The strengthening of administrative capacities should be preserved and developed, according to the study on roadmaps for this strengthening, published by the European Commission on Thursday 12 February.
Introduced for the 2021–2027 programming period, these roadmaps have been designed as a strategic tool to help national and regional authorities improve the strategic planning, skills and organisational structures needed to effectively and efficiently manage and deliver EU funds.
While a stronger regulatory stance could increase the political relevance of this tool and ensure wider take-up, it could also “lead to greater rigidity and administrative burden”, particularly for managing authorities during the programming phase, the European Commission warned.
It therefore recommends that any decision on the legal status of roadmaps should be guided by “a balanced assessment of trade-offs, taking into account both the benefits of formalisation and the costs in terms of flexibility and administrative complexity”.
The institution felt that strengthening administrative capacity should retain a clearly defined role in the future Cohesion Policy architecture.
Furthermore, it indicated that results-based systems, such as non-cost related funding, are expected to play an increasingly important role in the post–2027 programming period (see EUROPE 13805/38).
Read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/kqa (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)