Brussels, 08/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - A request has been made by Commissioners Johannes Hahn (regional policy), Maria Damanaki (maritime affairs and fisheries), László Andor (employment, social affairs and inclusion) and Dacian Cioloº (agriculture and rural development) to create a common post-2013 strategic framework to be applied to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund (ESF), Cohesion Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and European Fisheries Fund (EFF). This request was made in a letter addressed to the president of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso, on 31 August. The commissioners explained that “it would help limit the fragmentation of the different instruments and to allow for better prioritisation of EU funding”. They also stated that “in relation to the ESF, the common strategic framework would exclusively refer to Integrated guidelines for economic and employment policies. At the same time, the common strategic framework would ensure more clarity for member states and beneficiaries, reduce administrative costs and would set the example for a more co-ordinated approach at national, regional and local level”. They conclude: “We believe that the fundamental principle behind a joint strategy of closer alignment of our policies with EUROPE 2020 is a promising one and look forward to discussing it with you at the earliest opportunity". The recommendation of the four commissioners is currently the subject of internal discussions at the Commission.
The Council of European Municipal Regions (CEMR) greeted this recommendation from the four commissioners with the warmest of enthusiasm. On Monday 6 September, the secretary general of the CEMR, Frédéric Vallier, affirmed that “CEMR has been hoping for such a proposal for years as it would enable a more efficient local and regional development ... In the past, local and regional authorities have had problems with achieving the coherence of their projects and with addressing social, environmental and economic problems efficiently and in an integrated way”. He expressed hope that this proposal would be ratified by President Barroso and the Council, because the European Parliament had already made this kind of recommendation and asserted that the difficulties experienced “are largely due to the fragmentation of EU funding programmes”. In a press release, CEMR urges the Commission “to go even further and better integrate all EU policies with an impact on EU territories, including research and development policy, transport policies, energy policies, environmental policies and internal market and competition policies, particularly state aid”. CEMR considers that: financing programmes and administrative procedures should be simplified in order to reduce administrative costs that have a negative impact on local and regional authorities; a flexible allocation and common rules for firms must be put into place in an effort to reduce administrative charges; each territory should receive a single and consolidated amount of funding from the EU, depending on the comprehensive priority results agreed between the territory, the member state and the EU. CEMR believes that the proposal from the four commissioners is “an important first step in this direction”. (G.B./transl.fl)