Brussels, 03/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - Trialogue talks on reform of cohesion policy will resume on Wednesday 4 September, picking up again after the summer break at the very point they were left after the partial vote on reform in the parliamentary committee on regional development in July, on the basis of an agreement already reached in trialogue (see EUROPE 10885).
Trialogue resumes. Trialogue talks are to resume on Wednesday at the rate of one meeting per week (together with a technical meeting) and should result in agreements by the second half of October on all outstanding points. The whole package will be put to the vote in the plenary from 21 to 24 October.
Stumbling blocks. Between now and then, however, there is still deadlock on some aspects of the provisions common to the five structural funds, mainly on performance reserve (5% of the funds per country are held back and paid out if good results are reached by the end of the time given) and macro-economic conditionality (suspension of funding for states that do not act on the EU's macroeconomic recommendations). According to a source close to the dossier at the European Commission, the Parliament is sticking firmly to its stance to “resist” this conditionality that has been controversial since the legislative procedure began two years ago. The Council is expected then to confirm the agreement reached on reform of cohesion policy in November, in order to keep to a tight timetable so that reform is set in place by next January, the date when the new 2014-2020 planning period begins.
EU28 already at work. Nonetheless, member states and regional authorities cannot allow themselves to wait for confirmation of the agreement, or that of the amounts of the next multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. The EU28 have already moved well forward in developing partnership agreements (which determine structural fund priorities) and programming (the amounts to be allocated). Poland and the United Kingdom have even been able to communicate the amounts that will be provided for their regions. Until the whole reform is formally endorsed, however, nothing can be finalised “constitutionally”, the same European source said. (MD/transl.jl)