EU programmes for the financial programming period 2007-2013

Q&A on the legislative package of EU programmes for the financial programming period 2007-2013

 

1. What is meant by ?´legislative package??? The European Union budget is mainly disbursed through programmes, which match the Union??s political objectives with its financial means. Each programme has specific objectives, duration and resources. These are indicated in a legislative text (?´legal bases??). The Commission comes forward with proposals of legal bases at various intervals in the so-called proposal ?´packages??. In certain cases, several legal bases relate to one programme. Consequently, there may be fewer programmes than legal bases.

 

2. Why was there a need to revise the proposals and to present new ones? The recent agreement on the Financial Framework 2007-2013 sets the global level of commitment appropriations at ?Ñ 864.3 billion (at 2004 prices). The revised and the new proposals reflect these financial adjustments and priorities agreed by the Council, Parliament and the Council in the Interinstitutional Agreement.
For more information on the Interinstitutional Agreement, see Memo 06/204.

 

3. How many legal bases were adopted by the Commission today? What programmes are affected?
The current legislative package includes 26 revised and 5 new proposals, covering a large number of EU programmes and policy areas. The programmes affected under the Financial Framework headings are as follows:
Sub-heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment:

 

* Seventh Research Framework Programme (?Ñ 54 582.1 million)

* Trans-European Networks for Transport and Energy: Building networks for goods, people and energy (?Ñ 8 013 million for transport and ?Ñ 155 million for energy)

* Galileo: Worldwide satellite radio-navigation for civilian use (?Ñ 1 005 million)

* Nuclear safety ?± Transitory measures (decommissioning; ?Ñ 1 487 million)

 

* Lifelong learning: For greater mobility and stronger links among education and training institutions (?Ñ 6 970 million)

 

* Comenius: for school partnerships and networks, and teacher exchanges. Target: involvement of 3 million pupils in the 2007-13 period.

* Erasmus: for student mobility and university cooperation. Target: 3 million student mobilities by 2012.

* Leonardo da Vinci: for placements in enterprises abroad for trainees and young workers and trainers, and cooperation projects between vocational training institutes and enterprise. Target: 80,000 placements in 2013.

* Grundtvig: for trans-national partnerships, networks and mobility in adult education. Target: 7,000 mobilities in 2013.

 

* Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity ?± PROGRESS (?Ñ 743.3 million)

 

* Rural Development and Voluntary modulation (?Ñ 88 488.5 million) 

 

* Life+: Combating climate change and decline in Europe??s biodiversity
(?Ñ 2 097.9 million)

 

* Adjustments to the common market of fisheries products (?Ñ 2 411.6 million)

 

* European Refugee Fund (?Ñ 699.3 million)

 

* European Return Fund (?Ñ 676 million)

 

* External Borders Fund (?Ñ 1 820 million)

 

* Daphne: combating violence (?Ñ 116.9 million)

 

* Drugs prevention and information (?Ñ 21.4 million)

 

* Public health (?Ñ 365.6 million)

 

* Consumer protection (?Ñ 156.8 million)

 

* Youth in action: active participation of youth in civic society, solidarity and dialogue (?Ñ 885 million)

 

* European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI): (?Ñ 11 967 million)

 

* Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation Instrument (DCECI): (?Ñ 17 055 million)

 

* Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA): For candidate countries and potential candidates (?Ñ 11 565 million)

 

* Instrument for Stability (IFS): Addressing crises and challenges with a stability and security aspect (?Ñ 5 614 million)

 

4. What does ‘other expenditure’ in financial programming stand for? This groups together commitments for European agencies, other actions (e.g. nuclear decommissioning) and smaller programmes.

 

5. The Commission adopted this package. Does this mean it is now part of EU legislation? Not yet. The Commission??s endorsement of these legal bases is only a first step in the Union??s decision procedure. By adopting these, the Commission submits these texts for the approval of the Council and Parliament. This legislative package nearly completes the work that needs to be done at this stage by the Commission regarding the EU programmes for 2007-2013. More than 40 pieces of legislation will need to be formally approved by the Council or jointly by the Council and the Parliament.

 

6. Who will adopt these legal bases? And how will it happen? A large number of legal bases will be decided jointly by the Council and the European Parliament, through what??s called the co-decision procedure. In this procedure, the Commission submits the proposal time to both institutions at the same. After receiving the Parliament??s opinion, the Council approves the text, with or without any modifications. If the Parliament has no objections or amendments to the Council??s text, then the text is formally adopted. In case of any amendments, however, the Council has to pronounce itself again. If outstanding issues still remain, the text is worked on by a conciliation committee, composed of representatives from both institutions and the Commission. At all stages of these negotiations, both institutions need to agree on a common text for its adoption into law. If they do not agree, the text is not adopted.

 

The 7th Research Framework Programme; Trans-European Networks; Structural Funds; Youth; Media; Public Health and European Neighbourhood and Partnership are among the programmes which will be adopted through the co-decision procedure.

 

Others legal bases, mainly those related to expenditure in agricultural markets, pre-accession and certain areas of freedom, security and justice, will be decided by the Council, after consulting the Parliament. In the consultation or assent procedures, the Parliament may express an opinion and the Council may decide to take it into account.

 

The choice of the decision procedure is determined by the powers entrusted by the EU treaties to each institution in connection with the policy area in question. Each legal basis mentions the source where this power is derived, i.e. article in the Treaty, and the decision procedure to be applied.

 

7. Is there enough time to adopt the new legal bases so that the activities can start on time? By submitting the revised package quickly, the Commission has given the Council and the Parliament the necessary time to adopt all these legal bases. In fact, discussions between the two institutions have already started and the revised proposals are necessary to complete these discussions. The Commission is confident that all the proposals can be adopted by the end of 2006 at the latest.

 

8. What else needs to be done? The way EU funds are used and managed is governed by a certain set of rules called the Financial Regulation. The current Financial Regulation (adopted in 2002) is being reviewed to make the rules and procedures simpler, more effective and more transparent. Following consultation with the other EU institutions, the Commission presented its amendments to the Financial Regulation on 18 May 2006. The amendments now need to be approved by the Council and the European Parliament.

 

The new rules should also be in place by 2007, when the programmes under the 2007-2013 Financial Framework start.

 

For more on amendments to the Financial Regulation proposed by the Commission see IP/06/651.

 

(Credits and more info at  Europa)