What changed

2. Stresses that measures to enhance competitiveness shouldcan becontribute accompaniedto bybroader actionssocietal tobenefits, promoteprovided socialthat cohesion,those someasures thatremain economicfocused progresson translatesproductivity, intogrowth broaderand societaljob benefits;creation; insists that any overarching performance framework for the EU budget should primarily provide aeconomic balancedresults assessmentand coveringmeasurable bothpolicy economicoutcomes, resultswhile andtaking socialinto impact;account, where relevant, broader societal effects, without undermining the principles of efficiency and effectiveness;

12. Insists that indicator data and methodologies be made publicly available in real time through an interoperable monitoring, reporting and audit system, thereby increasing transparency and ensuring traceability down to project and final beneficiary level; recalls the importance of ‘final beneficiary transparency’ for EU funds; stresses that EU funding, including that under indirect management, must be transparent and should allow for effective auditing and prevention of double funding; insists further that this data should include comprehensive information regarding the social and environmental footprint of the projects financed;

35. Considers that in order to accelerate both the green and digital transitions, particular attention should be paid to innovative SMEs for which simplification is critical; stresses that simplification should notfocus leadon toreducing deregulationunnecessary red tape and administrative costs for SMEs; emphasises that simplification must be carried out inwhile ensuring a wayproportionate thatand guaranteesefficient regulatory framework, guaranteeing regulatory certainty as well as proper impact assessment; suggests that progress in reducing the administrative burden could be measured with indicators such as the number of projects approved and the number of projects concluded annually with SMEs, the decrease in the rate of appeals or disputes related to application procedures and the reduction in time required to access EU funding, from application to disbursement;

36. Calls on the Commission to further step up efforts to reduce regulatory burden and to ensure that EU legislation is proportionate, evidence-based and delivers clear added value for citizens and businesses; considers the current ‘one in, one out’ approach to be insufficient in this regard; calls, therefore, for the application of a ‘one in, two out’ principle, whereby the introduction of any new costs through regulatory obligations is offset by reductions in regulatory costs stemming from other EU legislation by at least twice the equivalent amount, with the objective of achieving a net reduction in the regulatory burden, while treating separately the burden on companies and public administration.