Strasbourg, 19/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - Despite last minute dissension on, as always, macro-economic conditionality, MEPs are expected to adopt the compromise on reform of cohesion policy in Strasbourg, on Wednesday 20 November,
During the plenary debate on Tuesday 19 November, before the crucial vote, rapporteurs on the common strategic framework and on the structural fund regulations listed the advantages of the compromises reached (after countless trialogues with Council and Commission). Reform will allow more effective use of the €325 billion envelope over seven years (2014-2020) intended for structural funds from 1 January 2014, rapporteurs pointed out.
The European commissioner for regional development, Johannes Hahn, stressed for his part the fact that this was a “good compromise that deserved support” from the Parliament.
Still on Monday evening, the parliamentary committee for regional development (REGI) was called upon to vote on a word in the provisions relating to macro-economic conditionality. The committee agreed to change the term “persistent” to “significant”, describing the degree of non-respect of the EU's macro-economic injunctions that could lead to payments being suspended (27 in favour, 4 against and one abstention). The text to be put to the vote will therefore be identical to that approved by Coreper (the committee of permanent representatives of the EU member states), thus removing the risk of a second reading.
Nonetheless, this does not enhance sympathy for macro-economic conditionality, defined as measures linking structuring funds and investment to adequate economic governance in the EU. This principle was strongly criticised during Tuesday's debate.
The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, went against the protest wafting through the hemicycle by deciding to proceed to a vote on the overall compromise. MEPs should therefore not be able to make bring down the reform collapse for this reason. The Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL Groups confirmed their intent to vote against the package for this reason, while the other major groups seemed to agree to vote in favour.
The leader of the EPP Group at the EP, Joseph Daul of France, told the press on Tuesday, the day before the vote, that the European Parliament had been successful with regard to structural funds. The group of Socialists and Democrats also seemed to support the compromise although their leader, Hannes Swoboda, deplored the fact, during a press conference on Tuesday, that the objective of 25% of allocations from the European Social Fund has not been not attained (the compromise reckons on 23.1%) and that macro-economic conditionality unjustly punishes the regions for errors committed by the national governments. Generally speaking, however, it is expected that the voting along national delegation lines will take precedence over political affiliation.
It should be noted, moreover, that the regulation on the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020, endorsed on Tuesday 19 November in plenary (see related article) already comprises a reference to macro-economic conditionality. The Parliament has, therefore, implicitly signed up to it. As the vote on reform draws nearer, the risk of referral to second reading grows smaller due to controversial macro-economic conditionality. (MD/transl.jl)