On Thursday 19 April, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) approved the inter-institutional agreement on the so-called 'omnibus' regulation concerning the financial rules of the EU (see EUROPE 11991).
This text will modify the existing financial regulation and a series of acts governing the multiannual programmes of the EU in specific areas, such as the cohesion policy. It will introduce simplified rules for the use of various types of funds, whether they are managed directly by the Commission, indirectly by the various bodies and organisations, or jointly with the national authorities.
For instance, it will be easier to combine funding from the EU structural funds with financial instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments, through the 'blending' of funds. It will also be possible to combine subsidies and financial instruments under the Connecting Europe Facility, to finance projects in the fields of transport, energy and information and communication technologies.
The Parliament must now approve the regulation at first reading. The text will then be put before the Council for definitive adoption. It will enter into force in July 2018 and most of its provisions will apply immediately. The EU institutions have been given extra time to adapt to the new rules concerning their administrative spending. They will apply them from 1 January 2019. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)