The Committee on Regional Development adopted the\nown-initiative report drafted by Rodi KRATSA-TSAGAROPOULOU (EPP,\nEL) on the contribution of EU regional policy towards fighting the\nfinancial and economic crisis, with a special reference to\nObjective 2.
\nKey instrument for economic recovery: Members stress that, in the context of the global\nfinancial and economic crisis and the current economic slowdown, EU\nregional policy is a key delivery instrument, making a decisive\ncontribution to the European Economic Recovery Plan, constituting\nthe largest Community source of investment in the real economy.\nMembers note that the Structural Funds are powerful instruments,\ndesigned for helping the regions in their economic and social\nrestructuring and in promoting economic, social and territorial\ncohesion, development of competitiveness and job\ncreation.
\nEU 2020 Strategy:\nsupporting the key priorities of the EU 2020 strategy, Members note\nwith concern the negative social consequences that have been\nbrought about by the crisis in Objective 2 regions and calls on the\nCommission to take initiatives to support SMEs in securing the\nviability of existing jobs and creating, where possible, more new\njobs. They emphasise that economic, social and territorial cohesion\nis at the heart of the EU2020 Strategy and that cohesion policy and\nthe structural funds are a key tool in achieving the priorities of\nsmart, sustainable, inclusive growth in the Member States and the\nregions.
\nTowards greater flexibility: Members underline the significant problem posed by\nthe reduction in the contribution of national co-financing to\nprogrammes, which also has implications for Objective 2 owing to\nthe major financial problems of many Member States, and supports\nCommission policy regarding the use of the Community contribution.\nThe report considers it necessary, therefore, to amend Regulation\n1083/2006 in its present form, as adopted by Parliament, to be\nspeedily implemented. The report notes that, out of a total of 117\noperational programmes financed by the ESF, 13 were amended with\nthe aim of tackling specific needs resulting from the crisis. The\nCommission is called upon to help the Member States use this\nflexibility to reorient their operational programmes. Furthermore,\nMembers call on the Commission to study the causes of the delays in\nimplementation and to find flexible solutions for the n+2/n+3\nrules, so that funds are not forfeited to the Member\nStates.
\nSupport measures for undertakings: Members welcome the support measures for\nundertakings under the cohesion policy (approximately EUR 55\nbillion between 2007 and 2013), most of which relates to\nstrengthening innovation, technology transfer and modernisation of\nSMEs. They state that the proposed measures under the intervention\nin favour of undertakings must be targeted at their long-term\nrestructuring outcomes and the transition to a more sustainable\neconomy, and not at fire-fighting interventions for economic\nsurvival, which in many cases are incompatible with State aid\npolicies.
\nStrengthen research and innovation: Members emphasise that, in order to tackle the\ncrisis, investment is needed in research and development,\ninnovation, education and technologies that use resources\nefficiently. Such investment will benefit traditional sectors,\nrural areas and highly skilled service economies and will therefore\nstrengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion. Members call\non the Commission and the Member States to monitor, on a continuous\nbasis, the impact of the crisis in various structural and\ndevelopment fields and the use made of the opportunities offered by\nthe financing instruments earmarked for Objective 2 primarily to\nsupport entrepreneurship and SMEs and bodies working for a social,\ninclusive economy. They also call on the Commission and the Member\nStates to use this evidence to prepare and target the future\nObjective 2 EU Cohesion to those areas, at regional and local\nlevel, where added value of EU interventions can be demonstrated\n(in particular innovations in the tourism, service, IT, and\nindustrial sectors,…).
\nEligibility and prefinancing: Members welcome Commission policy on (a) extending\nthe eligibility period under the operational programmes 2000-2006\nto allow maximum take-up of all cohesion policy resources, (b)\nsimplifying the administrative requirements and procedures and the\nfinancial management of the programmes. They also support the\n'pre-financing' policy for programmes under the cohesion policy\n2007-2013, which produced immediate liquidity of EUR 6.25 billion\nfor 2009 for investment within the framework of the financing\npackages agreed for each Member State.
\nFinancing for major projects: Members support the assistance policy and the new\nfinancing instruments for major projects for the regions (planned\ntotal cost of EUR 50 million and above) introduced by the\nCommission in 2009, values the importance of financial engineering\ninstruments and EIB/EIF cooperation, especially JASPERS, JEREMIE\nAND JESSICA. Members call for a further increase beyond 25% in the\nfinancing provided through JASPERS (Joint Assistance in Supporting\nProjects in European Regions) that relates specifically to the\nregions in Objective 2, with a view to encouraging their full\npreparation.
\nGovernance: Members\nstress that only with genuinely integrated multi-level governance\namong local, regional, national, cross-border and EU public\nauthorities can EU, national and regional policy be efficient and\neffective. They call on the Commission to evaluate the\npossibilities of innovation-related territorial cooperation, both\nnational and international, in each cohesion policy objective, and\nto analyse the possibilities for reinforcing the European\nterritorial cooperation objective with regard to fostering\ninnovation-related cooperation between regions. In parallel with\nthe reinforcement of the Territorial Cooperation Objective\n(Objective 3), Members recommend the possibility of developing\ntransnational territorial cooperation actions in the framework of\nObjective 2 should also be reinforced Members are of the opinion\nthat, without changing the overall cohesion objectives' budget, the\nreinforcement of territorial cooperation should be accompanied by a\nmove towards an increased budget for this extended territorial\ncooperation.
\nGender equality: Members\nemphasise the positive effect which equality between men and women\nhas on economic growth. They request special scrutiny for those\nprojects financed under the structural funds which promote equality\nand the inclusion of women in the labour market.
\nThe European Parliament\nadopted by 609 votes to 46, with 14 abstentions a resolution on the contribution of EU regional policy\ntowards fighting the financial and economic crisis, with a special\nreference to Objective 2.
\nKey instrument for economic recovery and\nemployment: Parliament stresses that,\nin the context of the global financial and economic crisis and the\ncurrent economic slowdown, EU regional policy is a key delivery\ninstrument, making a decisive contribution to the European Economic\nRecovery Plan, constituting the largest Community source of\ninvestment in the real economy and providing notable support for\npublic investment. It notes that the Structural Funds are powerful\ninstruments, designed for helping the regions in their economic and\nsocial restructuring and in promoting economic, social and\nterritorial cohesion, development of competitiveness and job\ncreation.
\nAlthough Parliament notes the positive results with\nregard to most indicators observed in the period before the\neconomic crisis in the Objective 2 regions, (namely the high\nperformance levels in employment, innovation, research and\ndevelopment (R&D), human capital intensity, education and\ntraining and lifelong learning), it stresses that the impact of the\ncrisis on the economy must not result in a reduction in support for\nmore and better jobs, and calls for these comparative advantages to\nbe sustained through a strengthening of the Objective 2\ninstruments.
\nEU 2020 Strategy: supporting the key priorities of the EU 2020 strategy,\nParliament notes with concern the negative social consequences that\nhave been brought about by the crisis in Objective 2 regions and\ncalls on the Commission to take initiatives to support SMEs in\nsecuring the viability of existing jobs and creating, where\npossible, more new jobs.
\nIt emphasises that economic, social and territorial\ncohesion is at the heart of the EU2020 Strategy and that cohesion\npolicy and the structural funds are a key tool in achieving the\npriorities of smart, sustainable, inclusive growth in the Member\nStates and the regions.
\nTowards greater flexibility: Parliament underlines the significant problem posed by\nthe reduction in the contribution of national co-financing to\nprogrammes, which also has implications for Objective 2 owing to\nthe major financial problems of many Member States, and supports\nCommission policy regarding the use of the Community contribution.\nIt considers it necessary, therefore, to amend\nRegulation 1083/2006 in its present form, as adopted by\nParliament, to be speedily implemented. It notes that, out of a\ntotal of 117 operational programmes financed by the ESF, 13 were\namended with the aim of tackling specific needs resulting from the\ncrisis. The Commission is called upon to help the Member States\nuse this flexibility to reorient their operational\nprogrammes. It calls on the Commission to help the Member\nStates use this flexibility to reorient their operational\nprogrammes, and to publicise the fact widely among the relevant\nregional and local actors as quickly as possible with a view to\nproviding short-term assistance to specific at-risk groups and\ncategories. Parliament insists in particular that all funds that\nremain unspent in a region under N+2 and N+3 are allocated again to\nregionally based projects and community initiatives.
\nAdvances for Member States in\ndifficulty: Parliament supports the\nCouncil's proposal to increase advances for 2010 by 4% in the case\nof the ESF and by 2% in the case of the Cohesion Fund, but only for\nMember States whose GDP has fallen by more than two digits or which\nhave received IMF balance-of-payments support.
\nSupport measures for undertakings: Parliament welcomes the support measures for\nundertakings under the cohesion policy (approximately EUR 55\nbillion between 2007 and 2013), most of which relate to\nstrengthening innovation, technology transfer and modernisation of\nSMEs. It states that the proposed measures under the intervention\nin favour of undertakings must be targeted at their long-term\nrestructuring outcomes and the transition to a more sustainable\neconomy, and not at fire-fighting interventions for economic\nsurvival, which, in many cases, are incompatible with State aid\npolicies.
\nStrengthen research and innovation: Parliament emphasises that investment is needed in\nresearch and development, innovation, education and technologies\nthat use resources efficiently. Such investment will benefit\ntraditional sectors, rural areas and highly skilled service\neconomies and will therefore strengthen economic, social and\nterritorial cohesion. It calls on the Commission and the Member\nStates to monitor, on a continuous basis, the impact of the crisis\nin various structural and development fields and the use made of\nthe opportunities offered by the financing instruments earmarked\nfor Objective 2 primarily to support entrepreneurship and SMEs and\nbodies working for a social, inclusive economy. It also calls on\nthe Commission and the Member States to use this evidence to\nprepare and target the future Objective 2 EU Cohesion to those\nareas, at regional and local level, where added value of EU\ninterventions can be demonstrated (in particular innovations in the\ntourism, service, IT, and industrial sectors,…).
\nEligibility and prefinancing: Parliament welcomes Commission policy on (a) extending\nthe eligibility period under the operational programmes 2000-2006\nto allow maximum take-up of all cohesion policy resources, (b)\nsimplifying the administrative requirements and procedures and the\nfinancial management of the programmes. It also supports the\n'pre-financing' policy for programmes under the cohesion policy\n2007-2013, which produced immediate liquidity of EUR 6.25 billion\nfor 2009.
\nFinancing for major projects: Parliament supports the assistance policy and the new\nfinancing instruments for major projects for the regions (planned\ntotal cost of EUR 50 million and above) introduced by the\nCommission in 2009, values the importance of financial engineering\ninstruments and EIB/EIF cooperation, especially JASPERS, JEREMIE\nAND JESSICA. It calls for a further increase beyond 25% in the\nfinancing provided through JASPERS (Joint Assistance in Supporting\nProjects in European Regions) that relates specifically to the\nregions in Objective 2, with a view to encouraging their full\npreparation
\nGovernance: Parliament\nstresses that only with genuinely integrated multi-level governance\namong local, regional, national, cross-border and EU public\nauthorities can EU, national and regional policy be efficient and\neffective. It calls on the Commission to evaluate the possibilities\nof innovation-related territorial cooperation, both national and\ninternational, in each cohesion policy objective, and to analyse\nthe possibilities for reinforcing the European territorial\ncooperation objective with regard to fostering innovation-related\ncooperation between regions. In parallel with the reinforcement of\nthe Territorial Cooperation Objective (Objective 3), it recommends\nthe possibility of developing transnational territorial cooperation\nactions in the framework of Objective 2 should also be reinforced.\nParliament also underlines the need to avoid abuses and\nmismanagement of projects.
\nGender equality: Parliament emphasises the positive effect which\nequality between men and women has on economic growth. It requests\nspecial scrutiny for those projects financed under the structural\nfunds which promote equality and the inclusion of women in the\nlabour market.
\nThe Committee on Regional Development adopted the\nown-initiative report drafted by Rodi KRATSA-TSAGAROPOULOU (EPP,\nEL) on the contribution of EU regional policy towards fighting the\nfinancial and economic crisis, with a special reference to\nObjective 2.
\nKey instrument for economic recovery: Members stress that, in the context of the global\nfinancial and economic crisis and the current economic slowdown, EU\nregional policy is a key delivery instrument, making a decisive\ncontribution to the European Economic Recovery Plan, constituting\nthe largest Community source of investment in the real economy.\nMembers note that the Structural Funds are powerful instruments,\ndesigned for helping the regions in their economic and social\nrestructuring and in promoting economic, social and territorial\ncohesion, development of competitiveness and job\ncreation.
\nEU 2020 Strategy:\nsupporting the key priorities of the EU 2020 strategy, Members note\nwith concern the negative social consequences that have been\nbrought about by the crisis in Objective 2 regions and calls on the\nCommission to take initiatives to support SMEs in securing the\nviability of existing jobs and creating, where possible, more new\njobs. They emphasise that economic, social and territorial cohesion\nis at the heart of the EU2020 Strategy and that cohesion policy and\nthe structural funds are a key tool in achieving the priorities of\nsmart, sustainable, inclusive growth in the Member States and the\nregions.
\nTowards greater flexibility: Members underline the significant problem posed by\nthe reduction in the contribution of national co-financing to\nprogrammes, which also has implications for Objective 2 owing to\nthe major financial problems of many Member States, and supports\nCommission policy regarding the use of the Community contribution.\nThe report considers it necessary, therefore, to amend Regulation\n1083/2006 in its present form, as adopted by Parliament, to be\nspeedily implemented. The report notes that, out of a total of 117\noperational programmes financed by the ESF, 13 were amended with\nthe aim of tackling specific needs resulting from the crisis. The\nCommission is called upon to help the Member States use this\nflexibility to reorient their operational programmes. Furthermore,\nMembers call on the Commission to study the causes of the delays in\nimplementation and to find flexible solutions for the n+2/n+3\nrules, so that funds are not forfeited to the Member\nStates.
\nSupport measures for undertakings: Members welcome the support measures for\nundertakings under the cohesion policy (approximately EUR 55\nbillion between 2007 and 2013), most of which relates to\nstrengthening innovation, technology transfer and modernisation of\nSMEs. They state that the proposed measures under the intervention\nin favour of undertakings must be targeted at their long-term\nrestructuring outcomes and the transition to a more sustainable\neconomy, and not at fire-fighting interventions for economic\nsurvival, which in many cases are incompatible with State aid\npolicies.
\nStrengthen research and innovation: Members emphasise that, in order to tackle the\ncrisis, investment is needed in research and development,\ninnovation, education and technologies that use resources\nefficiently. Such investment will benefit traditional sectors,\nrural areas and highly skilled service economies and will therefore\nstrengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion. Members call\non the Commission and the Member States to monitor, on a continuous\nbasis, the impact of the crisis in various structural and\ndevelopment fields and the use made of the opportunities offered by\nthe financing instruments earmarked for Objective 2 primarily to\nsupport entrepreneurship and SMEs and bodies working for a social,\ninclusive economy. They also call on the Commission and the Member\nStates to use this evidence to prepare and target the future\nObjective 2 EU Cohesion to those areas, at regional and local\nlevel, where added value of EU interventions can be demonstrated\n(in particular innovations in the tourism, service, IT, and\nindustrial sectors,…).
\nEligibility and prefinancing: Members welcome Commission policy on (a) extending\nthe eligibility period under the operational programmes 2000-2006\nto allow maximum take-up of all cohesion policy resources, (b)\nsimplifying the administrative requirements and procedures and the\nfinancial management of the programmes. They also support the\n'pre-financing' policy for programmes under the cohesion policy\n2007-2013, which produced immediate liquidity of EUR 6.25 billion\nfor 2009 for investment within the framework of the financing\npackages agreed for each Member State.
\nFinancing for major projects: Members support the assistance policy and the new\nfinancing instruments for major projects for the regions (planned\ntotal cost of EUR 50 million and above) introduced by the\nCommission in 2009, values the importance of financial engineering\ninstruments and EIB/EIF cooperation, especially JASPERS, JEREMIE\nAND JESSICA. Members call for a further increase beyond 25% in the\nfinancing provided through JASPERS (Joint Assistance in Supporting\nProjects in European Regions) that relates specifically to the\nregions in Objective 2, with a view to encouraging their full\npreparation.
\nGovernance: Members\nstress that only with genuinely integrated multi-level governance\namong local, regional, national, cross-border and EU public\nauthorities can EU, national and regional policy be efficient and\neffective. They call on the Commission to evaluate the\npossibilities of innovation-related territorial cooperation, both\nnational and international, in each cohesion policy objective, and\nto analyse the possibilities for reinforcing the European\nterritorial cooperation objective with regard to fostering\ninnovation-related cooperation between regions. In parallel with\nthe reinforcement of the Territorial Cooperation Objective\n(Objective 3), Members recommend the possibility of developing\ntransnational territorial cooperation actions in the framework of\nObjective 2 should also be reinforced Members are of the opinion\nthat, without changing the overall cohesion objectives' budget, the\nreinforcement of territorial cooperation should be accompanied by a\nmove towards an increased budget for this extended territorial\ncooperation.
\nGender equality: Members\nemphasise the positive effect which equality between men and women\nhas on economic growth. They request special scrutiny for those\nprojects financed under the structural funds which promote equality\nand the inclusion of women in the labour market.
\nThe European Parliament\nadopted by 609 votes to 46, with 14 abstentions a resolution on the contribution of EU regional policy\ntowards fighting the financial and economic crisis, with a special\nreference to Objective 2.
\nKey instrument for economic recovery and\nemployment: Parliament stresses that,\nin the context of the global financial and economic crisis and the\ncurrent economic slowdown, EU regional policy is a key delivery\ninstrument, making a decisive contribution to the European Economic\nRecovery Plan, constituting the largest Community source of\ninvestment in the real economy and providing notable support for\npublic investment. It notes that the Structural Funds are powerful\ninstruments, designed for helping the regions in their economic and\nsocial restructuring and in promoting economic, social and\nterritorial cohesion, development of competitiveness and job\ncreation.
\nAlthough Parliament notes the positive results with\nregard to most indicators observed in the period before the\neconomic crisis in the Objective 2 regions, (namely the high\nperformance levels in employment, innovation, research and\ndevelopment (R&D), human capital intensity, education and\ntraining and lifelong learning), it stresses that the impact of the\ncrisis on the economy must not result in a reduction in support for\nmore and better jobs, and calls for these comparative advantages to\nbe sustained through a strengthening of the Objective 2\ninstruments.
\nEU 2020 Strategy: supporting the key priorities of the EU 2020 strategy,\nParliament notes with concern the negative social consequences that\nhave been brought about by the crisis in Objective 2 regions and\ncalls on the Commission to take initiatives to support SMEs in\nsecuring the viability of existing jobs and creating, where\npossible, more new jobs.
\nIt emphasises that economic, social and territorial\ncohesion is at the heart of the EU2020 Strategy and that cohesion\npolicy and the structural funds are a key tool in achieving the\npriorities of smart, sustainable, inclusive growth in the Member\nStates and the regions.
\nTowards greater flexibility: Parliament underlines the significant problem posed by\nthe reduction in the contribution of national co-financing to\nprogrammes, which also has implications for Objective 2 owing to\nthe major financial problems of many Member States, and supports\nCommission policy regarding the use of the Community contribution.\nIt considers it necessary, therefore, to amend\nRegulation 1083/2006 in its present form, as adopted by\nParliament, to be speedily implemented. It notes that, out of a\ntotal of 117 operational programmes financed by the ESF, 13 were\namended with the aim of tackling specific needs resulting from the\ncrisis. The Commission is called upon to help the Member States\nuse this flexibility to reorient their operational\nprogrammes. It calls on the Commission to help the Member\nStates use this flexibility to reorient their operational\nprogrammes, and to publicise the fact widely among the relevant\nregional and local actors as quickly as possible with a view to\nproviding short-term assistance to specific at-risk groups and\ncategories. Parliament insists in particular that all funds that\nremain unspent in a region under N+2 and N+3 are allocated again to\nregionally based projects and community initiatives.
\nAdvances for Member States in\ndifficulty: Parliament supports the\nCouncil's proposal to increase advances for 2010 by 4% in the case\nof the ESF and by 2% in the case of the Cohesion Fund, but only for\nMember States whose GDP has fallen by more than two digits or which\nhave received IMF balance-of-payments support.
\nSupport measures for undertakings: Parliament welcomes the support measures for\nundertakings under the cohesion policy (approximately EUR 55\nbillion between 2007 and 2013), most of which relate to\nstrengthening innovation, technology transfer and modernisation of\nSMEs. It states that the proposed measures under the intervention\nin favour of undertakings must be targeted at their long-term\nrestructuring outcomes and the transition to a more sustainable\neconomy, and not at fire-fighting interventions for economic\nsurvival, which, in many cases, are incompatible with State aid\npolicies.
\nStrengthen research and innovation: Parliament emphasises that investment is needed in\nresearch and development, innovation, education and technologies\nthat use resources efficiently. Such investment will benefit\ntraditional sectors, rural areas and highly skilled service\neconomies and will therefore strengthen economic, social and\nterritorial cohesion. It calls on the Commission and the Member\nStates to monitor, on a continuous basis, the impact of the crisis\nin various structural and development fields and the use made of\nthe opportunities offered by the financing instruments earmarked\nfor Objective 2 primarily to support entrepreneurship and SMEs and\nbodies working for a social, inclusive economy. It also calls on\nthe Commission and the Member States to use this evidence to\nprepare and target the future Objective 2 EU Cohesion to those\nareas, at regional and local level, where added value of EU\ninterventions can be demonstrated (in particular innovations in the\ntourism, service, IT, and industrial sectors,…).
\nEligibility and prefinancing: Parliament welcomes Commission policy on (a) extending\nthe eligibility period under the operational programmes 2000-2006\nto allow maximum take-up of all cohesion policy resources, (b)\nsimplifying the administrative requirements and procedures and the\nfinancial management of the programmes. It also supports the\n'pre-financing' policy for programmes under the cohesion policy\n2007-2013, which produced immediate liquidity of EUR 6.25 billion\nfor 2009.
\nFinancing for major projects: Parliament supports the assistance policy and the new\nfinancing instruments for major projects for the regions (planned\ntotal cost of EUR 50 million and above) introduced by the\nCommission in 2009, values the importance of financial engineering\ninstruments and EIB/EIF cooperation, especially JASPERS, JEREMIE\nAND JESSICA. It calls for a further increase beyond 25% in the\nfinancing provided through JASPERS (Joint Assistance in Supporting\nProjects in European Regions) that relates specifically to the\nregions in Objective 2, with a view to encouraging their full\npreparation
\nGovernance: Parliament\nstresses that only with genuinely integrated multi-level governance\namong local, regional, national, cross-border and EU public\nauthorities can EU, national and regional policy be efficient and\neffective. It calls on the Commission to evaluate the possibilities\nof innovation-related territorial cooperation, both national and\ninternational, in each cohesion policy objective, and to analyse\nthe possibilities for reinforcing the European territorial\ncooperation objective with regard to fostering innovation-related\ncooperation between regions. In parallel with the reinforcement of\nthe Territorial Cooperation Objective (Objective 3), it recommends\nthe possibility of developing transnational territorial cooperation\nactions in the framework of Objective 2 should also be reinforced.\nParliament also underlines the need to avoid abuses and\nmismanagement of projects.
\nGender equality: Parliament emphasises the positive effect which\nequality between men and women has on economic growth. It requests\nspecial scrutiny for those projects financed under the structural\nfunds which promote equality and the inclusion of women in the\nlabour market.
\n