PURPOSE: make changes to the resources earmarked for economic, social and territorial cohesion and the resources allocated to the 'investment for growth and jobs' goal and for the 'European territorial cooperation' goal of cohesion policy.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2017/2305 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards the 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.
CONTENT: this Regulation introduces several technical amendments to the Regulation on Common Provisions on European structural and investment funds (Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013) following the Commission's review of the total amounts allocated to all Member States for the 'investment for growth and jobs' goal of cohesion policy for the period 2017-2020.
This review indicated that on the basis of the most recent statistics, there was a cumulative divergence of more than +/- 5% between the total and revised allocations for Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
In addition, the Commission stated that, on the basis of its GNI per capita figures for 2012-2014, Cyprus would become fully eligible for support from the Cohesion Fund as of 1 January 2017.
The review of the total amounts allocated also includes the extension of the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) over the period 2017 to 2020.
The total net effect of those adjustments is to increase the resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion by EUR 4 billion.
In terms of the amendments adopted, resources earmarked for economic, social and territorial cohesion would amount to 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.
Resources for the Investment for growth and jobs goal amount to 96.09 % of the global resources shared among 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 amount to 2.69 % of the global resources available for budgetary commitment from the Funds for the period 2014-2020.
In addition, 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 was transferred to subsequent years.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 16.12.2017.