Parltrack

Activites

• 1998/06/22 Final act published in Official Journal
• 1998/05/28 Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
  • T4-0324/1998 summary

    In adopting the report by Mrs Christa KLASS (PPE) on the eighth annual report on the Structural Funds, the European Parliament expresses its satisfaction at the take-up of appropriations in 1996 (98% of available commitments and 95% of available payments) while calling on the Member States to respect the three-month deadline for transferring funds to final beneficiaries. Parliament adopted an amendment expressing its concern at the snowball effect of unused appropriations. In April 1998 commitment appropriations for the 1999 budget totalled ECU 3171 million. Parliament accordingly stresses the need to table by July 1998 a report on the general situation regarding the funds proposing modifications and any improvements to previously adopted programmes. It also expresses concern at the increase in irregularities with financial implications and considers it unacceptable that according to information from the Member States in 1996 ECU 64 million were misappropriated. Parliament expresses its satisfaction at the fact that the percentage of financing by the European Investment Bank in aid of regional development is again on the increase. It notes however that verification of compliance with the principle of additionality is not being carried out satisfactorily. Similarly, Parliament regrets the continuing problems with the implementation of the partnership principle, particularly as regards the involvement of local authorities and social partners. Referring to Article 130b of the EC Treaty, under which other Community policies must contribute to achieving the objective of economic and social cohesion, Parliament stresses the need to obtain tangible results in this respect. Noting that there are continuing shortcomings with monitoring and evaluation, Parliament is particularly critical of the Commission's approach to the evaluation of large-scale projects, commissioning expensive studies with such divergent results that it was impossible to draw any conclusions. Finally, it stresses once more the importance of research and technological development and urges that the fifth framework research programme take into account economic and social cohesion.

  • OJ C 195 22.06.1998, p. 0014-0055
• 1998/05/27 Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
  • CES0794/1998
  • OJ C 235 27.07.1998, p. 0034
• 1998/04/22 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A4-0160/1998
• 1998/04/22 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • A4-0160/1998
  • OJ C 167 01.06.1998, p. 0004
• 1998/03/18 Committee draft report
  • PE225.042
• 1997/11/17 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • AGRI
  • BUDG VIRRANKOSKI Kyösti ELDR
  • CONT DANKERT Pieter PSE
  • FEMM
  • PECH MCCARTIN John Joseph PPE
  • REGI REGI/4/09472 KLASS Christa PPE
• 1997/10/30 Non-legislative basic document published
  • COM(1997)0526 summary

    OBJECTIVE: to report on the application during 1996 of the EU Structural Funds regulation, in particular implementation of their objectives (Objectives 1 to 6). SUBSTANCE: more than half the Structural Funds assistance for the period 1994-1999 has been committed by the Member States and a third has already been paid, as shown by a Commission report. The eighth Annual Report on the Structural Funds shows that more than 500 regional aid programmes are currently in operation throughout the Union. Expenditure is increasing as the various regional aid programmes are beginning to be implemented. Progress, however, is very variable and a large number of regions and programmes are lagging behind. The report also highlights numerous financial and administrative irregularities in the Member States. These have been brought to light through monitoring by the Funds' inspectors, the Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Control and its Anti-Fraud Unit (UCLAF). In 1996 the commitments for all these Structural Funds together amounted to ECU 26.14 bn, i.e. 98% of the ECU 26.59 bn available, compared with 90% for the two first years of the current programming period. Payments amounted to ECU 22.45 bn, i.e. 95% of the ECU 23.68 bn available, compared with 81% in 1995. This satisfactory implementation shows a very significant increase in the financial movements in 1996: up 19% from 1995 in terms of commitment appropriations (+ ECU 4.2 bn) and up 30% in terms of payment appropriations (+ ECU 5.233 bn). Commitments for the various objectives amount to ECU 23.11 bn (89% of the total) within which Objective I accounts for 66% (ECU 15.36 bn). Each Fund's proportion of the total commitment varies from 2% for FIFG (ECU 448 m) to 53% of the total for the ERDF (ECU 13.8 bn). The seventh Annual Report (1995) showed that the environmental aspect had been integrated into all the structural activities, this report similarly emphasizes activities in the area of research, the information society and technological innovation.

• 1997/10/30 Non-legislative basic document
  • COM(1997)0526 summary

    OBJECTIVE: to report on the application during 1996 of the EU Structural Funds regulation, in particular implementation of their objectives (Objectives 1 to 6). SUBSTANCE: more than half the Structural Funds assistance for the period 1994-1999 has been committed by the Member States and a third has already been paid, as shown by a Commission report. The eighth Annual Report on the Structural Funds shows that more than 500 regional aid programmes are currently in operation throughout the Union. Expenditure is increasing as the various regional aid programmes are beginning to be implemented. Progress, however, is very variable and a large number of regions and programmes are lagging behind. The report also highlights numerous financial and administrative irregularities in the Member States. These have been brought to light through monitoring by the Funds' inspectors, the Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Control and its Anti-Fraud Unit (UCLAF). In 1996 the commitments for all these Structural Funds together amounted to ECU 26.14 bn, i.e. 98% of the ECU 26.59 bn available, compared with 90% for the two first years of the current programming period. Payments amounted to ECU 22.45 bn, i.e. 95% of the ECU 23.68 bn available, compared with 81% in 1995. This satisfactory implementation shows a very significant increase in the financial movements in 1996: up 19% from 1995 in terms of commitment appropriations (+ ECU 4.2 bn) and up 30% in terms of payment appropriations (+ ECU 5.233 bn). Commitments for the various objectives amount to ECU 23.11 bn (89% of the total) within which Objective I accounts for 66% (ECU 15.36 bn). Each Fund's proportion of the total commitment varies from 2% for FIFG (ECU 448 m) to 53% of the total for the ERDF (ECU 13.8 bn). The seventh Annual Report (1995) showed that the environmental aspect had been integrated into all the structural activities, this report similarly emphasizes activities in the area of research, the information society and technological innovation.

Documents

• Non-legislative basic document published: COM(1997)0526
• Non-legislative basic document: COM(1997)0526
• Committee draft report: PE225.042
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0160/1998
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A4-0160/1998
• Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: OJ C 167 01.06.1998, p. 0004
• Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report: CES0794/1998
• Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report: OJ C 235 27.07.1998, p. 0034
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0324/1998
• Text adopted by Parliament, single reading: OJ C 195 22.06.1998, p. 0014-0055

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)