 

203 000 had completed a YEI intervention, including 80,250 long-term unemployed; 

82 000  had  received  an  offer  of  employment,  continued  education,  apprenticeship  or  traineeship  upon 
leaving; 

And  109 000  were  in  education  or  training,  gained  a  qualification  or  in  employment  following  a  YEI 
intervention. 

By end of July 2016 Member States had already declared that 1.4 million young people had benefitted from the 
YEI. 

Social inclusion (TO9) is the area after TO 10 Education and Vocational Training where the 
most  noticeable  progress  for  the  ESF  can  be  witnessed.  First  data  on  implementation  is 
promising. Out of the 631 000 ESF participants, 39.8% were coming from jobless households 
and 32.1% were migrants, with a foreign background or belonged to a minority – showing the 
focus on those most in need of support. 55 000 participants already found a job. 

Under  the  ERDF  progress  by  end-2015  in  supporting  health  infrastructure  was  marginal. 
Support to selected integrated urban development strategies covers 1.7 million people (5% of 
the target set). 

 

In the Netherlands, 94 000 participants far from the labour market have benefitted from ESF support under 
the  active  inclusion  strand,  out  of  which  89%  were  disadvantaged  participants  and  49%  young  people 
under 25. 

  Germany  has  set  up  an  on-the-job  training  programme  providing  language  support  to  up  to  20 000 

participants with migrant background. 

 

 

 

In  Bulgaria,  support  was  provided  to  vulnerable  groups  (old  people  and  disabled  of  all  ages)  through 
integrated social and health services in all 28 regions of the country. 14 000 old people and persons with 
permanent disabilities and inability to self-service have been supported by 13 600 personal assistants and 
by  provision  of  integrated  services  facilitating  access  to  social  and  health  care  facilities,  specialised 
vehicle, professional psychological counselling and rehabilitation procedures. 

785  (out  of  the  planned  2 530)  LEADER  Local  Action  Groups  (LAGs),  funded  under  EAFRD,  were 
selected. They cover 24% of the total rural population or 69 million inhabitants (the target is 57% of the 
total  rural  population).  Leader  projects  in  Sweden,  Finland  and  Germany  have  supported  the  social 
inclusion of migrants through activities ranging from socio-cultural integration to initiatives with a longer-
term perspective, seeking to integrate them into the labour market.  

In Denmark and Sweden projects have been selected under the EMFF supporting employability and labour 
mobility in coastal communities. 

17   Communication  COM(2016)  646  final  of  4  October  2016,  The  Youth  Guarantee  and  Youth  Employment 

Initiative three years on 

13 

 
 
 
                                                 
Education  and  Vocational  Training 
investments  (TO10)  also  showed  significant 
implementation progress with 539 000 participants, of which at least 47% had only a primary 
and  lower  secondary  educational  level  and  83 000  participants  had  already  gained  a 
qualification thanks to ESF support by end-2015. 

 

 

In Portugal, scholarships under the "Human Capital" OP have provide better access to higher education 
opportunities  to  nearly  50 000  participants.  In  addition,  more  than  60 000  participants  have  already 
benefited from professional courses. 

Lithuania supported the creation of 42 000 new spaces in childcare or education infrastructure with ERDF 
support.  

3.4.  Strengthening institutional capacity and efficient public administration 

Overall  around  EUR  6  billion  has  been  programmed  to  support  the  strengthening  of 
institutional  capacity  and  efficient  public  administration  purpose  mainly  from  the  ESF  with 
support also planned from the ERDF. Over 11% of the total budget was allocated to projects 
by end-2015.  

The operations selected by end-2015 have a total value of EUR 680 million. The projects are 
found  in  BG,  EE,  FR,  HR,  IT,  PL  and  under  Interreg.  97 000  public  administration  staff 
members had been supported by ESF with and 31 projects targeting public administrations or 
public services at national, regional or local level been reported by the Member States. Under 
planned  ERDF  support  the  Interreg  programmes  had  made  significant  progress  in  selecting 
projects for support. 

3.5.  Progress implementing financial instruments 

The 2016 AIRs also included the first detailed reporting on financial instruments (FIs) to end-
2015. The overall outlook is positive with 21 Member States reporting progress on FIs.  The 
total volume of programme contributions committed to FIs amounts to EUR 5 737 million (of 
which EUR 5 163 million ESIF). Around 20% of the amounts committed have been paid to 
FIs  (almost  exclusively  under  ERDF  and  CF).  There  are  significant  differences  across  MS 
regarding the roll out of FIs at this early stage, ranging from countries that are taking steps to 
complete  ex-ante  assessments  to  FIs  which  have  already  demonstrated  concrete  results  in 
terms of leverage and resources returned for further investments.  

The progress by end-2015 in implementing financial instruments by Fund and by theme was 
presented in the summaries of data published by the Commission on 30th November 201618. 

3.6.  Interreg 

The  ERDF  funded  Interreg  programmes  falling  under  the  Territorial  Cooperation  goal  had 
generated a financial volume of EUR 900 million of selected projects by end-2015 (7.4% of 
planned). Examples of early evidence of physical progress under INTERREG are reflected in 
the aggregated indicators (see above), in some of the examples provided under key investment 
themes and on the Interreg "country" page on the ESI Funds Open Data Platform. 

18   2016 Summaries of data under CPR Article 46.4:  

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/thefunds/fin_inst/pdf/summary_data_fi_1420_2015.pdf  

14 

 
 
                                                 
4. 

REINFORCING THE EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAMMES 

For 2014-2020 a stronger emphasis is placed on the need to evaluate the effects of the policies 
co-financed  through  the  ESI  Fund  programmes.  The  programmes  define  objectives  that  are 
specific  and  articulate  the  change  sought  by  the  investments.  Evaluations  are  essential  for 
confirming  whether  those  changes  take  place  and  whether  the  contributions  made  by  the 
programmes contribute to their specific objectives. 

By end-2015 there were few evaluations of the results and impacts linked to the 2014-2020 
period, largely due to an insufficient volume of completed projects. The principal exception 
relates to the Youth Employment Initiative where 19 national evaluations were completed by 
June  2016.  The  studies  and  evaluations  that  were  conducted  by  programmes  during  2014-
2015  focussed  on  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  2007-2013  programmes  and  implementation 
issues  related  to  2014-2020.  According  to  the  evaluation  plans  this  pattern  is  likely  to  be 
repeated in 2016 and 2017. 

While  actual  evaluations  conducted  were  understandably  few  in  number,  Cohesion  Policy 
programmes were active in preparing evaluation plans in line the obligations for 2014-2020. 
While for the EAFRD and the EMFF evaluation plans were adopted as part of the operational 
programmes,  for  the  Cohesion  Policy  funds  evaluation  plans  need  to  be  defined  within 
12 months  of  programme  adoption.  Evaluation  plans  are  now  largely  in  place  to  deliver  on 
this  obligation.  The  Commission  has  examined  the  evaluation  plans  received  until  30  June 
2016  which  confirm  that  unprecedented  work  is  under  way  in  the  programmes  to  provide 
more robust evaluation of the implementation and achievements. 

The evaluation plans are clear on the governance of the evaluation and on the communication 
of  results.  They  are  however  weaker  on  evaluation  design  and  methods  as  well  as  on  data 
availability  and  systems.  The  Commission  considers  that  the  plans  for  the  Cohesion  Policy 
programmes should be regularly reviewed and will need further improvements especially on 
those aspects that require more specific expertise in planning and carrying out evaluations, on 
consolidating  the  number  of  evaluations  and  delivering  evidence  of  impacts  earlier  than 
currently planned in some cases in order to inform future policy making. 

A  separate  Staff  Working  Document19  provides  a  detailed  overview  of  the  evaluations 
delivered  so  far  and  of  the  evaluation  effort  planned  during  the  2014-2020  period.  It  also 
describes  the  different work  strands  pursued  by  the  Commission  to  support  the work  of  the 
programmes (networking, guidance, helpdesks, etc.) and the evaluation work that is planned 
by the Commission in the coming years.  

Separately, the Commission's own ex post evaluations for the period 2007-2013 are finalised 
or will soon be finalised20. 

19   SWD(2016)  447  available  on  this  webpage:  http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/how/stages-step-

by-step/strategic-report/  

20  For 

the  ERDF/CF  ex  post  evaluation  2007-2013  –  SWD(2016)  318  of  19  September  2016: 

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/evaluation/pdf/expost2013/wp1_swd_report_en.pdf 
For 
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=701  

the  forthcoming  Ex-post  evaluation  2007-2013  –  will  be  made  available  here: 

the  ESF 

15 

 
 
                                                 
5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The ESI Fund programmes  represent  a major  investment instrument of the European Union 
and every region and  country in the European Union benefits from the policy. Its enhanced 
legal framework for the 2014-2020 programming period brings significant policy innovation 
contributing to the initiative EU Budget Focussed on Results. A series of modern elements to 
deliver  high  quality  investments  has  been  introduced  as  part  of  the  reform.  Putting  this 
ambitious  new  approach  into  practice  in  Member  States  and  regions  required  time  and 
resources in the start-up phase to ensure that the necessary conditions for effective spending 
are in place. This coincided with the effort to complete the 2007-2013 programmes in order to 
exploit fully the investment opportunities they presented.  

It is now imperative that the implementation of the new programmes accelerates across 
all  the  European  Union.  In  particular  the  selection  of  good  quality  projects  and  their 
effective  implementation  must  be  accelerated  to  deliver  on  the  investment  ambitions  and 
expected socio economic benefits for our citizens and firms. Member States must also present 
evidence of expenditure to the Commission more promptly  to allow an orderly execution of 
the EU budget. 

Project  selection  and  expenditure  on  the  ground  provide  a  more  accurate  picture  of 
implementation  than  EU  payment  execution.  The  evidence  from  2016  financial  monitoring 
shows  that  implementation  has  already  started  to  accelerate  with  EUR  128.8  billion  of 
investments – 20.2% of the total for the period - allocated to specific projects by autumn 2016 
compared to EUR 58.8 billion by end-2015. This more recent data shows more homogeneous 
progress across most of the Member States and themes. The development of these trends will 
be further assessed in the context of the 2017 reporting cycle. 

The programme reporting cycle in mid-2017, involving comprehensive programme reports by 
June 2017 and national progress reports by end-August 2017, will provide a fuller picture of 
implementation,  progress  towards  investment  and  policy  objectives  and  will  bring  more 
qualitative  reporting.  In  particular  those  reports  will  contain  more  information  and  assess 
implementation against a list of strategic issues21, including for example on: 

 

 

 

 

An assessment of the contribution to the achievement of Europe 2020 objectives, to the 
Fund-specific  missions,  including  to  the  implementation  of  relevant  country  specific 
recommendations under the European Semester; 

A  first  report  on  progress  towards  the  financial  and  physical  milestones  under  the 
performance frameworks to be used to award the performance reserve in 2019; 

A  stocktaking  on  completion  of  the  action  plans  linked  to  outstanding  ex  ante 
conditionalities.  (In  case  of  failure  to  complete  action  plans  to  fulfil  ex  ante 
conditionalities the Commission may suspend payments to the programme(s) concerned 
in 2017.); 

Implementation  of  mechanisms  to  ensure  coordination  between  ESI  Funds  and  other 
Union  and  national  funding  instruments  and  with  the  EIB  (to  include  synergies  and 
complementarity with the European Fund for Strategic Investments). 

21   See Article 52 of the CPR 

16 

 
 
                                                 
Those reports from the Member States will be synthesised by the Commission in a strategic 
report by end-2017. 

17 

 
 
Annex 1.1: ESI Funds - financial implementation by thematic objective reported by programmes (project selection) 
31 December 2015 (EUR million) 

TO 

Thematic Objectives 

Total planned 
investment 

Total eligible cost of selected projects at end-2015 

ERDF  

EAFRD  

ESF/ YEI  

CF  

EMFF  

Total  

Rate of project 
selection  

ANNEXES 

01 
02 

03 
04 
05 

06 

07 

08 

09 
10 

11 

12 

DM 

TA 

Research & Innovation 
Information & 
Communication Technologies 
Competitiveness of SMEs 
Low-Carbon Economy 
Climate Change Adaptation & 
Risk Prevention 
Environment Protection & 
Resource Efficiency 
Network Infrastructures in 
Transport and Energy 
Sustainable & Quality 
Employment 
Social Inclusion 
Educational & Vocational 
Training 
Efficient Public 
Administration 
Outermost & Sparsely 
Populated 
Discontinued Measures 
Multiple Thematic Objectives 
(ERDF/CF/ESF) 
Technical Assistance 

Total 

59,549.3 
18,297.6 

83,593.6 
52,777.2 
37,783.6 

72,316.2 

66,659.5 

46,390.9 

53,551.9 
42,315.6 

6,080.2 

220.5 

928.0 
78,980.5 

18,712.1 
638,156.7 

3,230.8 
629.9 

3,145.9 
1,131.3 
263.1 

196.5 

648.3 

29.9 

73.9 
79.8 

180.2 

47.8 

- 
3,046.1 

1,159.4 

13,862.9 

Source: Commission based on data reported by programmes 

147.6 
106.7 

4,294.3 
1,129.7 
6,176.0 

6,587.4 

- 

199.2 

821.3 
128.1 

- 

- 

- 
- 

298.7 

19,889.0 

18 

- 
- 

- 
- 
- 

- 

- 

6,226.2 

4,071.5 
5,542.0 

500.5 

- 

- 
2,986.7 

851.6 

20,178.5 

- 
- 

- 
13.0 
115.0 

663.0 

3,491.3 

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 
44.4 

363.7 

4,690.4 

- 
- 

36.4 
- 
- 

3,378.4 
736.7 

7,476.6 
2,274.0 
6,554.2 

126.1 

7,573.0 

- 

1.6 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 
- 

1.0 

165.1 

4,139.6 

6,456.9 

4,966.8 
5,749.8 

680.7 

47.8 

- 
6,077.2 

2,674.3 
58,786.0 

5.7% 
4.0% 

8.9% 
4.3% 
17.3% 

10.5% 

6.2% 

13.9% 

9.3% 
13.6% 

11.2% 

21.7% 

0.0% 
7.7% 

14.3% 

9.2% 

 
 
  
Annex 1.2: ESI Funds - financial implementation by thematic objective reported by programmes (project selection)  
Autumn 2016 (EUR million) 

TO 

Thematic Objectives 

Total 
programmed 
amount  
2014-2020 

Total eligible cost of selected projects at Autumn 2016 

ERDF  

EAFRD  

ESF/ YEI  

CF  

EMFF  

Total  

Rate of project 
selection  

01 
02 

03 
04 
05 

06 

07 

08 

09 
10 

11 

12 

DM 

TA 

Research & Innovation 
Information & 
Communication Technologies 
Competitiveness of SMEs 
Low-Carbon Economy 
Climate Change Adaptation & 
Risk Prevention 
Environment Protection & 
Resource Efficiency 
Network Infrastructures in 
Transport and Energy 
Sustainable & Quality 
Employment 
Social Inclusion 
Educational & Vocational 
Training 
Efficient Public 
Administration 
Outermost & Sparsely 
Populated 
Discontinued Measures 
Multiple Thematic Objectives 
(ERDF/CF/ESF/EMFF) 
Technical Assistance 

Total 

Ad-Hoc reporting (ES)  

Corrected Total  

59,549.3 
18,297.6 

83,593.6 
52,777.2 
37,783.6 

10,196.8 
1,816.5 

8,532.7 
2,709.8 
497.1 

321.2 
370.7 

7,831.7 
1,518.8 
8,555.7 

72,316.2 

1,734.5 

9,464.8 

66,659.5 

3,474.4 

- 

- 
- 

- 
- 
- 

- 

- 

- 
- 

- 
1,174.0 
1,178.0 

- 
- 

36.4 
- 
- 

10,518.0 
2,187.2 

16,400.8 
5,402.6 
10,230.7 

2,393.4 

126.1 

13,718.8 

46,390.9 

53,551.9 
42,315.6 

6,080.2 

220.5 

928.0 
78,980.5 

18,712.1 
638,156.7 

638,156.7 

247.2 

939.6 
951.8 

378.1 

234.0 

- 
10,381.4 

2,213.3 

44,307.1 
4,500.0 
48,807.1 

7,751.7 

- 

- 
- 

- 

- 

498.2 

11,222.4 

2,670.9 
226.5 

- 

- 

- 
- 

7,100.1 
7,584.8 

909.2 

- 

- 
4,800.7 

- 
917.1 

356.8 (2)  

490.4 

31,948.8 

1,588.9 

33,206.1 

902.0 

14,316.1 

521.9 

- 

1.6 

11,226.0 

11,969.4 

10,710.6 
8,763.1 

1,287.3 

- 
16,456.1 

5,195.6 
124,300.0 

128,800.0 

17.7% 
12.0% 

19.6% 
10.2% 
27.1% 

19.0% 

16.8% 

25.8% 

20.0% 
20.7% 

21.2% 

0.0% 
20.4% 

27.8% 

19.4% 

20.2% 

234.0 

106.1% 

Source: Commission based on data reported by programmes 

33,206.1 
Notes: (1) For more information on the source of this data see footnotes to Annex 2.2 
           (2) Ad-Hoc reporting by EMFF programmes to end October 2016. 

31,948.8 

14,316.1 

521.9 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 2.1: ESI Funds - financial implementation by Member State reported by 
programmes (project selection) – 31 December 2015 (EUR Million) 
Total Eligible Cost of 
projects selected 
at end-2015  

Allocated EU 
Amount 
2014-2020 

Rate of Project 
selection  

Total programmed 
amount 
2014-2020 
(EU & National) 

10,655.0 
AT 
6,040.8 
BE 
11,734.0 
BG 
1,120.0 
CY 
32,291.4 
CZ 
44,756.4 
DE 
2,264.7 
DK 
6,003.1 
EE 
53,278.1 
ES 
8,423.6 
FI 
45,784.5 
FR 
24,965.4 
GR 
12,677.1 
HR 
29,646.7 
HU 
6,131.4 
IE 
73,624.4 
IT 
9,947.2 
LT 
456.4 
LU 
6,908.0 
LV 
1,023.9 
MT 
3,731.6 
NL 
104,899.0 
PL 
32,691.9 
PT 
36,447.5 
RO 
7,980.0 
SE 
4,896.1 
SI 
20,078.2 
SK 
12,414.6 
TC 
27,285.6 
UK 
Grand Total 
638,156.7 
Source: Commission based on data reported by programmes  

4,923 
2,710 
9,878 
874 
23,980 
27,935 
1,540 
4,459 
37,401 
3,759 
26,736 
20,352 
10,742 
25,014 
3,358 
42,668 
8,386 
140 
5,634 
828 
1,881 
86,095 
25,793 
30,838 
3,647 
3,875 
15,344 
9,239 
16,417 
454,446.7 

1,679.1 
2,146.7 
912.6 
3.0 
966.4 
8,085.8 
419.9 
1,178.7 
1,077.9 
2,593.0 
5,760.2 
1,104.3 
1,993.6 
1,727.5 
1,771.6 
3,620.6 
873.0 
88.3 
605.3 
15.6 
231.9 
4,495.4 
4,956.1 
1,001.0 
1,936.0 
464.4 
925.4 
906.9 
7,246.1 
58,786.0 

15.8% 
35.5% 
7.8% 
0.3% 
3.0% 
18.1% 
18.5% 
19.6% 
2.0% 
30.8% 
12.6% 
4.4% 
15.7% 
5.8% 
28.9% 
4.9% 
8.8% 
19.4% 
8.8% 
1.5% 
6.2% 
4.3% 
15.2% 
2.7% 
24.3% 
9.5% 
4.6% 
7.3% 
26.6% 
9.2% 

20 

 
  
 
 
Annex 2.2: ESI Funds - financial implementation by Member State reported by 
programmes (project selection) – Autumn 2016 (EUR million) 

Allocated EU 
Amount 

2014-2020 

Total Eligible Cost of 
projects selected 

at Autumn 2016  

Rate of Project 
selection  

Total 
programmed 
amount 
2014-2020 
(EU & National) 
10,655.0 
6,040.8 
11,734.0 
1,120.0 
32,291.4 
44,756.4 
2,264.7 
6,003.1 
53,278.1 
8,423.6 
45,784.5 
24,965.4 
12,677.1 
29,646.7 
6,131.4 
73,624.4 
9,947.2 
456.4 
6,908.0 
1,023.9 
3,731.6 
104,899.0 
32,691.9 
36,447.5 
7,980.0 
4,896.1 
20,078.2 
12,414.6 
27,285.6 
638,156.7 

4,923 
2,710 
9,878 
874 
23,980 
27,935 
1,540 
4,459 
37,401 
3,759 
26,736 
20,352 
10,742 
25,014 
3,358 
42,668 
8,386 
140 
5,634 
828 
1,881 
86,095 
25,793 
30,838 
3,647 
3,875 
15,344 
9,239 
16,417 
454,446.7 

2,011.2 
2,538.5 
2,846.6 
56.9 
3,092.4 
13,466.6 
651.6 
2,187.6 
7,086.4 1 
3,401.7 
9,481.7 
2,991.7 
1,148.9 
11,578.2 
2,058.7 
10,394.8 
2,248.4 
92.4 
1,654.0 
185.1 
1,019.0 
14,314.2 
11,063.9 
2,617.1 
2,689.1 
1,073.0 
3,436.7 
2,849.8 
10,207.3 
128,443.2 

AT 
BE 
BG 
CY 
CZ 
DE 
DK 
EE 
ES 
FI 
FR 
GR 
HR 
HU 
IE 
IT 
LT 
LU 
LV 
MT 
NL 
PL 
PT 
RO 
SE 
SI 
SK 
TC 
UK 
Grand Total 
EMFF ad-hoc  
reporting  
30/10/2016 
Total with EMFF  
Source: Commission based on data reported by programmes 
Notes: 
In Annexes 1.2 and 2.2, the period covered by the financial data reported by Fund is as follows:  
1.  For  Cohesion  Policy  programmes  the  most  recent  data  on  project  selection  relate  to  30  September 
2016. For ES an amount of EUR 4 500 million was reported as allocated by Autumn 2016 under the 
ERDF (ad-hoc reporting). 

18.9% 
42.0% 
24.3% 
5.1% 
9.6% 
30.1% 
28.8% 
36.4% 
13.3% 
40.4% 
20.7% 
12.0% 
9.1% 
39.1% 
33.6% 
14.1% 
22.6% 
20.2% 
23.9% 
18.1% 
27.3% 
13.6% 
33.8% 
7.2% 
33.7% 
21.9% 
17.1% 
23.0% 
37.4% 
20.1% 

356,8 
128,800.0 

20.2% 

2.  For EAFRD programmes the most recent data on project selection relate to 31 August 2016. 
3.  For  EMFF  programmes  the  most  recent  data  formally  reported  on  project  selection  relate  to  31 

December 2015. Additional ad-hoc reporting is added separately at the end of the table above. 

The financial data presented above is a snapshot of the data notified by the programmes as at 9 November 
2016 and may subsequently be corrected or completed by programmes where necessary. 
The next reporting deadline for Cohesion Policy programmes is 31 January 2017 (for financial data until 
end 2016). 

21