Brussels, 28/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The adoption of Community Support Frameworks (CSF) 2000-2006 for the regions covered by Objective 1 of the regional policy are getting delayed. Contrary to what the Commission estimated (see EUROPE of 3 and 4 April, p.14), all the CSF will not be adopted before the end of the month of May. The Finish, Austrian, Portuguese and Italian CSF have been adopted. Denmark and Luxembourg are not eligible for this Objective. Those of all the other Member States are still awaited.
The CSFs define where Community intervention in the regions lagging behind in development (per capita GDP less than 75% of the Community average) should go. They have to be proposed by Member States then adopted by the Commission before the latter decides more precisely on the type of project to back (in the operational programmes).
The Swedish and Belgian CSFs should be adopted at the end of next week; they are said to have been delayed for procedural reasons. In addition, the Commission is expecting the British document in the near future. Adoption of the Greek CSF has run up against organisational problems (the appointment of a central authority in charge of fund management). The adoption of the Irish plan - contrary to what the Commission had once hoped - and German have been delayed for environmental reasons: these two countries have not yet presented all the lists of protected natural areas required under the Habitats directive. The French document should be adopted in June. The Commission and France have still to reach agreement on taking account of announced or envisaged exemptions in the Report on ultra-peripheral regions, which the Commission adopted in March. These exemptions must be the subject of regulations or directives, which will be done after the adoption of the French CSF. Interrupted by the elections, the Spanish CFS risks taking some time yet, Commission sources consider (the Spanish CSF is the largest: 38 billion euro).
As for Objective 2 (regions undergoing re-conversion), it is now time for preparing and negotiating the planning documents, for which the first adoptions are not expected before July. Italy is still at the previous stage, adoption by the Commission of the list of areas eligible, adoption still blocked as Italy insists on securing an exemption: the displacement of the reference year to calculate the unemployment rate. Taking account of the year 1998, the region of Turin would meet the Community criteria for eligibility for Objective 2. The Commission needs the unanimous agreement of Member States to grant this exemption. Some Member states are opposed to it, fearing appeals on the grounds of discrimination before the courts on the part of authorities that are not eligible for Objective 2, but which would have been had they benefited from the same exemption called for by Italy.