Cohesion Policy Legislative Package 2021-2027 - Partial mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament - Main contents

Document date	25-01-2019
Publication date	27-01-2019
Reference	5687/19
From	General Secretariat of the Council
External link	original article
Original document in PDF

Council of the European Union Brussels, 25 January 2019 (OR. en)

5687/19

Interinstitutional Files: 2018/0196(COD) i

2018/0197(COD) i

2018/0206(COD) i FSTR 11

REGIO 13 FC 6 SOC 42 PECHE 29 CADREFIN 42 JAI 54 SAN 37 CODEC 181

NOTE

From: General Secretariat of the Council

To: Permanent Representatives Committee

Subject: Cohesion Policy Legislative Package 2021-2027

• - 

  Partial mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament

• I. 

  INTRODUCTION

• 1. 

  On 29 and 30 May 2018, the Commission adopted the proposals configuring the Cohesion

  Policy legislative package for 2021-2027, namely the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) 1 , the ERDF/Cohesion Fund Regulation (ERDF/CF) 2 , the European Social Fund Plus Regulation (ESF+) 3 , the European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) Regulation 4 , as well as a Regulation for a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context (ECBM) 5 .

1 Doc. 9511/18 + ADD 1.

2 Doc. 9522/18 + ADD 1-2.

3 Doc. 9573/18 + ADD 1-2.

4 Doc. 9536/18 + ADD 1.

5 Doc. 9555/18.

• 2. 

  The proposals of the Cohesion Policy legislative package have the common objective to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the Union, by reducing disparities between the various EU regions, in line with Article 174 TFEU, through various Funds and policy instruments.

• 3. 

  The Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee have been consulted on all Regulations part of the Cohesion Policy legislative package.

• 4. 

  The REGI committee of the European Parliament is expected to have voted on all the proposals within its remit by the end of February 2019. The EMPL committee voted on the Report of the ESF+ proposal on 3 December 2018.

II. WORK WITHIN THE COUNCIL

• 5. 

  The proposals of the Cohesion Policy Legislative package were presented to the Structural

  Measures Working Party (SMWP) in June 2018 during the Bulgarian Presidency. Detailed examination of the texts took place during the Austrian Presidency, as stated in their Presidency's Report (doc. 15428/1/18 REV).

• 6. 

  On 19 December 2018, the Permanent Representatives Committee reached a partial mandate on the CPR provisions regarding programming and strategic planning (Block 1) and

  management and control (Block 5) as set out in doc. 15429/18 + ADD1. At the same meeting,

  the Permanent Representatives Committee took note of the above-mentioned Presidency

  report (doc.15428/1/18 REV1) on the progress made on the overall Cohesion Policy package.

  The report included a well-advanced compromise text, largely supported by delegations, on

  the CPR provisions on conditions for eligibility and performance framework (Block 2, which

  also included Article 4(1) of the ESF+ Regulation) as well as on the ERDF/CF Regulation.

• 7. 

  Based on the Austrian Presidency report (doc. 15428/1/18 REV1), the Romanian Presidency is suggesting two amendments to the ERDF/CF Regulation: the first one concerns the support by the ERDF to productive investments in large enterprises (Article 4) and the second one

  concerns a new recital 21a, linked to exclusions from the scope of the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund. The amendments are shown in bold and underlined/strikethrough in 5687/19 ADD2.

III. CONCLUSION

• 8. 

  The Presidency is of the view that, based on the principle that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed", a balanced compromise text has emerged from discussions amongst Member States, including:

  • Block 2 of the Common Provisions Regulation (conditions for eligibility and

  performance framework), including Article 4(1) (Specific Objectives) of the ESF+ Regulation, with the same wording as in the Austrian Presidency report (doc. 15428/1/18 REV1);

  • The ERDF/CF Regulation containing the same wording as in the Austrian Presidency

  report (doc. 15428/1/18 REV1), with two new amendments proposed by the Romanian

  Presidency on Article 4 and a new recital 21a. Article 3 (Thematic concentration) is

  bracketed and thus excluded from such compromise pending further progress on the

  MFF discussions.

• 9. 

  The above-mentioned compromise seems acceptable to a large majority of delegations. The Permanent Representatives Committee is, therefore, invited to agree on a partial mandate for negotiations and confirm the compromise proposed by the Presidency as set out in document 5687/19 ADD1-2.