Brussels, 23/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - The joint rapporteurs at the European Parliament (EP) on the common provisions on European funds (revision of 2014-2020 cohesion policy) sounded the alarm on Tuesday 23 April as the institutional trilogue negotiations are becoming bogged down. They were quick to criticise the attitude displayed by the Irish Presidency of the Council. The initial timetable (adoption of the reports in the parliamentary committees in July, then the votes at the September plenary) now appears very difficult to stick to.
The joint rapporteurs on the common regulation, Constanze Krehl (S&D, Germany) and Lambert Van Nistelrooij (EPP, Netherlands), provided an update on the progress of the negotiations made to their colleagues on the parliamentary committee on regional development. The balance sheet is far from brilliant and out of the 17 negotiating blocks that need to be concluded, there are still 12 pending (including thematic concentration, ex ante conditions, technical assistance, management and inspections).
Krehl announced that “a lot of blocks are almost 85% completed and we have an agreement on the proposals from the Presidency, Parliament and Commission but no agreement. Obtaining an agreement would appear very difficult or impossible”. She says that “controversial issues such as the European social fund, ex ante conditions, and macro-economic conditionality have not been resolved or tackled or only at a superficial level”. Krehl considers that the problem has been created by the Irish Presidency, which does not appear sufficiently prepared and she points out that “member states themselves have not sought to find out about the progress made in negotiations”.
Van Nistelrooij warned that “the Irish Presidency cannot be happy with such a mixed outcome and it must show the will to make progress”. Elisabeth Schroedter (Greens/Germany) was even more critical and said that “the Irish Presidency says no to everything and there's your problem. I think it's scandalous for our citizens because we will have a huge dilemma if we do not have any decisions made in the autumn plenary”.
The chair of the regional development committee, Danuta Hübner (EPP, Poland), has said that she is determined to vote on the reform during the July committee. She has announced that from now on, debate would be undertaken in parallel and questions still pending would be addressed in a political trilogue, the first to be held at the beginning of May. (MD/transl.fl)