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Programming the EU Funds for 2007-2013
Progress, Sustainability and Partnership in the
Structural Funds David Sweet Coordination CSF
PolandDG REGIO http//europa.eu.int/comm/region
al_policy
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Preparation for 2007-2013

• Progress
• Negotiations EU 25
• Controversial points
• Sustainability
• Do no harm
• Promote sustainable growth
• Partnership
• Why?
• Who?

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Progress - negotiations

• EU Presidency to send new proposals shortly
• Main change creation of Globalisation Fund
  should have limited impact on Structural Funds
• No further progress on Regulations expected until
  financial package agreed

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Controversial points

• Multi- or Mono-fund programmes
• Consensus on mono-fund
• Eligibility of housing, VAT
• Member States mainly agree to restrictive
  position
• N2 for Cohesion Fund
• No change at present

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Sustainability

• Formal position unchanged
• Sustainable development still objective
• Focus shifting
• Lisbon axis is now central to all efforts
• New Key objectives
• Growth
• Jobs

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Sustainability do no harm

• Formal position unchanged
• EIA and Natura 2000 conditions remain
• Investment and interventions should be
  sustainable in widest sense
• Increased use of SEA and environmental CBA
• Sense of proportion
• Dont block beneficial projects

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Sustainable growth

• Lisbon perspective inescapable
• Infrastructure, Human capital, Innovation and
  enterprise
• Everything must contribute to Growth and Jobs
• Challenge to sustainable sector how to
  participate in growth and jobs paradigm

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Partnership

• Basic principle of cohesion policy
• Still evolving but one of our biggest successes
• Goes way beyond the Commission

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Why partnership?

• Respond to demands by social partners
• 1998-1999 Tavistock Institute report conclusions
  good partnership gives
• more legitimacy
• better coordination
• guaranteed transparency
• better absorption of funds
• better ownership of the programmes
• development of institutional capacity
• Decentralisation of programme management

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Partnership in 2007 2013

• Basic principles of reform
• Concentration
• Simplification
• Decentralisation

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Partnership in 2007 2013

• Basic principles of reform Concentration
• Focus on geographic and thematic priorities
• Clearer goals and limited fields of intervention
• More opportunity to give useful contribution
• Easier to check that programme is doing what it
  should

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Partnership in 2007 2013

• Basic principles of reform Simplification
• Fewer objectives and zones
• Partners resources focused on key areas and
  issues
• Mono-fund programmes
• Clearer goals and limited fields of intervention
• Easier to check that programme is doing what it
  should
• Proportionality and subsidiarity
• Eligibility determined nationally
• Financial control delegated in some cases

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Partnership in 2007 2013

• Basic principles of reform Decentralisation
• Commission less involved in programming
• Partners must resolve issues nationally
• Regions more autonomous
• Opportunity for effective regional partnerships
• Urban areas can receive subdelegation
• Projects determined at local level

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Partnership Who?

• Official Partners
• National, regional and local authorities
• Social Partners
• Business and labour organisations
• Interest and expert groups
• NGOs (green, charitable etc.)
• Statutory (watchdogs, regulators etc.)

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Partnership How?

• Welcoming basis
• Avoid legalistic approach
• Mutual respect
• Appreciate that every partner has own goals and
  objectives
• Co-responsibility
• Privileges require acceptance of responsibility
  for outcomes

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And finally

• (not very much to do with the rest of this
  presentation)

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How will negotiations go in Poland?

• Informal start
• Not waiting for final agreement to start
  discussing NSRF
• Commission adaptablity
• Negotiation and management team reshaped to match
  Polish structures
• Limited time
• Less than a year from start to finish

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How will negotiations go?

• Start with financial and regulatory agreement
• Council approves Community Strategic Guidelines
• Member State transmits National Strategic
  Reference Framework
• Commission accepts (and possibly adopts) NSRF
• Member State submits draft Operational Programmes
• Commission adopts OPs

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And after negotiations?

• Implementation begins
• Sustainable investment and intervention
• With the help of many partners