APPENDIX 3: CALL FOR EVIDENCE
Under the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective Structural
Funds[56] constitute
around 35% of the EU's budget. The enlarged EU, migration, and
the commitments made under the Lisbon Agenda all impact upon the
design of the EU's regional policy, and there is an underlying
requirement for the Funds to be effective and sustainable. In
the light of the forthcoming review of the EU Budget, the Sub-Committee,
under the Chairmanship of Baroness Cohen of Pimlico, has decided
to conduct an inquiry into the future of the European regional
policies.
The inquiry will seek to answer the following questions:
- What should be the objectives
of the EU's Structural Funds? How can the Funds become more effective
in supporting public policies in Member States and regions? What
mechanisms of delivery could make the policy more performance-based
and more user-friendly?
- Do Structural Funds meet the principle of subsidiarity?
Could the same cohesion objectives be met through repatriation
of the distribution of these funds?
- What impact has enlargement had on Structural
Funds, and are any changes necessary to meet the challenges of
further enlargement?
- How will the EU's commitments on combating climate
change manifest themselves in the distribution of Structural Funds
for the post-2013 period? How will the response to other challenges
facing the EU economy (e.g. migration, growth of the service sector)
shape future policies?
- What criteria should guide decisions on the proportion
of the EU budget to be allocated to Structural Funds?
- Are the current eligibility tests for regions
to receive support under the EU's Structural Funds relevant, fair
and appropriate? Should they remain in place after 2013? Is it
appropriate that they are discussed simultaneously with wider
agreements on allocating EU budget spending?
- What would be the effect of linking the availability
of Structural Funds with compliance to Broad Economic Policy Guidelines?
The Sub-Committee would welcome written comments
on these issues.
56 In this document, the term "Structural Funds"
is used to refer to the European Social Fund, the European Regional
Development Fund, the European Agricultural Guidance & Guarantee
Fund, as well as the Cohesion Fund. Back
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