The ambassadors of the Member States to the European Union unanimously supported, on Wednesday 8 April, at the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives II (Coreper II), the new measures announced by the European Commission to give maximum flexibility in the structural and investment funds to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The measures drawn up in the framework of the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII+), presented on Thursday 2 April (see EUROPE 12460/3), had, the following day, already received a positive reception in the Committee of Permanent Representatives II. On Monday 6 April, at the meeting of the EU Council Working Party, delegations had given their support in principle to the new proposals (see EUROPE 12462/10), which, as a reminder, were intended to respond to the relative dissatisfaction of national delegations and the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12456/1). They had then approved an accelerated procedure without amendment.
On Monday 6 April, the coordinators of Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) also gave the go-ahead to activate the urgency procedure and speed up the vote (via Rule 163 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure). A letter has been sent to the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli (S&D, Italy), to activate the procedure with a view to having a vote at the plenary session on 16 April.
At a meeting of the REGI Committee on Wednesday 8 April, MEPs welcomed the Commission’s new proposals, noting however that there was no fresh money on the table and fearing consequences for the new possibilities for transferring money from poorer to richer regions (see EUROPE 12461/18).
Furthermore, in view of the Commission’s desire to reopen - certainly on 29 April - the proposals on the table for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, particularly for cohesion policy, MEPs stressed the key role of cohesion in combating COVID-19 and in relaunching the European Union. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)