institutional position of the eesc

European Economic and Social Committee

Seminar ‘The participation of citizens from border

regions in the Operational Programmes

– The case of the EGTC

19/11/2013

Brussels

Institutional position of the EESC

European Commission

Who sits on the EESC?

• Established by the Treaty of Rome 1957• Since the Treaty of Lisbon, includes representatives of

organisations of employers, of the employed, and of other

parties representative of civil society, notably in socio-economic,

civic, professional and cultural areas

• Three groups: • I Employers

• II Employees

• Group III – Various Interests Farmers, consumers, the social

economy, craftsmen and SMEs, social and environmental NGOs, the

professions…

Working methods

• To issue opinions, the sections usually set up “study

groups”, each with a rapporteur

• A continual quest for a “dynamic compromise”

• Constructive debate based on expertise

• A vote is taken in the section, and then in the plenary

session

ECO/288Fifth Cohesion Report,Brussels, 16 June 2011

Socio-economic partnership,

• Should become an ordinary and compulsory procedure, accompanying all processes to define,

implement and assess cohesion policy.

• Should be directly linked with conditionality.

• Article 11 of the general regulation, stipulating the partnership rules, should be extended to all of the

structural funds.

Technical operational proposals

• The rules on co-financing should be tailored in accordance with the development conditions and

available financial and social resources of zones and areas concerned by cohesion policy,

particularly on the basis of regions' income, the calculation criteria for which should be appropriately

revised, and their budget.

• Ex-ante conditionality should be aimed at improving the quality of spending, in connection

with achieving objectives More efficiency, not to penalise the most indebted regions for instance.

ECO/314Structural Funds – General ProvisionsBrussels, 25 April 2012

• The EESC recognises the efforts undertaken by the EC to

simplify procedures but considers these insufficient.

• Excessive emphasis on auditing and procedures

• EU and MS are still stifling simple access to EU funding

for SMEs and NGOs.

• Bureaucracy needs to be reduced, especially in countries

with federal or decentralised systems.


EU cohesion policy principles need adequate instruments

Partnership: with civil society – the partnership contract

• The EESC has supported the partnership principle All stakeholders should be

represented in the preparatory work of partnership agreements and technical

assistance.

• The EESC welcomes Article 5 of CPR and an EU-level CoC on Partnership including

the different responsibilities and rights for participation among different partners as

defined in Article 5(1) of the CPR.

• The participation of civil society should be ensured equal access to funding,

clear inclusive definition

• Barriers Rules in co-funding, administrative burdens, inadequate goals of the

national Operational Programmes and lack of participation in monitoring of the funds.


• The CoC should determine clear rules for the application, insist on timely processing and foresee a

complaints procedure.

• Additional criteria for approval used by Member States should first be subjected to scrutiny to avoid

additional bureaucracy (and national "gold-plating").

• The CoC should clearly establish the different responsibilities and rights for participation among different

partners as defined in Article 5(1) of the CPR.

• To this end, the EESC has also argued for a partnership contract between each Member State and its

regions and civil society.

• The EESC highlights the need to create a broad partnership that should represent a large spectrum of

different interests.

• The EESC regrets that the CPR does not provide a European mechanism of partnership with European

partners as defined in Article 5(1) of the CPRT

• he EESC welcomes the EC’s proposal to strengthen Community–led initiatives based on the experience of

the Leader approach and urges for the representation of civil society

The EESC's Opinions on Efficient partnership in cohesion policy, OJ C 44/01, 11.2.2011, p. 1

Europe 2020 strategy

• EESC mandate for implementing the Europe 2020 strategy

• The Spring European Councils of 2011 and 2012 have formally recognised the

role of the EESC, social partners and other stakeholders in the implementation of

the Europe 2020 Strategy.

• The European Commission has also asked to the Committee to play an active

role in relation to the strategy network of national Economic and social

councils / similar organisations.

• President José Manuel Barroso has reiterated in 2011 that civil society

organisations ‘should be included as key partners in the process’ and expressed

the Commission’s desire to ‘continue and deepen the excellent cooperation on

Europe 2020’.

Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

www.eesc.europa.eu

Tel.: +32 2 546 90 11

Fax: +32 2 513 48 93

Roman Haken, EESC member,

[email protected]

institutional position of the eesc

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