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EURoma presents its proposals on the future Regulations of the Structural Funds (2014-2020)

1st March 2011

EURoma Network has reached a consensus on a number of key proposals to ensure that future Structural Funds Regulations have a higher impact on the living conditions of Roma people.

The European Commission is in the middle of a consultation and reflection process on the future of the EU Cohesion Policy and the financial instruments through which regional policy spending is channeled (European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and Cohesion Fund) in the next programming period 2014-2020. The Commission is expected to presents its legislative proposals by mid-2011 with a view to reaching an agreement with the other institutions during 2013.

EU Structural Funds are the main EU financial and policy instrument at the disposal of Member States to design and implement policies aimed at enhancing social cohesion and reducing inequalities within the EU and therefore constitute a fundamental tool to bridge the gap between Roma and non Roma population.

Aware of this, the EURoma Network has initiated an internal debate on the matter and reached a consensus on a number of proposals on how the future Structural Funds Regulations could have a higher impact on the improvement of the Roma living conditions and the enhancement of Roma social inclusion. Proposals are based on the experience of the 12 Member States taking part in the Network*.

EURoma proposals will be shared with EU institutions and Member States with a view to ensuring that Structural Funds Regulations create the appropriate conditions to further improve the effectiveness of these funds for Roma inclusion by applying in practice the Ten Common Basic Principles laid out in the Integrated Platform for Roma Inclusion and endorsed by the European Council in 2009. This has been already done in the context of the public consultation on the future of Cohesion Policy launched by the European Commission.

The Position Paper is the first step of a broader EURoma agenda of activities to contribute to a more effective use of the Structural Funds for Roma inclusion in next programming period (2014-2020). One of the activities is a practical guide with operational proposals for Operational Programmes planning, management and implementation for beginning 2013.

The recommendations put forward by the Network revolve around three main areas, namely:

1. Strategic approach

EU Structural Funds should:

Be fully aligned with the objectives and priorities of the Europe 2020 Strategy, especially with regards to inclusive growth, and specific Flagship Initiatives, such as the Platform against Poverty.
Include social inclusion as a horizontal priority of Cohesion Policy in all EU regions (social exclusion affects equally rich and poor regions) and for all EU funds, not only for the European Social Fund.
Focus particularly on the fight against social inequalities and extreme poverty and on achieving equal opportunities for those groups most affected by social exclusion and discrimination, in particular the Roma population.
Explicitly refer to targeted actions towards Roma through an “explicit but not exclusive” approach.
Guarantee the mainstreaming of Roma inclusion issues into all relevant policy areas, especially those fields that are key to active inclusion of Roma (e.g. employment, education, health, housing, infrastructural or territorial development).
Provide an appropriate framework for integrated and multidimensional actions addressing Roma exclusion (employment, education, housing, health, fight against discrimination, etc.) following the example of the ERDF Regulation.
Guarantee that they do not contribute to segregation and, if possible, actively contribute to desegregation, not only in the field of housing interventions, but also in other fields covered by the Structural Funds such as education.

2. Effectiveness

EU Structural Funds should:

Be aligned with national, regional and local policies and resources and promote an increased horizontal as well as vertical coordination of Managing Authorities with different stakeholders.
Guarantee and explicitly promote the access of local and regional authorities to the Funds. Access to Structural Funds may be restricted in some cases due to lack of political interest from local and regional authorities; in other cases the latter may encounter certain constraints related to complex administrative procedures, co-financing requirements, lack of capacity, etc.
Explicitly reinforce the coordination and combined use of EU Funds, providing the mechanisms and instruments required for a more effective implementation of programmes and projects.
Ensure a long-term approach in order to make sure that the implementing mechanisms of OPs fulfill the long-term approach needed for social inclusion interventions financed by Structural Funds.
Reinforce the public/private partnership principle and make sure that partners are involved at every stage of the process, from programming to evaluation. Technical Assistance together with Global Grants should be promoted as key instruments to consolidate and improve the outcomes of partnerships.

3. Management, monitoring and control systems

Future Regulations of Structural Funds should:

Simplify procedures in order to facilitate the access of local authorities and NGOs to EU funding.
Refocus evaluation systems: interventions funded by Structural Funds should be measured and evaluated in terms of real impacts rather than in terms of mere inputs.
Reinforce the monitoring role of the European Commission not only at the management and control procedures, but also at the level of evaluation of impact and results of interventions financed by Structural Funds.
Enhance the role of the Monitoring Committees to assess the impact of actions co-financed by Structural Funds on Roma inclusion, inviting Member States to report on the progress made to improve Roma social inclusion.
Reinforce the participation of civil society, and in particular Roma participation, in Monitoring Committees.

Context

The EU regional policy (also called “EU Cohesion Policy”) is reviewed by the EU institutions once every seven years. The next round of programmes is to be launched in 2014 and will cover the period 2014-2020.

In November 2010, the European Commission published its first ideas on the future of the EU’s Cohesion Policy after the current programming period comes to an end in 2013 in its 5^th Cohesion Report.

This report marked the start of a public consultation and a dialogue with European, national, regional and local authorities and other stakeholders to help shape future Cohesion Policy and prepare the legislative proposals, which will be presented by mid-2011. The public consultation process ended with the organisation of a Cohesion Forum on 31 January- 1 February 2010. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/5thcohesionforum/index_en.cfm

* Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden

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EURoma presents its proposals on the future Regulations of the Structural Funds (2014-2020)

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