At a meeting on Tuesday 27 October, the European Parliament and the EU Council have made some progress on the thorny issue of cofinancing rates per category of regions under the framework of the common provisions regulation.
The co-legislators have therefore agreed to set a cofinancing rate of 85% for the least developed regions, 60% for regions that are in transition and 40% for the most developed regions.
However, the European Parliament’s request to add a 10% “bonus” for regions who are making progress under the classification of regional categories will have been maintained. This will mean, for example, that European co-financing for regions that are currently in transition and which will be classified as more developed regions from 2021 onwards, will see an increase in the rate from 40% to 50%.
It is worth remembering that the Commission had, in its May 2018 proposal, suggested a rate of 70% for the least developed regions, 55% for regions in transition and 50% for the most developed regions. Furthermore, regarding the level of pre-financing, this would set at 0.5% for the whole period, with an annual clearance in 2021 and 2022 and, as of 1 January 2023, a clearance at time of closure.
Some stumbling blocks still remain, such as the transfer of funding between funds and between regional categories. There also remains the question of macro-conditionality (see EUROPE 12582/17).
A new meeting is to be scheduled, but the date remains unknown at the time of writing. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)