In anticipation of limited budgetary resources after 2020, the European Commission is currently examining a streamlining of European financial instruments and programmes, which will be reduced in number from 69 to 43, according to two Commission documents published on Politico on Monday 5 March.
During the second and third weeks of April, the European Budget Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, will be meeting his colleagues from the College and the Directors General of the various services to discuss the reorganisation of the budgetary instruments ahead of the next multiannual financial framework (MFF).
Among the points worth mentioning is the renewal of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), to be renamed the 'EUInvest' fund. Four areas of action are listed, namely investment in: - "sustainable" infrastructure; - research and innovation; - human capital (social aspects and skills); - SMEs.
As these areas are largely covered by the cohesion policy, this suggests that the financial instruments will be reinforced in the next budget.
Another change is that the European Social Fund (ESF) is dealt with under a heading other than the other structural and investment funds (ESI funds). This confirms the evolution of the ESF into centralised management, according to one expert. The Asylum, migration and integration fund has been rebranded the Asylum and integration fund. The integration of migrants plank may come under the cohesion policy, the same source told us.
At the informal European summit, most member states called for the ceiling of EU budgetary spending to be increased after 2020 (see EUROPE 11968). A ministerial conference on the next MFF will be held in Sofia on 8 and 9 March.
See: http://politi.co/2FTZqym (letter) and http://politi.co/2FiXjDm (annex). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)