Brussels, 12/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - MEPs tone down the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in favour of member states in the cohesion package, make the Cohesion Fund greener, and give flexibility and all that is urban more than their due in the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). On Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 July, the parliamentary committee responsible for regional development (REGI) finalised its position on regulations relating to ERDF and the Cohesion Fund further to the vote on the joint provisions for five structural funds (see related article) - the package opening up the road to reform of cohesion policy for the 2014-2020 programming period. The vote gives rapporteurs a negotiating brief in inter-institutional trialogues to be continued this autumn.
Connecting Europe Facility. The REGI committee has sought to put an end to the dispute over the CEF, seeking to reach a balanced solution that will serve as a good basis for continuing negotiations, said Victor Bostinaru (S&D, Romania), rapporteur on the Cohesion Fund regulation, speaking at a press briefing. It will no longer be a question of paying €10 billion from the Cohesion Fund to the CEF but of upholding the viewpoint whereby the Cohesion Fund contributes to the funding of cross-border sections of transport infrastructure. MEPs stress that member states should keep control of the projects.
Greening of Cohesion Fund. Bostinaru also underlined that the Cohesion Fund will be greener in future, saying the concept of polluter pays has been introduced. Projects contributing to a better environment will now be eligible - like renewable energies, heating and housing - and there will also be a contribution to biodiversity with support for Natura 2000 projects, for example. In the light of changes brought by the EP, the rapporteur expressed confidence regarding the continuation of talks with the Council.
Towns, companies and culture in ERDF. Jan Olbrycht (EPP, Poland), for his part, welcomes the turn taken by the vote in REGI on the ERDF regulation, for which he is rapporteur. MEPs mainly placed emphasis on flexibility in thematic concentration, running counter to the Commission that said that the richer regions were the less choice they had in projects coming up for funding, Olbrycht explained. Regions may take up an additional objective to the three initially foreseen by the Commission, in order to focus their efforts (energy efficiency, SME, innovation, with varying percentages depending on the region's category). The rapporteur said it would not be a matter of prohibiting major companies from having access to funding. Also, MEPs consider that the cultural, tourist and sports infrastructures are also eligible for ERDF funding as these areas make up part of the economy. Furthermore, projects relating to energy efficiency in buildings and housing may be included in the list of eligible projects.
MEPs hoped, moreover, to place ERDF emphasis on towns and cities. Projects for the revitalisation or rehabilitation of contaminated sites will be eligible. They did away with the controversial “towns and cities platform” and the list of towns that would be included in it. The REGI committee also gave its assurance that 5% of ERDF would be set aside for making urban areas functional, and that 0.02% of the fund would support innovative projects in urban areas. (MD/transl.jl)