Brussels, 09/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 9 June, the European Commission presented an initiative to set up a senior level group to simplify the absorption of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
Under the chairmanship of the former Vice-President of the European Commission, Siim Kallas (Estonia), this group will seek to reduce the red tape currently weighing down on the shoulders of fund beneficiaries, particularly when it comes to reimbursement procedures.
The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, said “I do not want to hear again that an SME is no longer interested in receiving our support because it finds it too lengthy, bureaucratic and cumbersome”.
The group's focus will be on five priorities: Facilitating access to funding for SMEs; Tackling excessive regulation; Using simpler ways to reimburse costs; Increasing the use of online procedures; Analysing how projects initiated and managed by local communities are implemented. On the basis of the data gathered, this group will outline post-2020 simplification measures.
This initiative focuses on five European funds: European Regional Development Funds (ERDF); the European Social Fund (ESF); Cohesion Funds; the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)). It will be seeking to provide a response to the absorption difficulties confronting certain member states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) for the 2007-2013 period (see EUROPE 11284). The Commission is subsequently hoping to prevent the risk of certain countries disengaging and substantially reducing the errors occurring due to the complexity of administrative procedures.
A range of regulations had already been adopted in December 2013 to simplify the funds under Article 174 of the treaty on territorial cohesion.
One source close to the dossier informed EUROPE “nonetheless, it will be necessary for the project to go ahead at the Commission, therefore the official launch won't be for now”.
On the same day, an informal Cohesion Council meeting was taking place in Riga to debate cohesion policy reforms (see other article). Cohesion policy has a budget of €351.8 billion for the next mandate. It will cover all EU regions and cities and account for the main European investment policy. (Pascal Hansens)