Brussels, 12/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - It is hard to say at this point whether the “migration” fund of the EU, specifically the European Integration Fund (EIF) and the European Refugee Fund (ERF) are genuinely effective and provide real added value to the main stakeholders, whether they are from third countries or the EU. This is the observation made by the European Court of Auditors on Tuesday 11 December, presenting a report in which it takes stock of the problems encountered by the member states in assessing the effectiveness and purpose of these programmes and the many duplications between the available Community funds, as the European Social Fund could, it argues, take on many of the missions of the two instruments assessed.
The “inspectors” of the Luxembourg institution reviewed the use of the funds in question to the tune of around €1.5 billion for the period 2007-2013 and audited 22 projects in five member states, Germany, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and Portugal. After its investigations, it concluded that although most of the projects were positive for the people in question, the member states, however, remained unable to assess the contribution of the funds due to the fact that the audited member states had not defined appropriate goals or indicators for the annual programmes.
The Commission, which had to publish a report on these funds in 2011, also failed to provide any clarity on these programmes. Its report, based on data from the member states, did not contain enough information to allow the funds to be assessed and oriented, the Court argues. And although positive results were observed at individual level, this does not necessarily mean that the programme has been a glowing success more generally.
The Court bases its views, amongst other things, on the fact that the execution rates were lower in 2007 and 2008, with 66% of the funds available used in 2007 and 77% in 2008.
The Court also observed: the lack of coordination between the funds. The European Social Fund is therefore entirely able to fulfil the assigned missions of the two migration instruments, as the ESF also supports access to employment and funds knowledge of the host country activities, said Milan Martin Cvikl, a member of the Court and author of the report.
According to the institution, changes are therefore vital.
The design of the funds should be simplified, the various instruments rationalised, which the European Commission has committed to do for the period 2014-2020, and the real individual needs of the migrants, from the EU or from third countries, must be assessed, the author of the report has recommended. This work on identification of needs should be the job of the Commission and the member states should, for their part, have obligatory indicators to verify the contribution of these European programmes to the integration of their migrants. (SP/transl.fl)