92003E0554

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0554/03

by Philip Bradbourn (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 February 2003)

Subject: Community Initiative Programmes

In view of the low take-up of various Community Initiative Programmes by the United Kingdom, could the Commission please supply details, broken down by region, of submissions made by the UK on the Leader+ and Urban II programmes (by value).

Would the Commission also comment on what steps it intends to take in respect of the Government's submitted forecasts for spending under these programmes whose outturn is over 25 % different to the forecasts and what sum of money, actually committed for UK projects, will be subjected to such action?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(14 April 2003)

In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the management of the programmes financed under the Structural Funds is a responsibility that is decentralised to the authorities in the Member States. Once the broad strategic priorities for each programme have been decided in agreement with the Commission, it is the responsibility of the Member States to select individual projects for support and to monitor implementation. The Commission does not therefore receive requests for funding for individual projects and does not consequently commit financial resources at the project level.

Financial support from the Structural Funds to the programmes is delivered via payments on account and following payment applications submitted by the relevant authority in the Member State. In accordance with Article 31.2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999, laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds, the Commission shall automatically decommit any part of a Community budget commitment which has not been settled by the payment on account or for which it has not received an acceptable payment application by the end of the second year following the year of commitment. For the United Kingdom, no decommitments have been made at this stage in respect of Leader+ and URBAN II. For both programmes, the initial budgetary commitments were not made until 2001. Therefore, in accordance with Article 31.2 the possibility of a decommitment will not arise until the end of 2003.

As far as forecasts for payment applications are concerned, the Commission has asked Member States through the Committee for the Development and Conversion of Regions (CDCR) to stress to their payment authorities the importance of reliable forecasts in view of a sound and efficient budget execution.