Brussels, 10/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - The quality of the programming of Objective 1 Structural Funds is in clear progress, but there are still difficulties. Such, as we pointed out earlier, is essentially the conclusion drawn by the Commission in its communication on the overview of regional development programme negotiations in the 13 Member States concerned. The document, to be submitted to the Informal Council on regional policy (Namur, 13 and 14 July) contains a comparative analysis of Member States regarding the quality of programming, which amounts to a total of EUR 127.5 billion.
The programming of Structural Funds for the period 2000-2006 was finalised after 8 to 12 months with negotiation between the Member States and the Commission. In general, the results of negotiations reveal an increased effort of concentration of intervention in four Community priority areas: transport infrastructure, research and innovation, the information society and the optimal use of human resources. In addition, the Commission considers that, for four countries (Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal), the establishment of strategic reference frameworks will make it possible to ensure improved coherence between EDRF and Cohesion Fund intervention in the fields of transport and the environment. It also points out that major advances have been made, mainly with regard to the partnership for preparing plans and the setting in place of follow-up, control and more rigorous assessment systems.
Although the Commission considers this result "largely positive", it also criticises certain difficulties: 1) the average delay for adoption of programmes is between eight months and one year, instead of the five months provided for by the regulation. 2) In several Member States, the new systems of management, control and follow-up were defined in general terms, but the arrangements for their implementation remain to be specified. These systems are essential for guaranteeing that "manna" from the Community is well used throughout EU territory. 3) According to the new rules, the performance reserve must be a premium for the most successful programme at national level. Some Member States hesitate to fully take into consideration the "competitive philosophy" of the performance reserve. 4) The new rules provide for effective involvement of territorial partners (State, regions), social partners and the civil society. During the programming phase, the Commission noted that, in some Member States, this involvement was less direct and effective than in others. The full text of the communication dated 6 July may be consulted at: http://www.inforegio.cec.eu.int/wbnews/new_fr.htm.