Brussels, 12/07/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 11 July, the Council of the EU adopted without debate the Regulation bringing general provisions to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund for the period 2007-2013. It also adopted the Regulation instituting a Cohesion Fund for 2007-2013.
The aim of the Cohesion Fund is to reinforce the economic and social cohesion of the EC, with a view to promoting sustainable development, according to a Council press release. For the first time, this Fund will be included in the programming of structural aid, in order to achieve greater coherence between the activities of the various funds and to increase the European added value of the cohesion policy, the press release stresses. The Cohesion Fund will thus be able to contribute to financial assistance in the field of the trans-European transport networks and the environment. The three other Regulations on the Structural Funds (ERDF, ESF and the European Cross-Border Cooperation Group (ECCG)) were adopted at second reading by the EP in Strasbourg on 4 July, further to an agreement between the Council and the Parliament (see EUROPE 9228).
Assistance under the Structural and Cohesion Funds will be concentrated on the following three (redefined) objectives: 1) convergence of the Member States and the regions: the total sum earmarked over seven years for this objective is 251,163 million EUR; 2) regional competitiveness and employment: the sum total is 7,750 million EUR; 3) European territorial cooperation: here again, 7,750 million EUR has been earmarked over seven years.
The next stage will be for the Council to adopt the strategic orientations of the EC, on the basis of Commission proposals. In reference to these orientations, each Member State, in consultation with the Commission, will prepare a national reference document on its development strategy, which will constitute the framework to prepare the operational programmes.