Brussels, 04/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - In a letter to the European Parliament and the Council, Budget Commissioner Januz Lewandowsky has argued in favour of simplifying access to European funds. He bases his comments on the second simplification scoreboard for the MFF 2014-2020, published by the European Commission on 26 February.
In a letter dated 28 February, the commissioner calls on the two institutions to work together to reduce the administrative burden in the multi-annual financial framework (MAFF) 2014-2020. It is a question of making life easier for the beneficiaries of European funds because, as Lewandowsky stresses, “Europe's towns and regions, small and medium enterprises, students, NGOs and scientists speak with one voice when they complain about the burden of current rules governing access to EU funds”. He criticises the excessive red tape as, he explains, “according to the Court of Auditors, excessively complex rules are the primary reason for mistakes in the EU budget”.
His appeal refers to the publication of the second update on the simplifications implemented for access to European funds in 2014-2020. This communication sheds light on elements currently being negotiated but which could end up making funding even more complex. The document stresses that the simplification should be a “cross-cutting priority: it should be central to the negotiations, in order to improve the granting and quality of EU funding and facilitate beneficiaries' access to it. Other priorities, although important, should not inverse the process of simplification, as this responds to the fundamental requirements of the beneficiaries and of the citizens in general”.
For example, the Commission would like the administrative effort to be proportionate to the size of the funding. As a result, small subsidies should be accompanied by simplified procedures. In addition, with regard to cohesion policy, the Commission takes the view that the beneficiaries should be able to store data and documents in electronic form alone by the end of 2014. (MD/transl.fl)