Brussels, 29/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - The EU budget helps boost investments, contributes to the competitiveness of the EU economy and creates new jobs, according to the (2014) report on the evaluation of the finances of the Union based on the results obtained, which was published on 26 June.
The report, which is published annually as part of the EU budget discharge procedure, shows that: - every euro invested by the EU budget in the pilot phase of the 'Project Bond Initiative' (bond loans used for the financing of projects) attracted €9 in additional funds (the leveraging effect achieved is nearly 9); - the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund contributed to the creation of 770,000 new jobs across Europe between 2007 and 2013; - thanks to EU funding, some 5 million households got access to broadband Internet between 2007 and 2013.
The report also states that the validation of expenditure under the multi-annual financial framework 2007-2013 is continuing. “Generally, implementation is well underway”. (Lionel Changeur)