Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments

What it is

to lay down the specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments for the period 2021-2017. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: in order to simplify the legislative structure and ensure clarity of the applicable provisions in the field of cohesion, the common provisions regulation ( CPR ) lays down common rules and specific rules for the Funds. So goes for the Regulation covering both the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund intervening under ‘Investment for jobs and growth’ and, for the ERDF, under the ‘European territorial cooperation’ goal (Interreg). The Committee on Regional Development adopted the report by Pascal ARIMONT (EPP, BE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund and external financing instruments. The Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Development, exercising their prerogatives as associated committees in accordance with Rule 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave their opinions on the report. The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows. This Regulation lays down rules for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) with a view to fostering cooperation between Member States and their regions inside the Union and between Member States, their regions and third countries, partner countries, other territories or overseas countries and territories ('OCTs'), or regional integration and cooperation organisations, or group of third countries forming part of a regional organisation, respectively. Under the European Territorial Cooperation Objective (Interreg), support would be provided by the ERDF and, where appropriate, by the Union's external financing instruments for the following four components: (1) cross-border cooperation between adjacent regions; (2) transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation; (3) cooperation involving the outermost regions and (4) interregional cooperation. Members deleted the proposal to introduce a new strand 5 (‘interregional innovation investments’). The transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation component should aim to strengthen cooperation by means of actions conducive to integrated territorial development linked to the Union's cohesion policy priorities, in full respect of subsidiarity. Members proposed that the resources allocated to the European Territorial Cooperation Objective (Interreg) amount to EUR 11 165 910 000 at 2018 prices from the total resources available for ERDF, ESF+ and Cohesion Fund budget commitments for the 2021-2027 programming period. An amount of EUR 10 195 910 000 (91.31 %) of these resources should be allocated as…

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