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OPINION (COM(2025)0545 – C100166/2025 – 2025/0545(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities

REGI-AD-785455

Committee on Regional Development · Rapporteur: Raquel García HermidaVan Der Walle

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The Committee on Regional Development proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal for a regulation establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework for Union programmes. It asks for a stronger role for local and regional authorities, simplification, and respect for subsidiarity and the partnership principle. It proposes new rules on 'do no harm to cohesion', a competitiveness check, gender budgeting, and territorial indicators, and would keep the climate and environment spending target at 35% of the budget over 2028-2034. It would set up a Single Gateway website, require Member States to report on rural areas using the DEGURBA typology, and add indicators on investment mobilised, gender and age breakdowns.

Committee position. The Committee on Regional Development proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal, including a 'do no harm to cohesion' principle, a competitiveness check, a partnership principle, gender budgeting, territorial indicators and a Single Gateway, and submits them to the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control as the committees responsible.

Key points

  1. The rapporteur welcomes the Commission's proposal and calls for a framework that recognises the competences of local and regional authorities, promotes partnership and respects subsidiarity.
  2. Simplification must guide the regulation, with clear, proportionate and harmonised rules that reduce red tape for regions, SMEs and civil society organisations.
  3. The framework must respect the rule of law and institutional balance, and delegations to the Commission should follow the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making.
  4. Gender budgeting and gender mainstreaming should be integrated, and social, climate and environmental tracking should remain central.
  5. The amendments would add a 'do no harm to cohesion' principle and a competitiveness check for programmes and activities, with a Commission report on the check by 30 June 2031.
  6. A new article would require the partnership principle and multilevel governance in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes with a territorial dimension.
  7. The climate, biodiversity and environment spending target would be at least 35% of the total budget over the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework, with defence and security spending excluded from the calculation.
  8. The Commission would provide 'do no significant harm' guidance by 1 January 2027, and a 'do no harm to cohesion' guidance no later than three months from entry into force.
  9. Member States would select intervention fields and indicators in their National and Regional Partnership Plans, and the Commission would detail performance indicators by 1 January 2027.
  10. A Single Gateway website would be set up within three months of entry into force, showing budget implementation, performance and funding opportunities, and interoperable with national systems.
  11. Member States would report on the geographic distribution of supported operations and beneficiaries in rural areas using the DEGURBA classification at LAU level, consistent with the urban-rural NUTS 3 typology.
  12. New indicators would be added, including investment mobilised in EUR, and breakdowns by gender and age for jobs, businesses, training and visitors.

Who is affected

  • Local and regional authorities, whose role in managing funds and in monitoring and reporting would be recognised and strengthened.
  • Member States, which would select intervention fields and indicators and set up monitoring and reporting systems.
  • Beneficiaries, regions, SMEs and civil society organisations, for whom reporting requirements should be proportionate and not increase administrative burden.
  • Rural areas, which would benefit from indicators tracking spending on essential services and housing.

Figures and deadlines

  • At least 35% of the total budget on climate, biodiversity and environmental objectives over the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework.
  • Commission guidance on 'do no significant harm' by 1 January 2027.
  • Commission report on the competitiveness check by 30 June 2031.
  • Single Gateway to be set up within 3 months following entry into force of the regulation.
  • Beneficiaries receiving less than EUR 10 000 per year; between EUR 10 000 and EUR 100 000; between EUR 100 000 and EUR 500 000; and above EUR 500 000 per year.
  • At least 30 days before the launch of a call for proposals, information on the call must be on the Single Gateway.
  • Minimum of 15 days between the start and end date of a call.
  • Ultimate beneficial owners of final recipients receiving financing above EUR 25 000 must be collected and transmitted.

Legal basis: Article 322(1), point (a), and Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.