A3-0084/94

Resolution on the annual report from the Commission on the implementation of the reform of the Structural Funds during 1992

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the annual report from the Commission on the implementation of the reform of the Structural Funds during 1992 (COM(93)0530 - C3-0467/93),

-having regard to the annual report of the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 1992,

-having regard to its resolution of 16 December 1993 on the conclusions of the mission of inquiry of the Committee on Budgetary Control into the management and monitoring of the Structural Funds in Italy,

-having delegated the power of decision to the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Relations with Regional and Local Authorities, pursuant to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning and Relations with Regional and Local Authorities and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Social Affairs, Employment and the Working Environment (A3-0084/94),

A.whereas consideration of the report coincides with the preparation of the next series of Community support frameworks (CSFs) for the period 1994-1999,

B.whereas the difficulties raised in the annual reports, particularly the most recent on 1992, must be taken into account during the preparation of the CSFs in order to ensure that the same problems do not arise in future,

Introduction

1.Welcomes the fact that the Commission has made an effort to respond to its requests that the report should provide more information on the qualitative aspects of structural expenditure, particularly with regard to:

-application of the principles of the reform,

-assessment of Community assistance,

-the role of the two sides of industry,

-the environmental aspects;

2.Notes also with satisfaction the inclusion of specific details in the report, the effect of which is to give the reader a more complete picture of the real effect of Structural Fund operations;

Financial aspects

3.Notes the financial information contained in the Commission's report on the operation of the Structural Funds during 1992; notes that in 1992 commitments in respect of the three Structural Funds amounted to ECU 16 924.6 million, to which were added ECU 1 046 million for the new Länder, and that the corresponding figures for payments were ECU 15 816 million and ECU 1 237 million; points out that at 31 December 1992 assistance granted in commitments amounted to ECU 47 167 million (at 1989 prices);

4.Notes with satisfaction that at the end of the fourth year of the new Structural Funds approximately 80% of Objective 1 funds for the period 1989-1992 were utilized, but regrets that the figure of 65% for Italy is well below the average;

5.Notes that it is above all in the Objective 1 regions in Italy that the problem of the absorption of appropriations is encountered; notes that those difficulties are due essentially to relations between the regions and the state, and sometimes between regions themselves, to a lack of transparency and a failure to involve the social operators in the various stages of drawing up, implementing and following up the CSFs; considers that the problems which have arisen must be studied in order to prevent them from recurring in the next period of implementation of the Funds;

Doubling of the Funds

6.Notes with satisfaction that, according to the figures given in the report (Chapter II, Tables 6 and 7), commitment appropriations for Objective 1 regions were doubled between 1987 and 1992 and execution of appropriations under the Structural Funds as a whole was progressing at the end of 1992 at the rate necessary to achieve a doubling of the three Funds between 1987 and 1993; notes, however, the Court of Auditors' criticisms regarding the fact that the Community initiatives are subdivided by Objective, and urges the Commission to respond;

Objective 2

7.Notes that the second phase of the Objective 2 programmes started in 1992 and that a total of 87 programmes - ERDF monofund programmes, 15 ESF monofund programmes and 52 ERDF-ESF multifund programmes - were approved in 1992;

Community initiatives

8.Recalls that in 1992 the Commission launched the Retex Community initiative; notes that the report mentions a number of difficulties which arose within some initiatives but that the overall end result is nevertheless extremely positive;

Social aspects

9.Endorses the goal of achieving greater flexibility in the application of the criteria set out in the ESF regulation, but stresses the need to ensure that these criteria are interpreted on a transparent and uniform basis; calls, accordingly, on the Member States to supply the Commission with detailed information in this connection;

10.Stresses the fact that the ranks of the long-term unemployed include large numbers of unskilled workers who have few chances of returning to the world of work; shares, accordingly, the Commission's view that efforts should be concentrated on this category;

11.Is concerned, however, at the reservations expressed by both the Commission and the Court of Auditors concerning the real impact of structural actions in favour of the long-term unemployed;

12.Supports unconditionally the endeavours to devise a simultaneously global and individualized approach to training, to cover basic training, voluntary vocational counselling, further training leading to qualifications recognized in all the Member States, periods of workplace apprenticeship and job-seeking aid;

13.Considers that measures in support of employment are likely to be more successful if they are coordinated with actions favouring research, production and vocational training in the context of a multifund approach;

14.Notes the present tendency, both in CSF negotiations and in the debate on future Community initiatives, to transform specific actions targeted on especially vulnerable groups into components of more general policies; considers that, given the difficult economic situation, particular guarantees, such as the introduction of quotas for appropriations allocated, should be introduced to protect these categories;

15.Stresses the high success rate in finding employment of the beneficiaries of Community-funded training for people with disabilities;

16.Emphasizes the crucial role of education in enabling all young people to develop their full potential in working life, and considers it essential to undertake a fresh drive to improve the reading, writing and basic arithmetical levels of early school-leavers;

17.Reiterates its view that the evaluation of training actions co-financed by the ESF should include a qualitative element, and calls on the Commission to establish more specific indicators in this connection;

18.Calls for the economic and social partners, as having a direct stake in the labour market, to be included as active participants in the various stages of structural policy actions, especially the programming and evaluation stages;

Checks

19.Stresses the importance of the on-the-spot checks made by the Commission and considers that they should be conducted as far as possible in collaboration with the other supervisory bodies in order to make them more stringent; notes that in 1992 the Commission made 19 visits in connection with the ERDF, 43 in connection with the ESF and 15 in connection with the EAGGF, and that 91 on-the-spot checks were carried out by the Financial Controller; stresses that the Member States should cooperate fully in the carrying out of the checks;

20.Is concerned at the fact that the checks have revealed that Community open tendering rules are not always respected by the Member States either for reasons of alleged urgency or because the projects are split up artificially so as to remain below the threshold for advertising; considers that the Commission must ensure that this important principle of Community legislation is applied in a transparent manner;

Verification of the principle of additionality

21.Notes the efforts made by the Commission to ensure that the principle of additionality is applied; deeply regrets that certain Member States do not appear to have cooperated with the Commission to the extent necessary for verification to be carried out; also notes with a certain concern that the report states that 'verification of additionality comes under the partnership principle and is based on information provided by the Member State concerned, the correctness of which cannot be verified by the Commission'; insists that importance should be accorded to the verification of additionality during on-the-spot checks;

Technical assistance

22.Notes that the report mentions that in 1992 there was a growing number of calls on the resources available under the CSFs for technical assistance for both Objective 1 and Objective 2; recalls that it has always stressed the importance of technical assistance as a means of overcoming certain problems encountered during implementation of the Funds;

Role of the loan instruments and links with subsidies

23.Points out that in 1992 the volume of loans granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) for regional development amounted, in total, to ECU 11 793 million, an increase of 25% over 1991, of which ECU 6 400 million for Objective 1 regions;

24.Recalls its position that the EIB should be more closely involved in the preparation and implementation of structural financing; considers that that cooperation should be at its closest during the preparation of the new CSFs;

Assessment of assistance

25.Notes the Commission's efforts to quantify the effect of Community assistance but notes that the indicators for measuring economic growth are inadequate; repeats its request to the Commission to devise indicators which take account of the different aspects of development and which will also be used for a posteriori assessment;

26.Hopes that the doubling of the Funds and greater efficiency in implementation during the next period will increase the Community's contribution to the rate of growth and that priority will be given to incorporating sustainable development criteria when selecting projects and allocating funding;

27.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.