Ivars Godmanis (ALDE). – Mr President, the resolution is strategically very well written. We must support it. However, we have to find where the problems are at present. I would point out to the Commissioner that, as at 1 September, the absorption rate for the Social Fund was just 18%, which is half as much – twice as bad – as in the previous period.

17 Member States are at less than 18%. Some of them are stuck at 10% or 11% absorption when it comes to the Social Fund. There is no pattern here: the countries with the biggest deficit are not showing the worst absorption rates. But the fact is that some countries were stuck at 10% throughout 2010.

The Commission has to clarify the situation. If one looks at the other funds – the Regional Fund and the Cohesion Fund – the situation is no better. The overall absorption rate is 17.95%. Also, 60% of Member States have a lower absorption than this. For some of them, the figure is three times less.

The Council has cut the funding under the draft budget for 2011 to less than EUR 1 000 million because the Member States have no clear idea about fulfilling their obligations. We in the Committee on Budgets supported the Committee on Regional Development in its request to restore the funding to the draft budget. The question is whether it will be possible for this money to be absorbed. If it cannot, there is no sense talking about a bright future.