The Committee on Regional Development adopted the report by Mirosław PIOTROWSKI (ECR, PL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards the adjustment of the annual pre-financing for the years 2021 to 2023.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal by setting the annual pre-financing rate at 2% (instead of 1% in the European Commission's proposal) for the period 2021-2023.
As a reminder, on 7 September 2018, the Commission submitted a new proposal to amend the current Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) for 2014-2020. That amendment concerns the pre-financing rates for the years 2021-2023 under the 2014-2020 programmes.
Therefore, for 2021-2023, which corresponds to the last three years of the current implementation period and overlaps with the next implementation period starting in 2021, the Commission proposes that annual pre-financing should be reduced. This approach results from the proposal for the 2021-2027 period, where it is intended that only initial pre-financing should be paid, in six annual tranches.
In the explanatory memorandum accompanying the report, the rapporteur considers that the Commission's proposal to reduce the annual pre-financing rate for the period 2021-2023 from 3% of the amount of Fund support to 1% goes too far and that it is more appropriate to set the annual pre-financing rate at 2% for the cash flow requirements for the implementation of the Programme. This pre-financing rate takes into account the expected increasing number of interim payment claims, the addition of the performance reserve to the basis for the calculation of pre-financing, and the new pre-financing available under the 2021-2027 programming period.