Brussels, 15/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - In an own initiative report adopted by the regional development (REGI) committee on Thursday 15 October, MEPs underlined the need to ensure that the partnership principle and the “explicit, but not exclusive” principle are observed in order to better integrate marginalised communities in cohesion policy programmes.
The regulation laying down common provisions for European structural and investment funds (1303/2013) requires member states to comply with the partnership and multi-level governance principle by involving all players, including marginalised communities, in the drafting and implementation of programmes. MEPs thus call on the Commission not to approve programmes not respecting this principle.
The “explicit, but not exclusive” principle implies focusing on specific target groups without excluding others in similar socio-economic circumstances nor triggering defensive reactions from the majority population against any positive discrimination.
MEPs also call on the Commission to improve evaluation mechanisms, putting the emphasis on qualitative studies in programme drafting and implementation by member states and, in this way, tackle the practices of some implementers who “satisfy the criteria by simply 'ticking boxes', for example by involving NGOs which allegedly represent Roma people or having pseudo-consultations without any real dialogue”. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)