Brussels, 08/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - On the initiative of Commissioners Jacques Barrot (Regional Policy) and Stavros Dimas (Social Affairs), the College is to approve a raft of new regulations on 15 July, concerning the structural funds and a regulation instituting a European Cross-border Co-operation Grouping (ECCG). The Commission is to adopt:
1. A Council regulation of general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund (replacing regulation 1260/1999): the Commission confirmed that it hopes to tighten up the cohesion policy on three objectives (convergence, competitiveness and regional employment, European territorial co-operation) and make the competitiveness element of this policy more targeted. The Commission also calls to greater focus on job pools and related problems. This means that the European funds ERDF (regional development) and ESF (social) can be deployed in this sense, with the ERDF being able to invest in human resources or staff training. Lastly, the Commission calls for this cohesion policy to be accompanied by more flexible and efficient follow-up and monitoring rules than previously.
2. A regulation by the Council and the EP on the ERDF (replacing regulation 1783/1999): under the "convergence" objective, the ERDF will focus its aid on support for regionally and locally integrated sustainable development, allowing the regions to make best use of and modernise their regional economic structures, especially in the fields of technological research and development (TR&D), the information society, the environment, the prevention of natural and technological risks, tourism, innovation, investment in transport, education or health, energy and direct investment aid in SMEs which help to create and keep jobs. Under the "regional competitiveness" objective, the ERDF will focus its aid on a thematic triptych: innovation and knowledge-based economy, environment and risk prevention, access to transport and telecommunications service of general economic interest. For the "territorial co-operation" objective, the ERDF will concentrate its aid on the development of cross-border economic and social activities, and the development of transitional co-operation, especially bilateral co-operation between maritime regions. Lastly, the ERDF will pay particular attention to the specific situation in a given territory. To this end, the regulation takes into account the specific nature of towns, rural areas, and those relating to areas at a natural disadvantage, when programmes are designed, and it allows increased running costs occasioned by the isolation of extremely remote areas.
3. A Council regulation instituting the Cohesion Fund (replacing regulation 1264/1999): this regulation lays down the mission of the Cohesion Fund (helping to boost the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EC) and its specific application modalities, especially as relates to the financial assistance of the Fund (conditioned to the rules of the Treaty on excessive deficits of the Member States) and its scope: trans-European transport networks, protection of the environment, sustainable development;
4. A regulation by the EP and the Council on the ESF (replacing regulation 1784/1999): under the "convergence" and "regional competitiveness and employment" objectives, the ESF supports the following priorities: supporting workers' and business' capacity for change by encouraging, amongst other things, investments in human resources by businesses, change anticipation and the positive management of economic change; improving job seekers' access to work; improving the social inclusion of disadvantaged persons and fighting discrimination; -promoting the partnership for employment and social inclusion reforms. Furthermore, this regulation will reflect the EU's commitment to eliminating gender inequality, integrates the promotion of innovative activities and cross-border co-operation into the scope of the ESF, and attaches particular importance to promoting good governance and getting the social partners involved in the programming and implementation of the Fund's priorities and operations;
5. A regulation by the EP and the Council on the institution of an ECCG: this co-operation instrument has the capacity to act on behalf of and for its members and the regional and local collectivities it is made up of. The duties and competencies delegated to the ECCG will be defined by its members in a European cross-border co-operation convention. The financial liability of the local and regional authorities, and that of the Member States, is not affected by the creation of an ECCG.