Supplementary note provided by the European
Commission (ESF 19K)
The annexed text gives an overview of the decisions
taken by the Commission in July 1999 on the following points:
— The list of Objective 1 regions.
— The financial allocation for each
Member State and Objectives 1, 2 and 3.
— The population ceilings for Objective
2.
"EU STRUCTURAL
FUNDS: COMMISSION
DECIDES FINANCIAL
ALLOCATIONS"
The European Commission today took a number
of decisions to ensure a speedy implementation of the new Structural
Fund programmes for the years 2000-06. In concrete terms the Commission
decided on the list of Objective 1 regions. The Commission also
decided on the financial allocation for each and every Member
State as well as for Objectives 1, 2 and 3 and for the Fisheries
Instrument outside Objective 1. In addition the Commission determined
the population ceilings for Objective 2. Member States will now
be asked to transmit, as soon as possible, their proposals for
the areas eligible for Objective 2. Finally, the Commission settled
the financial allocation for the four future Community Initiatives,
setting aside EURO 4,875 million for INTERREG, EURO 700 million
for URBAN, EURO 2,020 million for LEADER and EURO 2,847 million
for EQUAL.
"With today's decision the Commission made
its contribution to the timely start of the new Structural Fund
programmes," said Monika Wulf-Mathies, Commissioner responsible
for the Regional Policy and Cohesion. "Now it's up to the
Member States to do their share and prepare their development
plans and programmes. The transfer of substantial amounts of assistance
from Brussels over the next seven years should help many of the
poorest regions to close the gap with their neighbours. Nevertheless,
it should also be clear that many of them will probably get their
last chance to throw off their development shackles with the help
of massive European Union (EU) asisitance."
1. The list of Objectives 1 regions
— Germany: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommem,
Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thuringen.
— Greece, Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki,
Kentriki Makedonia, Dytiki Makedonia, Thessalia, Ipeiros, Ionia
Nisia, Dytiki Ellada, Sterea Ellada, Peloponnisos, Attiki, Voreio
Aigaio, Notio Agaio, Kriti.
— Spain: Galicia, Principado de Asturias,
Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Comunidad Valenciana,
Andalucia, Region de Murcia, Ceuta y Melilla, Canarias.
— France: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane,
Reunion.
— Ireland: Border Midlands and Western.
— Italy: Campania, Puglia, Bastilicata,
Calabria, Sicilia, Sardegna.
— Portugal: Norte, Centro, Alentejo,
Algarve, Acores, Madeira.
— Finland: Ita-Suomi, Vali-Suomi (in
part), Pohjois-Suomi (in part).
— Sweden: Norra Mellansverige (in part),
Mellersta Norrland (in part), Ovre Norrland (in part).
— United Kingdom: South Yorkshire,
West Wales and The Valleys, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly,
Merseyside.
Those regions currently eligible under Objective
1 which are not listed above will benefit from phasing-out support.
2. Financial allocation for each Member State
and Objectives 1, 2 and 3
The financial allocations for Objective 1 and
Objective 2 have been decided on the basis of eligible population,
regional and national prosperity, and the relative severity of
the structural problems, especially the level of unemployment.
For Objective, the allocations have been fixed according to eligible
populations, the employment situation and the severity of problems,
such as social exclusion, education and training levels, and participation
of woman in the labour market.
This results in the following breakdown by the
Member State and Objectives (in EURO million and 1999), without
taking Community Initiatives and Innovative Actions into consideration:
Structural Funds: Breakdown by Member
State and Objective for the period 2000-06 (in Euro million and
1999 prices)
|
| Member State | Objective 1
| Phasing Out Objective 1
| Objective 2 | Phasing Out Objective 2
| Objective 3 | Fisheries Instrument (outside Objective 1)
| Total |
|
| BE | 0 | 625
| 368 | 65
| 737 | 34
| 1,829 |
| DK | 0 | 0
| 156 | 27
| 365 | 197
| 745 |
| DE | 19,229 |
729 | 2,984
| 526 | 4,581
| 107 | 28,156
|
| GR | 20,961 |
0 | 0
| 0 | 0
| 0 | 20,961
|
| ES | 37,744 |
352 | 2,553
| 98 | 2,140
| 200 | 43,087
|
| FR | 3,254 |
551 | 5,437
| 613 | 4,540
| 225 | 14,620
|
| IE(1) | 1,315
| 1,773 | 0
| 0 | 0
| 0 | 3,088
|
| IT | 21,935 |
187 | 2,145
| 377 | 3,744
| 96 | 28,484
|
| LU | 0 | 0
| 34 | 6
| 38 | 0
| 78 |
| NL | 0 | 123
| 676 | 119
| 1,686 | 31
| 2,635 |
| AT | 261 |
0 | 578
| 102 | 528
| 4 | 1,473
|
| PT | 16,124 |
2,905 | 0
| 0 | 0
| 0 | 19,029
|
| FI | 913 |
0 | 459
| 30 | 403
| 31 | 1,826
|
| SE(1) | 722 |
0 | 354
| 52 | 720
| 60 | 1,908
|
| UK(2) | 5,085
| 1,166 | 3,989
| 706 | 4,568
| 121 | 15,635
|
| EUR15 | 12,7543
| 8,411 | 19,733
| 2,721 | 24,050
| 1,106 | 18,3564
|
|
(1) Including the special programme for Swedish coastal zones.
(2) Including PEACE (2000-04).
Comparison of the average annual allocation and percentage
shares between the periods 1994-99 and 2000-06 by the Member State
(in EURO million and 1999 prices without Community Initiatives
and Innovative Actions)
|
| Member State | Period 1994-99 Average annual
support in the EURO
million and 1999 prices
| In % of the total |
Period 2000-06 Average annual
support in EURO
million and 1999 prices
| In % of the total |
|
| BE | 293 |
1.2 | 261
| 1.0 |
| DK | 86 |
0.4 | 106
| 0.4 |
| DE | 3,338
| 13.8 | 4,022
| 15.3 |
| GR | 2,539
| 10.5 | 2,994
| 11.4 |
| ES | 5,671
| 23.5 | 6,155
| 23.5 |
| FR | 2,070
| 8.6 | 2,089
| 8.0 |
| IE | 1,021
| 4.2 | 441
| 1.7 |
| IT | 3,440
| 14.3 | 4,069
| 15.5 |
| LU | 8 |
0.0 | 11
| 0.0 |
| NL | 369 |
1.5 | 376
| 1.4 |
| AT | 228 |
0.9 | 210
| 0.8 |
| PT | 2,539
| 10.5 | 2,718
| 10.4 |
| FI | 250 |
1.0 | 262
| 1.0 |
| SE | 229 |
0.9 | 273
| 1.0 |
| UK | 2,022
| 8.4 | 2,234
| 8.5 |
| EUR15 | 24,103
| 100.0 | 26,223
| 100.0 |
|
3. The population ceilings for Objective 2
The "new" Objective 2 will cater for all areas
undergoing socio-economic change, be they industrial, rural, urban
or fishery zones; all in all, the population living in Objective
2 areas will be 18% of the total EU population. As each Member
State will have a say as to which region should be selected as
an Objective 2 region, Member States are asked to transmit their
proposals for the list of eligible areas based on the following
breakdown:
Population ceiling for each Member State under Objective
2 of the Structural Funds for the period 2000-06
|
| Member State | Population ceilings (000)
| Total population as percentage
|
|
| BE | 1,269
| 12 |
| DK | 538 |
10 |
| DE | 10,296
| 13 |
| GR |
| |
| ES | 8,809
| 22 |
| FR | 18,768
| 31 |
| IE |
| |
| IT | 7,402
| 13 |
| LU | 118 |
28 |
| NL | 2,333
| 15 |
| AT | 1,995
| 25 |
| PT |
| |
| FI | 1,582
| 31 |
| SE | 1,223
| 14 |
| UK | 13,836
| 24 |
| EUR-15 | 68,170
| 18 |
|
Compared to the current support period and taking into account
objective 1, the total population coverage by country will be
as follows:
Coverage of Objectives 1 and 2 (in percentage of the
total population)
|
| Member State | 1994-99
| 2000-06 |
|
| BE | 31 |
18 |
| DK | 15 |
10 |
| DE | 38 |
30 |
| GR | 100 |
100 |
| ES | 84 |
82 |
| FR | 46 |
36 |
| IE | 100 |
37 |
| IT | 54 |
47 |
| LU | 43 |
28 |
| NL | 24 |
15 |
| AT | 41 |
28 |
| PT | 100 |
71 |
| FI | 53 |
52 |
| SE | 25 |
19 |
| UK | 41 |
32 |
|
EUR-15 | 50
| 41 |
|
4. Background
With today's decision the Commission is implementing the
agreement of the Berlin summit on the Structural Fund part of
Agenda 2000 and the subsequent regulation governing the Structural
Funds which were adopted on 21 June 1999. For the period 2000-06,
a budget of EURO 213 billion is available for structural operations,
of which about EURO 195 billion will go to Structural Funds (European
Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, Financial Instrument
for Fisheries Guidance and Guarantee Fund) and EURO 18 billion
to the Cohesion Fund.
On top of that, more the EURO 7 billion will be provided
by the Structural Fund for pre-accession aid under the so-called
ISPA programme for the candidate countries. The Commission will
present the allocation by accession state—together with
the allocation for the other pre-accession instruments PHARE and
SAPARD—during the upcoming weeks.
|
