52005SC0904

[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 5.7.2005

SEC(2005) 904

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

Annex to the Community Strategic Guidelines for Cohesion, 2007-2013 Impact Assessment Report {COM(2005) 299 final}

PART 6: FOLLOW-UP: COMMUNITY STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR COHESION, 2007-2013

1. THE ISSUE

On 14 July 2004, the Commission tabled its proposal for a Council Regulation laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund [COM(2004)492 final] in line with the conclusions set out in part 5 above.

In accordance with Article 23 of the draft Council Regulation (EC) laying down general provisions for the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund, it is for the Council to establish, after the adoption of the regulations and on the basis of a Commission proposal, Community strategic guidelines for cohesion policy to “give effect to the priorities of the Community with a view to promote balanced, harmonious and sustainable development”[1].

Thus, the Community Strategic Guidelines for Cohesion are in line with the provisions of the draft regulation for cohesion policy 2007-2013. Once adopted by the Council, the Guidelines will prove useful as the basis for preparing the National Strategic Reference Frameworks and the resulting operational programmes.

2. MAIN OBJECTIVES

Based on Part II(b) of the EIA and Articles 23 and 24 of the proposal for a Regulation, the Community strategic guidelines are articulated around three core priorities: improving the attractiveness of Member States, regions and cities by improving accessibility, ensuring an adequate quality and level of services, and preserving their environmental potential; encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and the growth of the knowledge economy by strengthening research and innovation capacity, including new information and communication technologies; and by creating more and better jobs to attract more people into employment, making workers and enterprises more adaptable, increasing investment in human capital, enhancing administrative capacity and improving the health of the labour force. These priorities correspond to those set out in the Commission’s “Partnership for Growth and Jobs” paper published in February 2005[2].

3. POLICY OPTIONS

The basic approach to the objectives set out above is as follows:

- The financial instruments at the disposal of Cohesion policy are the Structural Funds (the ERDF and the ESF) and the Cohesion Fund. In the guidelines that follow, there is deliberately no analysis by Fund. The question of the appropriate instrument under each heading is a matter for the programming phase and depends on the nature of the planned expenditures (infrastructure, productive investment, human resource development, etc);

- Their key objective is to identify Community priorities for support under cohesion policy with a view to strengthening synergies with, and helping to deliver, the Lisbon strategy as defined by the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs;

- They concern only the part of national and regional investments co-financed by the Structural Funds and the Cohesion fund;

- They need to be understood alongside the legislative proposals. The latter define the purpose and the scope of assistance of each Fund, while the Community Strategic Guidelines seek to identify within that scope the areas that are important for the realisation of Community priorities, particularly those of the renewed Lisbon strategy.

4. IMPACTS

The expected impacts are detailed in Part III of the EIA. Furthermore, a study due to be completed by end 2005 has been launched on policy guidelines for regions falling under the new “Regional Competitiveness and Employment” objective for the period 2007-2013 in the fields of the knowledge-based economy and the environment.

5. STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

In the process of preparing the Community Strategic Guidelines, a number of events were held involving Member States, regional/local authorities and other partners:

- A conference on the subject of “Cohesion and the Lisbon Agenda: the role of the regions” on 3 March 2005;

- Bilateral consultations with Member States between January and April 2005;

- Presentation on 17 May of a non-paper as a basis for discussion at the Informal Council

- Informal Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 20 May 2005 with Member States.

The full text of the strategic guidelines takes into account both the non-paper and the outcome of those discussions.

Public consultation on the Community Strategic Guidelines will be launched on the date of their adoption by the College. This consultation will run in parallel with the informal institutional process involving Parliament and the Council. The comments received through the consultation will then, as appropriate, be incorporated into the text which will be adopted formally by the Council after agreement on the Financial Perspectives and the Structural Funds Regulations. The consultation will be put on the Europa website.

6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The Community Strategic Guidelines for Cohesion should be understood alongside the legislative proposals. The latter define the purpose and the scope of assistance of each Fund, while the Community Strategic Guidelines seek to identify within that scope the areas that are important for the realisation of Community priorities, particularly those of the renewed Lisbon strategy. The monitoring aspect of this process will be carried out during the programming phase of the operational programmes with the discussions between the Member States and national authorities.

7. COMMISSION DRAFT PROPOSAL AND JUSTIFICATION

The document is structured as follows:

- A brief introduction outlining the principles underlying the need for the Community Strategic Guidelines for Cohesion 2007-2013.

- A section on cohesion, growth and jobs, explaining the interface between Cohesion policy and the Growth and Jobs Agenda.

- A section on the Guidelines for Cohesion policy 2007-2013 , which is the core chapter of the guidelines, presenting the EU policy priorities relating to each of the three objectives (Convergence, Regional competitiveness and employment, and European territorial cooperation) included in Article 3 of the proposal for a Regulation, as well as the governance dimension. This section highlights the link between cohesion policy and other EU policies and priorities.

- A section on Territorial cohesion and cooperation, which explains the principle of territorial cohesion in relation to the priorities set out in the previous section. It also includes a timetable setting out the steps for the programming phase starting in 2006.

[1] COM (2004) 492 final, Article 23.

[2] Communication to the Spring European Council “Working Together for growth and jobs – a new start for the Lisbon Strategy”, COM (2005) 24, 2 February 2005