European Union News - Regional Policy

According to a special report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the Commission dealt in a satisfactory way with deficiencies identified in the Member States' management and control systems, but was less successful in obtaining assurance that its actions led to improvements in Member States’ management and control systems. In addition, the ECA also published a report which concludes that Structural and Cohesion Fund investments in transport infrastructure in seaports effective in only 11 out of the 27 projects.

The European Commission opens in-depth investigation to examine whether a Spanish plan to compensate digital terrestrial broadcasters for the extra costs of parallel broadcasting, while services are re-allocated to another frequency to free the digital dividend, is in line with EU state aid rules.

The European Commission adopted a Regulation for the provision that exempts from EU state aid rules aid of up to €500,000 per company over a three-year period that is granted as compensation for the provision of services of general economic interest (SGEI). The SGEI de minimis Commission Regulation adopted sets out the conditions under which support granted to SGEI providers does not constitute state aid within the meaning of Article 107 of the TFEU.

The General Affairs Council meeting ended with an agreement on the new rules for EU cohesion policy of the 2014-2020 period. However this first agreement is pending on the European Parliament's position in first reading. Overall, Council's position is aimed at strengthening results orientation and improving the quality of cohesion spending.
 

The European Commission has published a report in which it shows itself in agreement with the expert panel view that evaluated the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP). The evaluation results showed that this Programme is a successful European public-public partnership so far.

The European Parliament approved a resolution which asks for a continuously update of the university courses with regard to labour market, in order to make Europe's higher education more competitive. Thus, MEPs calls on Member States to fund better the higher education institutions.

MEPs approved the resolution which backs that stalled regional development projects will be boosted by risk-sharing with private sector in Member States worst hit by the financial crisis. According to the proposal, the EU's financial contribution to the risk-sharing instrument must not exceed 10% of the total 2007-2013 national allocation from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF).

After the assessment of the Commissions’ legislative proposals for the reform of the Common agricultural policy as of 2014, the European Court of Auditors considers that the complexity of this policy continues to make it difficult for paying agencies and beneficiaries to administer, in spite of the proposed reorganisation.

The European Commission published new guidelines which call for smarter spatial planning and using more permeable materials to preserve our soil. The guidelines have been published bearing in mind that soil sealing – the covering of the ground by an impermeable material – is one of the main causes of soil degradation in the EU.

The President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Mercedes Bresso, welcomed the progress made in the accession negotiations and reiterated the CoR's willingness in fully supporting Iceland's accession process at the 4th EU-Icelandic Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting which was celebrated on 4 of April.