PURPOSE: to make changes to the resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion and to the resources for the Investment for growth and jobs goal and for the European territorial cooperation goal.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with Council.
BACKGROUND : in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), the Commission carried out, in 2016, a review of the total amounts allocated to Member States for the “Investment for Growth and Jobs” goal of cohesion policy for 2017-2020,
The Commission presented in its communication of 30 June 2017 the results of this review to the Council and the European Parliament. The review indicated that:
- on the basis of the most recent statistics, there is a cumulative divergence of more than +/– 5 % between the total and the revised allocations in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom ;
- on the basis of its gross national income (GNI) per capita figures of 2012-2014, Cyprus will become fully eligible for support from the Cohesion Fund as of 1 January 2017.
The review of the total amounts allocated also includes the decision to extend the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) to the years 2017 to 2020. The Council decided to extend the YEI until 2020 with an amount of EUR 1.2 billion in current prices for the specific allocation for the YEI, which needs to be complemented by at least EUR 1.2 billion from targeted ESF investment.
Insofar as the revision had an impact on the annual breakdown of the allocations for the global resources by Member State under the Investment for growth and jobs goal and under the European Territorial Cooperation Goal as well as on the Youth Employment Initiative, it was implemented by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/1941. The total net effect of those adjustments is to increase the resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion by EUR 4 billion. Regulation (EU) No 1303/2016 needs to be amended accordingly.
CONTENT: the proposal for the amendment of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 includes:
- regulatory provisions regarding the review of the allocations of cohesion policy for the years 2017-2020;
- the decisions to transfer resources between categories and goals;
- the decision to extend the YEI to the years 2017 to 2020 and
- the decision to transfer some commitment appropriations of 2014 to subsequent years.
In terms of the amendments proposed, the resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion available for budgetary commitment will be EUR 329 978 401 458, of which:
- EUR 325 938 694 233 represents the global resources allocated to the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund and
- EUR 4 039 707 225 represents a specific allocation for the YEI.
Accordingly, the Commission proposes to adjust:
- the resources for the Investment for growth and jobs goal and their allocation between less developed regions, transition regions, more developed regions, Member States supported by the Cohesion Fund and outermost regions;
- resources for the European territorial cooperation goal.
Furthermore, an amount of EUR 9 446 050 652 in current prices of the allocation provided for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund which could not be committed in 2014 nor carried over to 2015 will be transferred to subsequent years.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: there is an impact on commitment appropriations equal to EUR 4 billion. These additional resources will also generate needs for additional payment appropriations for the years 2018 to 2020.