Strasbourg, 22/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - We can see that the credits that the Structural funds for 1998 have been full completely used, but with considerable differences between Member States, regions and different objectives, noted Maurizio Turco, MEP on the Bonino list (and member of the independent MEPs technical group), rapporteur on the functioning of the Structural funds, for that year, during the Parliament's debate in plenary. Mr. Turco wanted greater transparency and co-ordination between the Structural Finds and the Cohesion funds. The British Conservative Mr. Bradbourn, also noted some improvement in the use of the credits while feeling that it is necessary to continue efforts aiming to "lift the cloud of mismanagement and waste" that he reproached from the former Commission. Furthermore, the plenary adopted its amendment asserting that the establishment of "effective exit mechanisms" at the end of the programming periods is essential to the good management of the funds, and that a clause in this direction should be foreseen, in the future, so as to prevent the pursuit of unjustified projects. Mrs. Flesch (Liberal, Luxembourg) questioned ways used to avoid contradictions between the interventions from the Structural funds and competition policy, and the Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy, Michel Barnier, recalled the Commission Communication of 1999 on "reconciliation between the regional aid map and the Member States aid map," and he indicated that there is a "constructive and regular" dialogue with the competition Commissioner, Mario Monti. Mr. Barnier wanted to underline that 98% of the Structural fund credits for 1998 have been committed and 75% paid out, while recognising that the situation of the Community initiatives is "a little different," given, in particular, the "partnership approach" and the "transnational" character of these initiatives. More generally, Mr. Barnier said he was ready to consider all the ways in which to improve the situation especially in view of the new regional policy that will be defined for the 2006-2013 period, but recalled that the European Commission action is presently "framed" by the decision taken at the Berlin summit in February 1999.
In the long resolution adopted following the debate, the Parliament takes into account the best use of these credits for the 1994-1999 programming period, following the catch-up process started in 1997", but notes that in 1998 the available commitment credits once more revealed themselves as insufficient to answer all the requests for financing; thus it calls for an acceleration of the present programming so as to ensure that the credits will be executed in a balanced manner "throughout the 2000-2006 period," and invites the Commission to it take into account "in the drafting of the EU budget." Furthermore, the Parliament insists, in particular, on closer co-operation between the interventions by the Structural funds and the Cohesion funds and asserts that, despite the initiatives take by the Commission since 1997, the control activities executed by the Commission in 1998 are totally ineffective to guarantee correct application of the Structural fund regulations in the Member States; thus the resolution invites the Commission to strengthen the controls over the execution of the programmes by significantly increasing the number of missions on the ground and informing the Parliament of "all the possible irregularities."