19/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The informal regional Council of Chalkidiki (Greece) ended with a session between experts on the simplification and implementation of Structural Fund programmes. As far as simplification is concerned, delegations have in general shown their appreciation for the efforts made by the Commission since the informal Council in Namur, in July 2001, when it had been openly criticised on this subject, one diplomat said. The delegations nonetheless stressed the effort still to be made. Above all, Luxembourg called for the principle of proportionality to be better applied, so that the very small programmes would not have to meet the rules applied to the far more substantial programmes. Commissioner Barnier stressed at a press conference before the matter had been brought up in his absence (after his departure for the Convention in Brussels) that his services were closing the requests for payment for the period 1994-1999. There is "under consumption of credits in most States" he said, specifying that this varies from 0.7% to 10% according to the country (EUROPE of 13 May, p.11). During the morning, in the presence of the ministers of Member States and candidate states, the informal Council had discussed the future of cohesion policy (EUROPE of 17 may, p.10).