Performance reserve of the ESI funds

25.1.2018

Question for oral answer O-000005/2018
to the Commission
Rule 128
Iskra Mihaylova, on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development

Pursuant to Article 20 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, each Member State has a performance reserve consisting of 6 % of the resources allocated through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF). Articles 21 and 22 of that regulation state that the Commission must draw up a performance review on the achievement of each Member State’s milestones, and take a decision on the release of the relevant performance reserve. The current rules provide that such a review will only take place in 2019.

Following Parliament’s resolution on building blocks for a post-2020 EU cohesion policy, which was adopted on 13 June 2017 on the basis of Kerstin Westphal’s report[1], no further information has been received on the release of the performance reserve.

Some countries have already decided on more than 70 % of the spending out of their ERDF and ESF allocations.

1. Does the Commission intend to commence the performance review earlier for those programmes that are ahead of schedule?

2. Depending on the outcome of any such anticipated performance review, is the Commission willing to release the performance reserves earlier?

• [1]  2016/2326(INI)