11 th AER SUMMER SCHOOL Baia Mare, Maramures, Romania 27 th August – 2 nd September 2006 The Maze of EU funding

What does the Union do? The people who drafted the Treaty of Rome set the following task for the European Economic Community: ‘by establishing a common market and progressively approximating the economic policies of member states, to promote throughout the Community a harmonious development of economic activities, a continuous and balanced expansion, an increase in stability, an accelerated raising of the standard of living and closer relations between the States belonging to it’.

The EU’s regional policy consists essentially of making payments from the EU budget to disadvantaged regions and sections of the population. The total amount allocated in is €213 billion. The payments are used:  to boost development in backward regions,  to convert old industrial zones,  to help young people and the long-term unemployed find work,  to modernise farming  to help less-favoured rural areas. Regional action

€ European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), € European Social Fund (ESF), € Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) € European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). SPECIFIC FUNDS

PRIVATE SECTOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT REGIONAL GOVERNMENT EU payments top up or stimulate investment by LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT

TO TARGET THE PAYMENTS WHERE THEY WILL HAVE THE GREATEST EFFECT, THE EU HAS SET ITSELF THREE PRIORITYOBJECTIVES: Objective 1 is to help develop regions where the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita’ – is less than 75% of the EU average. This aid, amounting to €135 billion, is two thirds of all the money allocated to regional policy in It goes to benefit about 50 regions, representing 22% of the EU’s population. It is used to get the economy moving in these regions by creating the the infrastructure they lack, providing better training for local people and stimulating investment in local businesses.

Objective 2 is to help other regions in difficulty. They may be areas where the economy is being restructured, declining rural areas, fishing communities in crisis or urban areas with serious problems. Specific programmes aimed at these objectives include Interreg, which promotes cooperation across borders and between regions and Urban – which supports the sustainable development of cities and urban areas in crisis Objective 3 is to combat unemployment by modernising training systems and helping to create jobs. In addition to these ‘structural’ funds there is a ‘Cohesion Fund’. This is used to finance transport infrastructure and environmental projects in EU countries whose per capita GDP is less than 90% of the EU average.

Phare programme, which channels aid to the candidate countries in central and eastern Europe. Over the period 2000 to 2006 they have received a total of €10.9 billion in ‘pre-accession’ aid. Enlarging the Union to take in 10 new member states has posed a major challenge for economic and social cohesion, because development in some regions of these countries lags well behind the rest of the EU. Enlargement will, in fact, make the Union more diverse and require further efforts at sectoral and regional adjustment. A number of ‘instruments’ are already being used to help the candidate countries Then there is ISPA (Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession), which finances environmental and transport projects and has a budget of €7.2 billion. Sapard (an instrument for financing agriculture) has a budget of €3.6 billion. Extending structural policy to embrace the new member states

FUNDING

Article 5 Convergence 1.The regions eligible for funding from the Structural Funds under the Convergence objective shall be regions corresponding to level 2 of the NUTS level 2 common classification of territorial units for statistics (hereinafter within the meaning of Regulatio n (EC) No 1059/2003 whose gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, measured in purchasing power parities and calculated on the basis of Community figures for the period 2000 to 2002, is less than 75 % of the average GDP of the EU-25 for the same reference period. 2. The Member States eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund shall be those whose gross national income (GNI) per capita, measured in purchasing power parit75 ies and calculated on the basis of Community figures for the period 2001 to 2003, is less than 90 % of the average GNI of the EU-25 and which have a programme for meeting the economic convergence conditions referred to in Article 104 of the Treaty. 3. Immediately following the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall adopt the list of regions fulfilling the criteria under paragraph 1 and of Member States fulfilling the criteria under paragraph 2. This list shall be valid from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013.The eligibility of Member States for the Cohesion Fund shall bereviewed in 2010 on the basis of Community GNI figures for the EU-25.

Article 6 Regional competitiveness and employment The regions eligible for funding from the Structural Funds under the Regional competitiveness and employment objective shall be those not covered by Article 5(1) and Article 8(1) and (2). When presenting the national strategic reference framework referred to in Article 27, each Member State concerned shall indicate the NUTS level 1 or NUTS level 2 regions for which it will present a programme for financing by the ERDF.

Article 7 European Territorial Cooperation 1. For the purpose of cross-border cooperation, the NUTS level 3 regions of the Community along all internal and certain external land borders and all NUTS level 3 regions of the Community along maritime borders separated, as a general rule, by a maximum of 150 kilometres shall be eligible for financing taking into account potential adjustments needed to ensure the coherence and continuity of the cooperation action. Immediately following the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall adopt, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(2), the list of the eligible regions. This list shall be valid from 1 January 2007 to 31 December For the purpose of transnational cooperation, the Commission, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(2), shall adopt the list of the eligible transnational areas broken down by programme. This list shall be valid from 1 January 2007 to 31 December For the purpose of interregional cooperation, cooperation networks and exchange of experience, the entire territory of the Community shall be eligible.

Article 8 Transitional support 1. The NUTS level 2 regions which would have been eligible for Convergence objective status under Article 5(1) had the eligibility threshold remained at 75 % of the average GDP of the EU-15, but which lose eligibility because their nominal GDP per capita level will exceed 75 % of the average GDP of the EU-25, measured and calculated according to Article 5(1), shall be eligible, on a transitional and specific basis, for financing by the Structural Funds under the Convergence objective. 2. The NUTS level 2 regions totally covered by Objective 1 in 2006 under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 whose nominal GDP level per capita, measured and calculated according to Article 5(1), will exceed 75 % of the average GDP of the EU15 shall be eligible, on a transitional and specific basis, for financing by the Structural Funds under the Regional competitiveness and employment objective. Recognising that, on the basis of revised figures for the period 1997 to 1999, Cyprus should have been eligible for Objective 1 in 2004 to 2006, Cyprus shall benefit in 2007 to 2013 from the transitional financing applicable to the regions referred to in the first subparagraph.

European Regional Development Fund The ERDF shall contribute towards the financing of: (a) productive investment which contributes to creating and safeguarding sustainable jobs, primarily through direct aid to investment primarily in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); (b) investment in infrastructure; (c) development of endogenous potential by measures which support regional and local development. These measures include support for and services to enterprises, in particular SMEs, creation and development of financing instruments such as venture capital, loan and guarantee funds, local development funds, interest subsidies, networking, cooperation and exchange of experience between regions, towns, and relevant social, economic and environmental actors; (d) technical assistance as referred to in Articles 45 and 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006.

Article 5 Regional competitiveness and employment three priorities: INNOVATION AND THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, INCLUDING THROUGH THE CREATION AND STRENGTHENING OF EFFICIENT REGIONAL INNOVATION ECONOMIES, SYSTEMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS, UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRES WHICH TAKE INTO ACCOUNT LOCAL NEEDS. ACCESS TO TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST, ENVIRONMENT AND RISK PREVENTION 123

enhancing regional R&TD and innovation capacities directly linked to regional economic development objectives by supporting industry or technology-specific competence centres, promoting industrial R&TD, SMEs and technology transfer, developing technology forecasting and international benchmarking of policies to promote innovation and supporting inter-firm collaboration and joint R&TD and innovation policies; stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship in all sectors of the regional and local economy by supporting the introduction of new or improved products, processes and services onto the market by SMEs, supporting business networks and clusters, improving access to finance by SMEs, promoting cooperation networks between enterprises and appropriate tertiary education and research institutions, facilitating SMEs‘ access to business support services and supporting the integration of cleaner and innovative technologies in SMEs; creating financial engineering instruments and incubation facilities that are conducive to the research and technological development capacity of SMEs and to encouraging entrepreneurship and the formation of new businesses, especially knowledge-intensive SMEs;

stimulating investment for the rehabilitation of the physical environment, including contaminated, desertified and brownfield sites and land; promoting the development of infrastructure linked to biodiversity and investments in NATURA 2000 sites, where this contributes to sustainable economic development and/or diversification of rural areas; stimulating energy efficiency and renewable energy production and the development of efficient energy management systems; promoting clean and sustainable public transport, particularly in urban areas; developing plans and measures to prevent and cope with natural risks (e.g. desertification, droughts, fires and floods) and technological risks; protection and enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage in support of socio-economic development and the promotion of natural and cultural assets as potential for the development of sustainable tourism;

Article 5 Regional competitiveness and employment three priorities: INNOVATION AND THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, INCLUDING THROUGH THE CREATION AND STRENGTHENING OF EFFICIENT REGIONAL INNOVATION ECONOMIES, SYSTEMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS, UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRES WHICH TAKE INTO ACCOUNT LOCAL NEEDS. ACCESS TO TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST, ENVIRONMENT AND RISK PREVENTION 123

strengthening secondary transport networks by improving links to TEN-T networks, regional railway hubs, airports and ports or multimodal platforms, providing radial links to main railway lines and promoting regional and local inland waterways and short-sea shipping; promoting access to, take up, and efficient use of ICTs by SMEs by supporting access to networks, the establishment of public Internet access points, equipment, and the development of services and applications, including, in particular, the development of action plans for very small and craft enterprises.

Article 5 Regional competitiveness and employment three priorities: INNOVATION AND THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY, INCLUDING THROUGH THE CREATION AND STRENGTHENING OF EFFICIENT REGIONAL INNOVATION ECONOMIES, SYSTEMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS, UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRES WHICH TAKE INTO ACCOUNT LOCAL NEEDS. ACCESS TO TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES OF GENERAL ECONOMIC INTEREST, ENVIRONMENT AND RISK PREVENTION 123

European Social Fund INCREASING ADAPTABILITY OF WORKERS, ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURS WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING THE ANTICIPATION AND POSITIVE MANAGEMENT OF ECONOMIC CHANGE ENHANCING ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT AND THE SUSTAINABLE INCLUSION IN THE LABOUR MARKET OF JOB SEEKERS AND INACTIVE PEOPLE, PREVENTING UNEMPLOYMENT, IN PARTICULAR LONG-TERM AND YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, ENCOURAGING ACTIVE AGEING AND LONGER WORKING LIVES, AND INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN THE LABOUR MARKET, REINFORCING THE SOCIAL INCLUSION OF DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE WITH A VIEW TO THEIR SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATION IN EMPLOYMENT AND COMBATING ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE LABOUR MARKET, IN PARTICULAR BY PROMOTING: PROMOTING PARTNERSHIPS, PACTS AND INITIATIVES THROUGH NETWORKING OF RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS, SUCH AS THE SOCIAL PARTNERS AND NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS, AT THE TRANSNATIONAL, NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS IN ORDER TO MOBILISE FOR REFORMS IN THE FIELD OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR MARKET INCLUSIVENESS.

POTENTIAL BUDGET BUDGET ALLOCATION OBJECTIVES SELECTIONS RULES AND REGULATIONS KNOWLEDEGE PLANNING DOCUMENTS DRAFTING PARTNERSHIP

POTENTIAL BUDGET BUDGET ALLOCATION CO-FINANCING EU RATE CO-FINANCING STATE RATE CO-FINANCING REGIONAL RATE CO-FINANCING LOCAL RATE PRIVATE INVESTMENT

RULES AND REGULATIONS KNOWLEDEGE PLANNING DOCUMENTS DRAFTING PARTNERSHIP SPECIFIC FUND MISSION COMPETITION RULES MARKET RULES ENVIRONMENT RULES EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

LAST BUT NOT LEAST! IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES CHECK AND CONTROL PROCEDURES PROJECTS SELECTION CRITERIA MONITORING PROCEDURES PAYMENT PROCEDURES