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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020

8 December 2011

DG REGIO I2 ‘Bulgaria’

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Components effectiveness cohesion policy

• Alignment of cohesion policy with Europe 2020• Reinforced strategic programming• Thematic concentration• Conditionality• Stronger focus on results• Streamlined delivery system

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Thematic Objectives to Deliver Europe 20201. Research, technological development & innovation

2. Information & communication technologies

3. Competitiveness SMEs

4. Low-carbon economy

5. Climate change adaptation, risk prevention & management

6. Environment protection & resource efficiency

7. Sustainable transport & removing transport network bottlenecks

8. Employment & labour mobility

9. Social inclusion & combating poverty

10. Education, skills & lifelong learning

11. Institutional capacity & efficient public administration

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Thematic Objectives & Investment priorities• Common Strategic Framework Thematic objectives

• Thematic objective Investment priorities (Fund-specific)

• Link Cohesion policy actions to a thematic objective

• Less developed Member States/ regions may focus on a larger number of thematic objectives and/or investment priorities

Example Thematic objective: Promoting climate change adaptation, risk

prevention and management Investment priorities (ERDF):

– supporting dedicated investment for adaptation to climate change– promoting investment to address specific risks, ensuring disaster

resilience and developing disaster management systems

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Application of ex-ante conditionalityRegulation: Thematic and horizontal ex-ante conditionality set out in the Regulation

Preparation of programming documents: Self-assessment by Member States and/or regions whether conditionality has been met. Results included in draft programmes

and commitments synthesised in Partnership Contract

Conditionality fulfilled: Draft programmes

describe that no further action needs to taken

Not fulfilled:Draft programmes lay

down commitments for fulfilment

Partially fulfilled:Draft programmes lay

down commitments for fulfilment

Negotiation and agreement on commitments: The commitments are laid down in the programmes and synthesised in the Partnership

Contract

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Thematic ex ante road & rail• Comprehensive national transport plan covering core and

comprehensive TEN-T• Rail: investments cover mobile assets, interoperability and

capcity building

Criteria for fulfillment:• Prioritisation investments contributing to mobility, sustainability,

reduction GHG, single EU transport area• Realistic/mature project pipeline (timetable, budget, …)• SEA• Measures strengthening capacity beneficiaries to deliver projects

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

THE COMMON STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ERDF, ESF, CF, EAFRD, EMFF

THE PARTNERSHIP CONTRACTERDF, ESF, CF, EAFRD, EMFF

National or regional level

Operational Programmes for ERDF

Rural development programmes

(EAFRD)Operational

Programmes for ESF

Operational Programmes for CF

EU level

National level

Multifund Operational Programmes for ERDF,

ESF, CF

Operational Programmes for

(EMFF)

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Partnership Contract• Prepared at national level with close involvement of partners

• Agreed between the Commission and Member State, includes:

– Contribution CSF Funds achieving thematic objectives Europe 2020

– Main results expected

– An integrated approach for territorial development supported by the CSF Funds

– Effective implementation: involvement of partners, ex-ante conditionalities, performance framework, additionality

– Arrangements for efficient implementation: administrative capacity, administrative burden reduction

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Programming

Integrated programme approachPossibility multifund programmes combining ERDF,

ESF and the Cohesion FundPriority Axis• Main unit for management and reporting, budget, co-

financing rate• Corresponding to only one thematic objective. • Corresponding to one or more investment

priorities. • Mono–fund (although OPs can be multi-fund)

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Reduction of travel time

Specific objective: Enhancing mobility between small towns and big cities and towards international border crossing

points

Investment priority

Enhancing regional mobility through

connecting secondary

and tertiary nodes to TEN-T

infrastructure

Description of actions needed•Enhancing the capacity of roads A and B•Building multi-level intersections in areas x and y•Connecting railway track A to track B

•Km of road upgraded

•Km of new railway line

+•No of

intersections constructed

Categories of intervention•Railways (TEN-T comprehensive)•Secondary road links to TEN-T road network and nodes •Other national and regional roads

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Multi annual Financial Framework &

EU Cohesion Policy• Budget limited in size: commitment level 2013 x 7 years =

1025 billion in 2011 prices = 1.05 % of EU GNI• Cohesion policy: EUR 336 mln (2007-13 EUR 355 mln)• Less developed regions: NUTS 2 GDP/head < 75% EU 27

average (all of Bulgaria)• Most recent data July 2006

Total allocation EUR 162.6 billion over 64 regions with 119 million inhabitants

Cohesion Fund: EUR 68.7 billion (< 90% GNI/head)Less developed regions 162.6 (transition regions 39, more

developed regions 53.1, cooperation 11.7Connecting Europe facility 40.0

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Maximum support level - capping • Maximum level transfer Funds (ERDF, CF, ESF) to

MS = 2.5% GDP (now 4% GDP)• Lower: absorption problems, national co-financing• Yet share new MS (EU12) increases 51% 57% or

EYR 249 to EUR 264 cap/year• 25% ESF less developed regions (BG now 27%)• >= 50% ERDF to energy efficiency and renewable

energy, research & innovation, competitiveness SMEs

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Cohesion Fund investments• Focus on sustainable transport and removing

bottlenecks in key network infrastructures, by:• supporting a multi-modal Single European

Transport Area by investing in TEN-T;• developing environment-friendly and low-

carbon transport systems including promoting sustainable urban mobility;

• developing comprehensive, high quality and interoperable railway systems; and

• strengthening institutional capacity and raising efficiency of public administrations and public services implementing the Cohesion Fund.

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

New TEN-T GuidelinesCore and comprehensive networks

• To be completed by 2050 (comprehensive) and 2030 (core). • Core network: nodes, connections with neighbouring

countries' transport infrastructure networks.• Intelligent transport systems, bridging missing links and

removing bottlenecks, notably in cross-border sections, removing administrative and technical barriers (interoperability, competition), integration transport modes.

• Low-carbon transport (rail and urban public transport), facilitating interconnections between transport modes such as rail, air, inland waterway, road and maritime infrastructure.

• Railway transport infrastructure: high-speed and conventional railway lines, freight terminals and logistic platforms, ITS and ERTMS.

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

TEN-T Comprehensive & Core: Roads, ports, rail-road terminals, airports

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Railways, ports & rail-road terminals

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Budget, time, policy and capacity constraints: negotiation priorities • Budget: BG government estimates EUR 9 billion. • Time: only 7-9 years in a programming period.

Core TEN-T 2030, comprehensive 2050.• Other sources of financing to realise transport

agenda: national budget, EIB and public-private partnerships.

• Policy perspective: new programming period favours investments rail & multi-modal transfer nodes. BG will have to reduce ambitions regarding financing road construction

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Timeline• Jan 2012: EC Communication on Common Strategic Framework• Jan – March 2012: Public consultation on Communication• June 2012: Commission proposal for CSF• 2012-2013: Dialogue COM-MS on Partnership Contracts and OPs• Adoption legislative package, immediate entry into force

+ 3 months: COM adopts CSF+ 6 months: MS to transmit Partnership Contracts and OPs (incl.

ex-ante evaluations); COM to make observations within 3 months, adoption within 6 months; PC to be adopted before OPs.

+ 9 months: ETC programmes to be submitted to COM• PCs can already be adopted before 2014

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European UnionRegional Policy – Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Further information

Available on DG REGIO website at:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/index_en.cfm