EPP Group urges simplifying procedures for starting up projects financed by Cohesion Funds

Initiating a regional project should be made much easier. The EPP Group wants to boost valuable projects by urgently simplifying procedures for starting up a project financed by Cohesion Funds, among the largest funds of the EU. This is the essence of the EPP Group's demands during plenary debates and Reports, adopted today in the European Parliament.

Huge control costs and administrative burdens by the EU are making initiators hesitate to even start projects. "The conditions are damaging innovation, economic growth and job creation in Europe", stated Lambert van Nistelrooij MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Regional Policy. "We should urgently simplify the regulation procedures and lower the costs of control. One programme, one audit."

"The European Commission should take action against cumbersome requirements", added Andrey Novakov MEP in an Oral Question on Tuesday to the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu.

Regional policy is very important to develop European regions in a coherent way. But the current regulations for the 2014-2020 period came so late that during the first year, hardly any projects were submitted. "We regret the delays in the start of the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy", said Fernando Ruas MEP in the debate on the Report on the review of the Europe 2020 Strategy, also adopted by the plenary. "We sincerely hope that the discussions both on future cohesion policy and the next EU long-term strategy are done in a timely manner and involve the European Parliament and the other interested stakeholders."

Ruas concluded: "We also expect that both the EU’s future long-term sustainable growth and jobs strategy and the Regulation for the future Cohesion Policy are adopted a year before the end of the Commission’s current term; one year earlier than planned and before the European Elections in 2019. This imposes significant time constraints on the co-legislators."