Brussels, 16/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - The Permanent Representatives of the European Regions to the European Union have met the European Commissioner for Regional Development, Corina Cretu, responsible for this question. On Friday 13 February, she called for the quality of public administration and fight against fraud to be improved.
Cretu highlighted the fact that good administrative capacity in the regions had a direct impact on the way in which structural funds were managed, “there is no doubt about the experience obtained… Planning and efficient implementation guarantee effective projects and better results”.
The European Commission has undertaken a variety of initiatives to train the structural fund management authorities and has developed action plans in certain areas, such as calls for public procurement. The Commissioner particularly emphasised the forthcoming presentation of a new instrument and invited the 300 regions of Europe to share their best practices. The “Regio Peer to Peer” platform is therefore due to be presented on 24 March and will allow the respective administrations to participate in exchange workshops and study visits and also benefit from the different assistance on offer.
Cretu also highlighted the war they needed to wage against fraud and explained that there would be “zero tolerance and no exceptions”. The Commissioner reminded the regions that the seminars on the subject had been organised in member states to raise awareness about the problem, provide guidance and facilitate the exchange of information and best practices. (Marie-Pauline Desset)