Sittings · Document
OPINION (2024/2106(INI)) 2025-05-15
On possibilities for simplification of cohesion funds
Committee on Budgetary Control · Rapporteur: Jacek Protas
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Budgetary Control submits the following to the Committee on Regional Development, as the committee responsible:
Amendment 1
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to the discharge procedure and the findings of the European Court of Auditors in its annual reports, |
Amendment 2
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| – having regard to European Court of Auditors review 03/2024 of 8 July 2024 entitled ‘An overview of the assurance framework and the key factors contributing to errors in 2014-2020 cohesion spending’, |
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| A. whereas cohesion policy is the EU’s most important investment tool to reduce social, territorial and economic disparities, and its long-term character should not be jeopardised by emergency measures and amendments aimed at re-purposing cohesion funds for other priorities; | A. whereas cohesion policy is the EU’s most important investment tool to reduce social, territorial and economic disparities, and its long-term character should not be jeopardised by emergency measures and amendments aimed at re-purposing cohesion funds for other priorities; whereas cohesion policy and the associated funds must be dedicated to their core objectives and be implemented in a manner that ensures the sound financial management and effective protection of the financial interests of the EU; |
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Aa. whereas cohesion policy is based on core EU values; whereas a strong rule of law conditionality in the distribution of funds, along with robust requirements for the effective protection of EU funds, is indispensable and must not fall victim to simplification; whereas in the implementation of the budget, the Member States and the Commission shall ensure compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and shall respect the EU values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; |
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| E. whereas the evolving and complex regulatory environment has played a decisive role in the current low implementation rate of cohesion policy in all Member States; | E. whereas the evolving and complex regulatory environment has seriously hampered the timely, efficient and effective implementation of cohesion policy in all Member States; |
Amendment 6
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ea. whereas the focus on meeting the milestones and targets of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) by 2026 has increased the workload of national and regional public administrations, making it difficult to manage and implement cohesion policy funds; |
Amendment 7
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fa. whereas the European Court of Auditors estimates that the error rate for expenditure related to cohesion policy has exceeded the materiality threshold of 2 % every year since 2017, reaching 6.4 % in 2022 and 9.3 % in 2023; |
Amendment 8
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fb. whereas the European Court of Auditors found that between 2018 and 2023, ineligible expenditure and ineligible projects were the most prevalent type of error and had the biggest impact on the estimated level of error in cohesion, followed by non-compliance with state aid rules and with EU and national public procurement rules; |
Amendment 9
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fc. whereas the Financial Regulation1a requires the Commission to take corrective measures, such as simplification of the applicable provisions, improvement of control systems and the redesign of the programme or delivery systems, if, during the implementation of the EU budget, the level of error is persistently high; _________________ 1a Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2024 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L, 2024/2509, 26.9.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/2509/oj). |
Amendment 10
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Fd. whereas in the area of cohesion policy, both the number and the financial value of non-fraudulent irregularities reported for the 2014–2020 programming period are significantly lower compared to those reported during the first ten years of implementation of the 2007–2013 programming period; whereas the fraud detection rate for the 2014–2020 programming period stands at 0.53 %, which is comparable to the rate observed in the 2007–2013 programming period; whereas the irregularity detection rate is substantially lower at 0.67 %, compared to 2.5 % for the 2007–2013 period; whereas isolated cases of irregularities involving large financial amounts can heavily influence the fraud detection rate; whereas further clarification is needed regarding the relationship between the fraud detection rate and the actual occurrence of fraud; |
Amendment 11
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ga. whereas avoiding double funding is a fundamental principle for the protection of the EU’s financial interests, and a prerequisite for the sound financial management of the EU budget; |
Amendment 12
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| I. whereas the principle of a single audit should be strengthened, and measures should be implemented to reduce duplicate controls and audits that overlap with national oversight for the same project and beneficiary; | I. whereas the principle of a single audit should be strengthened in order to show the expected results in terms of lowering the error rate, and measures should be implemented to reduce duplicate controls and audits that overlap with national oversight for the same project and beneficiary; |
Amendment 13
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ia. whereas cohesion policy must remain resilient to fraud and corruption, and to any attempts to divert its funding from its original mission and agreed programme priorities; whereas, to achieve this, conditionalities and built-in tools to prevent, detect and correct irregularities, including fraud, must be strengthened, and the proper application of the partnership principle, transparency requirements and anti-fraud policies must be ensured; |
Amendment 14
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1. Recalls the fundamental role cohesion policy has played in addressing multi-dimensional emergencies and challenges over the last five years and stresses the need to keep its long-term investment and place-based rationale and priorities; | 1. Acknowledges the achievements of cohesion policy in reducing economic, social and territorial disparities within the EU; recalls that cohesion policy also plays a fundamental role in addressing multi-dimensional emergencies and socio-economic challenges, also allowing regions in the EU to absorb shocks and build resilience; stresses that, while cohesion policy must remain flexible and responsive in times of crisis, there is a need to preserve its core identity and high ambitions and to focus on long-term investments and place-based rationale and priorities; |
Amendment 15
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1a. Calls for a modernised, decentralised and reinforced cohesion policy that puts people at its core and is grounded in an enhanced multi-level governance approach; insists that cohesion policy can only achieve its objectives with an appropriate budget, given the scale of upcoming investment needs; emphasises the importance of shared management and full respect for the partnership principle, ensuring the full involvement of local and regional authorities, as well as all relevant stakeholders at all levels; stresses that transparency, accountability and the protection of the EU’s financial interests are essential preconditions for the credibility and effectiveness of cohesion policy; |
Amendment 16
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1b. Underlines that simplification should be a guiding principle in cohesion policy; considers that simplification in the implementation of cohesion policy funds should be achieved at all levels, with the ultimate objective of ensuring better access to funds and reducing the administrative burden for final beneficiaries and insists that digitalisation of the management, reporting, monitoring and audit of EU funds is essential to this end; reiterates that such simplification should not come at the expense of sufficient controls, sound financial management and transparency; believes that simplification can only be considered successful if it also strengthens the protection of the EU budget against fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest and other misuse of public funds, while enhancing the sound financial management and transparency of EU funding, also with a view to reducing the increasingly high error rate in cohesion; |
Amendment 17
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 1c. Considers that simplification should still ensure that all EU institutions and bodies involved in the control of EU funds and the protection of the EU’s financial interests, notably the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Court of Auditors, have full access to the documents, information and data required for the exercise of their respective competences; |
Amendment 18
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 2a. Recalls that simplification efforts must first and foremost aim to reduce the administrative burden on beneficiaries and facilitate their access to funding; underlines, therefore, the need to prevent excessive bureaucracy and eliminate the unnecessary duplication of processes; calls on the Member States to avoid gold-plating in the implementation of cohesion funds; recalls that gold-plating has a detrimental effect not just for beneficiaries, in particular smaller beneficiaries such as SMEs, but also on the overall functioning of the single market, as it creates differing layers of regulatory burden across the Member States; |
Amendment 19
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 3. Calls on the Commission to promote a bottom-up approach in the upcoming proposals for simplifying the design of the new cohesion policy, ensuring the mandatory consultation and involvement of LRAs, civil society organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises; | 3. Recalls the principle of subsidiarity, as well as the importance of a territorial and decentralised approach, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that funding decisions are made by those closest to the ground who have the best understanding of the regions where the funds are spent; further calls on the Commission to promote a bottom-up approach in the upcoming proposals for simplifying the design of the new cohesion policy, ensuring the mandatory consultation and involvement of LRAs, social partners, civil society organisations, small and medium-sized enterprises and other relevant stakeholders; |
Amendment 20
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 3a. Considers that strengthening the administrative capacity of national, local and regional authorities, especially in less developed regions, is a matter of urgency and a precondition for simplification; calls on the Commission to increase its support for administrative capacity building, including through staff training, best practice sharing, peer-to-peer reviews and technical assistance to ensure effective fund management; |
Amendment 21
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4. Considers that fewer different funds, a single set of rules for implementation, monitoring and control, as well as a single integrated IT interface for beneficiaries could pave the way for a more flexible policy and could enhance the possibility to shift funds to different priorities during the programming period without the need for changes to the regulatory framework; | 4. Considers that fewer different funds, a single set of rules for implementation, monitoring and control, as well as the compulsory use by all Member States of integrated IT interfaces for beneficiaries, covering all stages of the programme cycle and all exchanges of data and documents with automated reporting tools, could pave the way for a more flexible policy and could enhance the possibility to shift funds to different priorities during the programming period without the need for changes to the regulatory framework, provided that such shifts are subject to democratic oversight; |
Amendment 22
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4a. Emphasises that digitalisation is a key component and enabler of simplification, transparency, efficiency and streamlining; considers, in particular, that the digitalisation of practices and procedures can contribute to simplifying the implementation of cohesion policy funds and, in the long run, decrease the administrative burden on applicants and beneficiaries, as well as on managing authorities and the Commission; |
Amendment 23
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4b. Reiterates its call on the Commission to make the use of IT tools, such as the early detection and exclusion system (EDES) and ARACHNE, mandatory for all EU funds and to ensure a better use of new technologies, such as AI, in order to better protect the EU budget against fraud and misuse of funds; |
Amendment 24
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4c. Underlines that making general and systematic use of digital and automated systems for reporting, monitoring and audit can contribute to both simplification and the protection of the EU budget; calls on the Commission to urgently establish an integrated and interoperable system that builds on, but is not limited to, existing tools and databases in the context of the concluded recast of the Financial Regulation; considers that the use by the Member States of a single, integrated and interoperable information and monitoring system, including a single data mining and risk scoring tool, should be a precondition for the disbursement of any funds, including cohesion policy funds, to the Member States under the post-2027 multiannual financial framework; |
Amendment 25
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4d. Considers that while thematic concentration of funds ensures alignment with EU priorities, excessive rigidity often slows down fund disbursement and leads to inefficiencies; welcomes the fact that, in its mid-term review of cohesion policy 2021-2027, the Commission proposed that the thematic concentration requirements of the European Regional Development Fund should be revised to accommodate the introduction of the new and amended specific objectives and the specific objectives that were introduced as part of the STEP Regulation1a; calls on the Commission to introduce greater thematic flexibility for cohesion policy funds to respond to the specific needs of regions, with a view to also enhancing sound financial management, reducing bureaucracy and improving fund absorption; ___________________ 1a Regulation (EU) 2024/795 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 February 2024 establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), and amending Directive 2003/87/EC and Regulations (EU) 2021/1058, (EU) 2021/1056, (EU) 2021/1057, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) 2021/1060, (EU) 2021/523, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697 and (EU) 2021/241 (OJ L, 2024/795, 29.2.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/795/oj). |
Amendment 26
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 4e. Urges the Commission to regularly monitor how the Member States select the experts responsible for assessing and selecting project applications, to ensure the necessary level of expertise and transparency and to prevent fraud; |
Amendment 27
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 7. Suggests exploring different options for the mandatary allocation of a certain share of the cohesion policy budget to both CLLD and ITI; | 7. Suggests exploring different options for the mandatory allocation of a certain share of the cohesion policy budget to both CLLD and ITI with the selection of projects to be performed as close to the local and regional level as possible to ensure that programmes can effectively address actual needs; further proposes that particular attention be devoted to remote areas, rural areas and vulnerable communities; |
Amendment 28
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8. Opposes any form of top-down centralisation reform of the cohesion policy; acknowledges, however, some positive elements currently being developed within the Recovery and Resilience Facility, but draws attention to the fact that in programmes under direct management, the disbursement of funds to Member States does not necessarily reflect the quantity and importance of the milestones and targets included therein; stresses that the centralised model has highlighted several critical issues, including regarding the traceability of EU funding; | 8. Opposes any form of top-down centralisation or renationalisation of cohesion policy; acknowledges, however, some positive elements currently being developed within the Recovery and Resilience Facility, but draws attention to the fact that in programmes under direct management, the disbursement of funds to Member States does not necessarily reflect the quantity and importance of the milestones and targets included therein; stresses that the centralised model has highlighted several critical issues, also reported by the European Court of Auditors and acknowledged by the Commission, in relation to financial oversight, the prevention of irregularities, double funding, fraud, performance monitoring, including the traceability and transparency of final recipients, limited EU added value owing to the limited number of cross-border projects and the limited involvement of subnational entities, in particular local and regional authorities, in the design and implementation of the RRF; stresses that multi-level governance fosters the development of tailor-made solutions adapted to the specific needs of regions; |
Amendment 29
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9. Acknowledges that performance-based mechanisms can be instrumental in making the cohesion policy more efficient and results-orientated, but cautions against the one-size-fits-all imposition of this model in the context of the new 2028-2034 programming period, taking into due consideration the specificities of different spending sectors, especially in projects related to research and social issues; | 9. Acknowledges that performance-based mechanisms can be instrumental in making the cohesion policy more efficient and results-orientated; is worried, however, that the shift towards a more performance-based approach in EU funding is also linked to the high error rate experienced in recent years; recalls, however, that under performance-based instruments, such as the RRF, the European Court of Auditors has been unable to calculate an error rate, owing to the specificities of the financing not linked to cost model; cautions against the one-size-fits-all imposition of this model in the context of the new 2028-2034 programming period, taking into due consideration the specificities of different spending sectors and contexts, especially in projects related to research and social issues; is of the opinion that any shift to a performance-based approach based on the RRF as a model requires addressing the many issues identified in its implementation, including those raised by the European Court of Auditors, as well as assessing data on its full impact, before using such a model; considers that any future performance-based funding mechanisms must be accompanied by significantly stronger safeguards for ensuring the sound management of EU funds; |
Amendment 30
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10. Acknowledges that liquidity problems deter potential beneficiaries such as municipalities from applying for cohesion policy funded projects and therefore calls for a significant and tailored increase in pre-financing in such cases; | 10. Emphasises that the effective and complementary mobilisation of both EU and Member State funding is required to secure a strong financial basis for cohesion policy; underlines the role played by national co-financing in amplifying the overall investment volume and impact of EU funds, while helping to foster greater ownership by Member States, local and regional authorities, and beneficiaries, enabling the successful implementation of cohesion policy funds; cautions, in this respect, against the excessive use of 100 % co-financing, as crisis response tools financed from cohesion funds with 100 % EU co-financing have proven to be particularly prone to errors; acknowledges that liquidity problems deter potential beneficiaries such as municipalities and SMEs from applying for cohesion policy funded projects and therefore calls for a significant and tailored increase in pre-financing in such cases; |
Amendment 31
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10a. Recalls that the recast of the Financial Regulation introduced a new category of very low value grants of up to EUR 15 000 for which certain administrative requirements are waived; calls on the Commission to introduce further simplifications for smaller beneficiaries, with a view to reducing administrative burdens and costs, such as simplified reporting obligations and the provision of targeted technical assistance, in order to address capacity constraints without sacrificing accountability; |
Amendment 32
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10b. Considers that existing simplified cost options could already be further used in a wide range of programmes during the current programming period, particularly for the benefit of smaller beneficiaries; calls on the Commission to foster increased uptake of simplified cost options by harmonising applicable methodology and putting forward clear guidelines concerning the ex ante and ex post verification of projects implemented using simplified cost options, in order to provide beneficiaries with clear guidance and information on how projects using simplified cost options should be implemented; |
Amendment 33
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 10c. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal, in its mid-term review of cohesion policy 2021-2027, that programmes under the Investment for jobs and growth goal with NUTS 2 regions that have borders with Russia, Belarus or Ukraine should benefit from the possibility of a one-off 9.5 % pre-financing of the programme allocation and 100 % EU financing; urges the Commission to propose additional measures to address the needs of the Eastern border regions of the EU; |
Amendment 34
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 12. Calls on the Commission to propose further measures to prevent and avoid double funding, to ensure the interoperability of data-mining tools, and to ensure a balance between simplification and protection of the EU budget; | 12. Recalls that simplification must not come at the expense of the principles of good administration, public procurement and control, which are essential to ensuring the rule of law and the enforcement of other relevant conditionalities; calls on the Commission to propose further measures to prevent and avoid double funding; believes that digitalisation is key in order to address the issue; stresses, in particular, the need for the ex ante prevention of double funding through a clear demarcation of what kinds of action can be funded from which instruments and considers that this can be achieved by developing and using a single integrated interoperable information and monitoring system, including a single data-mining and risk-scoring tool, building on, but not limited to, existing tools and databases in the context of the concluded recast of the Financial Regulation; further calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve public access to clear, up-to-date information on cohesion fund final beneficiaries through user-friendly digital platforms, including real-time interoperability of national and EU data-mining systems; reiterates that the Member States must be required to report data on the final recipient or last entity, rather than limiting information to second-level recipients; |
Amendment 35
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13. Recommends the setting up of a simplified and streamlined mechanism with the aim of ensuring direct funding for cities in the next multiannual financial framework and including smart conditionality; | 13. Recalls that the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation1a stipulates that final recipients should not be deprived of the benefits of EU funds in cases where sanctions are imposed on their government; strongly believes that, to date, this provision has been insufficiently enforced and stresses the need for a robust approach to safeguarding beneficiaries from being penalised because of the actions of their government, particularly in cases such as the Hungarian Government’s actions, which have undermined the rule of law and have resulted in the suspension of EU funds; calls on the Commission to explore additional ways of ensuring that local and regional authorities, civil society and other beneficiaries can continue to benefit from EU funding in cases of breaches of the rule of law by national governments without weakening the application of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation; _____________________ 1a Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2092 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on a general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget (OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2092/oj). |
Amendment 36
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13a. Underlines that the rule of law is a fundamental value of the EU; considers that the protection of the common EU values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union currently included in the Common Provisions Regulation needs to be further strengthened; stresses that the Commission should use all tools available in the so-called rule of law toolbox to protect the financial interests of the EU and should do so in a coherent and transparent manner; reiterates, therefore, the need to consolidate the rule of law toolbox by treating as a single, integral package all the measures required for the release of EU funding under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, the Common Provisions Regulation and the RRF Regulation1a, and in alignment with the annual rule of law report; calls for the establishment of a comprehensive rule of law monitoring framework aimed at ensuring coherence and uniformity across the EU, while at the same time ensuring its fair and impartial application; _________________ 1a Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/241/oj). |
Amendment 37
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 13b. Stresses the importance of coherence between cohesion policy and the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as provided for in the Financial Regulation; further underlines the importance of urban projects that promote social inclusion, social innovation and the ecological transition; |
Amendment 38
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 14. Stresses the need to increase investments in building effective administrative capacity, especially in LRAs, with a view to encouraging effective decentralised management and implementation of EU funds, and highlights that cohesion policy outcomes rely on forward-looking and inclusive strategy, on proper stakeholder involvement and on good governance; | 14. Stresses the need to increase investments in building effective administrative capacity, especially in LRAs, with a view to encouraging effective decentralised management and enabling further simplification of procedures in the implementation of EU funds, and highlights that cohesion policy outcomes rely on forward-looking and inclusive strategy, on proper stakeholder involvement and on good governance; |
Amendment 39
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 14a. Notes that the single audit approach has been followed in cohesion policy funds since 2007; acknowledges that the single audit approach constitutes a simplification measure that helps reduce the possibility of duplicating controls and overlapping audits for the same project and beneficiary; |
Amendment 40
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 14b. Recalls that, in practice, the application of the single audit approach depends on the robust and reliable audit work carried out by the audit bodies in the Member States; is worried that both the Commission and the European Court of Auditors have identified that not all Member States’ management and control systems function effectively, reducing the extent to which the Commission can rely on their work; regrets the fact that the lack of sufficient resources is a factor affecting the managing authorities’ capacity to carry out effective and thorough checks and verifications of expenditure; calls on the Commission to provide them with clear guidance, and to increase its support for administrative capacity building; |
Amendment 41
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15. Considers that a new approach to audit and controls should be enshrined in the next cohesion policy, introducing preventive controls executed at the beginning of the budgetary perspective to detect and eliminate the possibility of repeating potential errors in subsequent years of implementation; | 15. Considers that the approach of the Commission and the Member States to audit and controls should be reviewed and strengthened in the next cohesion policy, in order to address the issues repeatedly highlighted by the European Court of Auditors, starting with better identifying risks and reinforcing ex ante controls in order to reduce the error rate; urges the Commission to reduce the length of administrative procedures for the recovery of EU funds and for dealing with reported cases of fraud; calls on the Commission to support national, local and regional authorities with the transition to the next cohesion policy funds by providing technical assistance from the outset; |
Amendment 42
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15a. Emphasises that programmes managed by authorities in Member States subject to the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism, or the Article 7 procedure of the Treaty on European Union, or which have opted not to join the EPPO must be subject to reinforced audit, control and monitoring measures to safeguard the EU’s financial interests in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, transparency and accountability; |
Amendment 43
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15b. Insists that participation in the EPPO must be compulsory for Member States receiving EU funds under the post-2027 multiannual financial framework, unless the Member State has a constitutional opt-out; |
Amendment 44
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 15c. Recalls the importance of the strict application of the financial rules of the EU in all programmes and on all beneficiaries, in order to prevent all forms of fraud, conflicts of interest, corruption, double funding and money laundering; |
Amendment 45
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the national and regional parliaments of the Member States. | 17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the national and regional parliaments of the Member States. |
ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT
The rapporteur for the opinion declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.
INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
| Date adopted | 14.5.2025 | |
| Result of final vote | +: –: 0: | 20 6 2 |
| Members present for the final vote | Georgios Aftias, Arno Bausemer, Gilles Boyer, José Cepeda, Olivier Chastel, Caterina Chinnici, Tamás Deutsch, Dick Erixon, Daniel Freund, Niclas Herbst, Virginie Joron, Ondřej Knotek, Kinga Kollár, Giuseppe Lupo, Marit Maij, Csaba Molnár, Jacek Protas, Julien Sanchez, Jonas Sjöstedt, Cristian Terheş | |
| Substitutes present for the final vote | Maria Grapini, Erik Marquardt, Karlo Ressler, Bert-Jan Ruissen, Michal Wiezik | |
| Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote | Pablo Arias Echeverría, Francisco Assis, Sunčana Glavak |