Speeding up implementation of cohesion policy

20.4.2016

Question for oral answer O-000070/2016
to the Commission
Rule 128
Iskra Mihaylova, on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development

EU cohesion policy, with a budget of over EUR 350 billion until 2020, represents in some Member States the main source of public investment. The objectives of growth enhancement and job creation can be achieved through coherent interaction within the EU economic policy mix of structural reforms and growth enhancing investment, all supported and accelerated by cohesion policy investments.

Under Article 136(1) of the Common Provision Regulation (1303/2013), the Commission ‘shall decommit any part of the amount in an operational programme that has not been used for payment of the initial and annual pre-financing and interim payments by 31 December of the third financial year following the year of budget commitment under the operational programme’. While the fact that the N+2 rule from the 2007-2013 perspective is extended to N+3 for all Member States is positive, serious concern is expressed at the significant delay in the implementation of cohesion policy 2014-2020, including the delay in adoption of Operational Programmes.

1. How does the Commission intend to speed up implementation of cohesion policy? What measures are being envisaged to facilitate the implementation of the Operational Programmes in order to avoid the decommitment of funds?

2. Also, looking back to the 2007-2013 programming period, can the Commission provide information about the major obstacles and problems in the Member States during implementation which hampered absorption of the funds? Can the Commission also indicate the amounts at risk of decommitment envisaged at this stage? Can the Commission provide information on the results of the intervention of the Task Force for better Implementation in the eight Member States covered between 2014 and the end of 2015?

3. What will be the focus of the activities of the Task Force for Better Implementation for the 2014-2020 programming period?

4. Since administrative capacity is a key precondition for timely and successful performance of cohesion policy, will the Commission support strengthening administrative capacity for implementation and evaluation? What actions are being envisaged in this regard?

5. Bearing in mind that a correlation exists between good governance and absorption capacity, what measures will be suggested in order to encourage structural reforms, growth and investment-friendly fiscal consolidation, and also to improve financial management?

6. Timely payments are important for the proper implementation and credibility of the policy. What measures are being envisaged to ensure full implementation of the Payment Plan in the context of the 2016 budget and for the coming years?