The President of the French region Provence, Alpes et Côte d'Azur (PACE), Renaud Muselier, the President of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Elio Di Rupo, and the President of the Polish Voivodship of Wielkopolska, Marek Wozniak, all praised the important, even decisive, role of the CRII and CRII+ investment initiatives in response to the coronavirus, at a hearing in the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI) on Tuesday 16 March. However, the first two stressed that the procedures could still be improved and simplified.
Mr Muselier said that the initiatives (see EUROPE 12538/5) had enabled his region to release 43 million euros. These funds have been used to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and very small enterprises (VSEs), the digitalisation of education and training, and to invest in medical equipment. His region particularly appreciated the flexibilities introduced, as well as the 100% co-financing and arrangements provided for public procurement.
However, the Frenchman acknowledged that the Commission’s political ambition has been spoiled by a European administration that has not known how to “change its software” and has often caused a “technocratic imbroglio”. For the purchase of protective masks, for example, he had to go through two different Funds, depending on the target audience: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for masks for health workers and the European Social Fund (ESF) for masks for the general public.
The same goes for React-EU, he says. The Commission is said to be torn between a willing political body and an administrative body that permanently favours ‘restrictive interpretations’ of the texts. He also regretted the audit and control measures, which he felt were inappropriate given the circumstances.
Mr Di Rupo spoke in the same way. These initiatives allowed the release of 30 million euros in the midst of the crisis to support regional VSEs. React-EU will also provide 88 million euros to the regional treasury in the form of grants, but he said he was “frightened” by the complexity of some procedures, “controls and over-controls”. For him, it is absolutely necessary to simplify and he particularly criticised the priority flagging of European funds by percentage.
He also expressed concern about the future, once the pandemic has passed. “This year’s budget is more about astrology than budgeting seriously”, he conceded. And to fear the return of austerity.
Mr Wozniak explained that the initiatives have made 25 million euros available to help the health sector in particular. He welcomed the real efforts to simplify. For React-EU, the Pole reported 28 million euros in aid for his region.
As for the Recovery and Resilience Facility plan, he lamented the lack of cooperation with the central government, which is responsible for disbursing the funds. He also expressed some fear about the post-Covid era. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)