Changes from plenary report to adopted text

RemovedYour rapporteur’s conclusions and recommendations are based on the wealth of available data on the implementation of the main cohesion policy funds 2014-2020 - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund (CF), European Social Fund (ESF) and Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). Data is naturally scarcer on the cohesion instruments adopted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Ukraine and energy crises - the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRII and CRII+), REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe), CARE (Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe), FAST-CARE (Flexible Assistance to Territories) and SAFE (Supporting Affordable Energy). This is because not enough time has passed to allow for proper insight. Nevertheless, your rapporteur believes that, despite certain limitations, some lessons can be drawn from a preliminary assessment of investments.

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RemovedTo draft this report, your rapporteur has examined not just the effectiveness of the implementation of 2014-2020 funds, but also the actual effectiveness of the policy: after all, an increased focus on performance and results was one of the key features of this period. In other words, beyond financial implementation, the rapporteur looked at available data on the actual results of the investments to try to determine how the available cohesion instruments have delivered on the cohesion objective enshrined in the Treaty, as well as on the priorities of the Union strategy for smart sustainable and inclusive growth.

AddedEuropean Parliament resolution of 14 March 2024 on cohesion policy 2014-2020 - implementation and outcomes in the Member States (2023/2121(INI))

RemovedThis assessment exercise has meant that the rapporteur has grappled with the challenges that cohesion policy is facing, some of which have been extensively discussed by the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) in the last parliamentary term. Despite the policy overhaul that took place before the current programming period, cohesion policy is once again at a turning point: it has to compete with other instruments and delivery models, and is expected to deliver on a growing set of long-term priorities while being increasingly called on to respond to emergencies. The survival of cohesion policy will depend on a successful conclusion of the 2014-2020 period and an effective implementation of the 2021-2027 programmes, as well as on its ability to reinvent itself, adapt to a changing world and tackle emerging challenges. The rapporteur’s intention is that the conclusions and recommendations of this report serve as input for the ongoing interinstitutional debate on these matters and thus help shape the future cohesion framework.

RemovedProcedure and sources

RemovedYour rapporteur has relied on the following sources, among others:

Removed discussions held in the REGI committee with the Commission and the permanent representatives of the Member States on the implementation of cohesion policy funds (an ongoing exercise that began in July 2022);

Removed publications by Parliament’s research services, including: Parliament’s PolDep B study on absorption rates (preliminary results);

Removed an analysis of available data, including the open databases on cohesion policy managed by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), Cohesion Open Data Platform, the Coronavirus Dashboard and Kohesio;

Removed Commission sources, including the eighth report on economic, social and territorial cohesion and the annual implementation reports of the EU’s Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds;

Removed a European Parliamentary Research Service review of studies by other EU institutions, including the European Court of Auditors (ECA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), policy papers and evaluations of the policies implemented by individual Member States;

Removed the work of the high-level group on the future of cohesion policy;

Removed the public hearing on simplification of cohesion policy held in the REGI Committee on 23-24 October 2023,

Removed the interparliamentary committee meeting on the future of cohesion organised by the REGI Committee on 7 November 2023,

Removed contacts with the Commission, managing authorities, regional and local authorities and other stakeholders.

RemovedCohesion policy in the 2014-2020 period

RemovedA new framework

RemovedIn the 2014-2020 period, a single set of rules was introduced to cover the EU’s five Structural and Investment Funds for reasons of coordination and complementarity, as well as in order to establish a robust link with the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Europe 2020 strategy). The ERDF, the CF and the ESF became one of the investment pillars of the 2020 strategy, while at the same time contributing to cohesion aims. Article 9 of the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) translated the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy into 11 thematic objectives (TOs), which each of the ESI Funds needed to support.

RemovedIn addition, the ERDF, the ESF and the CF had the specific goal of supporting investment for growth and jobs in all categories of regions. The ERDF also supported the territorial cooperation goal.

RemovedTo round up the strategic programming approach, the CPR created a stronger link with country-specific recommendations and provided tools and guidance to achieve synergies between the funds, such as the possibility of multi-fund programmes, integrated territorial investments (ITIs), community-led local development (CLLD) and joint action plans.

RemovedIn addition, the new framework introduced new mechanisms to improve the policy’s effectiveness, such as the performance framework, the performance reserve and the ex ante conditionalities. It also included important simplification measures, made reporting requirements lighter, introduced e-cohesion and took some steps towards results-based management.

RemovedLastly, the new framework enhanced the territorial dimension of the policy when compared to the previous programming period. The Common Strategic Framework annexed to the CPR and the European Code of Conduct on Partnership are an example of this.

RemovedCohesion as a crisis response tool

RemovedFrom 2020, several major crises have shaken the EU and the wider world. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the energy crisis it triggered have had a serious impact on people and businesses in all EU regions. Cohesion policy played a major role in the EU’s response to this difficult situation. In 2020, a series of amendments to the 2014-2020 rules, CRII and CRII+, granted Member States greater flexibility to use cohesion funds to support vulnerable people, businesses and the health sector. In 2021 extra funds were made available through REACT-EU to support future-oriented measures.

RemovedIn 2022, the flexibilities introduced through CARE and FAST-CARE helped Member States reallocate available 2014-2020 funding to assistance for people fleeing Ukraine. The 2014-2020 framework was further modified by SAFE as part of RePowerEU. Thanks to this initiative, cohesion policy was able to help vulnerable households and SMEs cope with the sharp hike in energy costs resulting from the war in Ukraine.

RemovedFindings on implementation

RemovedThe rapporteur has looked at the implementation of investments made under the 2014-2020 cohesion policy legal framework, based on Regulation (EU) No. 1303/2013. As of February 2024, the EU payments for the main funds through which the policy was delivered (the ERDF, the CF and the ESF), together with the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), amounted to a total of EUR 368 billion for the 2014-2020 period, with an absorption rate of 91% (excluding national co-financing and REACT-EU).

RemovedFor payments, the 2014-2020 period has followed the usual project life cycle, although more slowly. Payments started late and were slow at the beginning of the period (7.6 % by end 2016). Although they accelerated substantially from 2017 onwards, as of 2018, most Member States had slower payment rates than at the equivalent stage in the previous programming period. This is arguably due to the fact that the 2014-2020 framework was adopted fairly late, just a few days before its official start. Appointing national authorities and meeting the pre-requisites introduced for the ex-ante conditionalities also took longer than expected. The impact of the change to the decommitment rules (n+3) on the pace of implementation remains unclear.

RemovedAs of 2020, implementation was affected first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the refugee and energy crises. The reprogramming effort under CRII(+) and the possibility of 100 % co-financing through CARE, among other measures, contributed to accelerating expenditure rates in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Still, at the end of 2022 the absorption rate (excluding REACT-EU) was just 77 %.

RemovedExpenditure has significantly caught up in 2023, so that a comparable implementation percentage has been reached as at the same point in 2007-2013. However, overall financial implementation has been slower than in the previous period. Several programmes face decommitments for not reaching their payments targets, and significant differences can be observed across Member States, regions and at TO level. Payments for transition regions tend to be slower, as does expenditure under TO5 (climate change adaptation), TO4 (low-carbon economy), TO11 (administrative capacity) and TO6 (environment).

RemovedFor funding available under REACT-EU, to date, just about 50 % of the total available funds have been paid out to Member States. There is a risk, already pointed out by the ECA, that Member States are rushing to spend the available funding before the end of the period and paying insufficient attention to performance and value for money.

RemovedIn terms of absorption patterns, roughly one third of Member States are late absorbers. While the current average payment rate in the EU is 91 %, some of the older and larger Member States are lagging significantly behind. The persistently low absorption patterns in certain Member States suggest underlying structural problems, which regularly result in great pressure on authorities towards the end of the programming period, and could eventually lead to unsatisfactory results and a lower effectiveness of investments, or to the loss of available funds.

RemovedWe can therefore conclude that a slow spending rate is a major problem in certain Member States. Agreements on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) are reached late and this consistently delays the adoption of the regulatory framework for cohesion in each programming period. This should also be better tackled in future programming periods. In addition, previous analyses show that the delays in the spending of EU structural funds tend to accumulate across programming periods. Preliminary data on the 2021-2027 period indicate that absorption is even lower in the current cycle than in 2014-2020.

RemovedHowever, absorption is just one aspect of implementation. In his preparatory work for this report, your rapporteur has identified a series of additional factors that have influenced implementation and the effectiveness of cohesion policy in 2014-2020, including the complexity of rules and procedures, administrative burdens, the capacity of local and regional authorities, the price crises and the labour shortages that the EU has recently experienced. These are the basis for the recommendations in the motion for resolution.

RemovedProgramming, reprogramming, implementation and closure of cohesion investments affect policy outcomes nationally but most of all locally, at regional and sub-regional level. The CPR for cohesion policy and the sectoral regulations covered by the CPR have been improved over time. The changes introduced to the 2021-2027 regulations addressed a number of challenges. However, one area of improvement that has not yet been sufficiently tackled is implementation at local level through local authorities, including municipalities. Therefore, your rapporteur has focused the report on recommendations for the local level.

Removedon cohesion policy 2014-2020 - implementation and outcomes in the Member States