Brussels, 15/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 14 October, trilogue negotiations on cohesion policy experienced a setback. These negotiations have stagnated for months now and are still stalling on the question of macro-economic conditions. The current showdown now involves the European Parliament's role in procedures for suspending structural funds and what socio-economic criteria should be taken into account in the event of suspension. The Parliament wants to restrict the use of macro-conditions, which the European Commission, however, considers should be used as a last resort.
The negotiating team met up again on Monday evening but at the end of three hours of talks, the European Commissioner for Regional Development, Johannes Hahn, said on Twitter that there was still no agreement on reform of cohesion policy, although that he had witnessed “determination on all sides to conclude negotiations” and, above all, to avoid postponement of he vote on the Multiannual Financial Framework in November. Without any inter-institutional agreement on cohesion policy reform, it is highly likely that the vote planned on 23 October on the EU budget for 2014-2020 will not take place. One of Parliament's three red lines for proceeding to a vote is that all reforms of the sectoral dossiers are completed.
The negotiating team still has until Monday 21 October (when the plenary session opens) to obtain a compromise on the cohesion policy reform elements still pending (macro-conditions, performance requirements, co-financing and pre-financing rates) and therefore ensure that the vote on the MFF is on the agenda. Sources close to the dossier have affirmed that they still hope a political agreement can be achieved this week.
A technical trilogue took place on Tuesday 15 October in the afternoon and there is a possibility that a political trilogue could take place on Thursday 17 October. On Thursday, Coreper is expected to analyse what was put on the table during the Monday evening trilogue. (MD/transl.fl)