According to his opinion published on Thursday 30 August, Jens Geier MEP (S&D, Germany) rejects the European Commission's proposal of allocating the performance reserve written into the regulation (1303/2013) on common arrangements for structural reforms undertaken by the member states.
Essentially, Geier considers that this arrangement "clearly" violates the objective and purpose of the cohesion policy, given that the performance reserve was dedicated to structural funds programmes and investment that achieved their objectives. In his view, the programmes anticipated the amount of this reserve. The Commission's proposal would provoke "financial insecurity", he says.
Furthermore, in Geier's opinion, this new arrangement would subject the cohesion policy to the European Semester budget process and would go against the fundamental principle of this policy – shared management. What is more, he considers that the definition of the structural reforms targeted lacks clarity. In addition, he deems the results of this pilot project can on no account be picked up in the next multiannual financial framework, contrary to what the European Commission says.
The Commission's proposal does not seem to find grace in the eyes of MEPs. The co-rapporteurs in the European Parliament's regional development committee, which is competent on the substance, also reject the proposal (see EUROPE 12058). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)