Brussels, 10/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - The legislative package for reform of cohesion policy is expected to be adopted by the summer. The Irish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers will, therefore, oversee the ongoing negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council to obtain an agreement on this important reform. The package consists of six regulations and has already been the subject of negotiations in the Parliament and the Council, allowing an institutional trilogue to begin under the Cypriot Presidency. The negotiating team is working through each of the 17 blocks of articles. An initial informal agreement was reached in December on the principle of the partnership and code of conduct to be applied to structural fund programming. The Irish Presidency will, therefore, be at the helm in seeking agreement on the 16 remaining blocks, whilst bearing in mind that agreement on the totality is required. The next agreements may well be on the blocks relating to thematic concentration and the common strategic framework. Certain issues, however, such as macro-economic conditions and co-funding rates fall within negotiations on the EU budget. Negotiations on cohesion policy are intrinsically linked to discussions about the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, which are expected to determine the amount allocated to cohesion and which will probably be decided during the next European Council in February. (MD/transl.fl)