EU Cohesion Policy Developments

1. Title Slides Your audience needs to know who you are and what you are going to talk about. Give your presentation an opening slide showing the title of your presentation, your name and position or job title. Keep it simple. Your audience is far more likely to be distracted at the start of the presentation, when they are still settling down. Job titles should be kept to a single phrase - ‘Managing Director’ or ‘Events Manager’ - and qualifications used only if they are strictly relevant to your audience or presentation. Your closing slide should mirror the opening one, showing the title of the presentation and any contact details, if those are relevant. You can duplicate blank title slides, either by holding down Ctrl and click-dragging into the desired position in Slide Sorter mode (View - Slide Sorter), or by using Insert - New Slide - Title Slide. EU Cohesion Policy Developments Sophie Purdey

2. Presentation • Context-setting the workshop • Summary of proposals • Update on the negotiations

3. Financial Perspectives • Text of package of regulations being prepared under the UK Presidency • Aim to have regulations complete as far as possible to be used as soon as a budget is agreed • Next discussions at EU summit 15-16 December

4. Cohesion Policy Presentation

5. Features of Draft Regulations Proposed 2007-13 MAINSTREAMED ACTIVITIES COOPERATION ACTIVITIES • based on the draft regulations published on 14 July

6. Factors influencing negotiations The major factors are: • 1. The lack of agreement on the Financial Perspectives 2007-2013 • 2. The commitment to the Lisbon agenda - • President Barrosso declares that “The Union’s core priority is growth and jobs” • Cohesion policy renamed ‘Cohesion policy in support of growth and jobs’

7. The commitment to Lisbon • March Council conclusion that, “the Union must mobilise all appropriate national and Community resources - including cohesion policy” in support of Lisbon • President Barrosso’s 5 proposals to re-launch budget discussions include ‘Increasing resources for growth and jobs’ • 60% of total cohesion spending

8. The commitment to Lisbon Focus cohesion funding on areas of high growth potential • Invest in drivers of growth and jobs • Stable 7-year programme of investment • Synergy with other policies e.g. research • Improving governance and ownership • Integrated approach to territorial cohesion

9. Cohesion policy into practice Three steps: • Community Strategic Guidelines • National Strategic Guidelines • Operational Programmes • Member State and public consultation on Community Strategic Guidelines complete

10. Community Strategic Guidelines Programmes co-financed through cohesion policy should target resources on: • Improving attractiveness (transport, energy and environmental investments) • Encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and the growth of the knowledge economy • Creating more and better jobs • Guidelines are given for each topic

11. Community Strategic Guidelines Guidelines given for : • Convergence • Regional competitiveness and employment • EU territorial co-operation

12. Community Strategic Guidelines Consultation confirmed: • Support for Lisbon agenda • Allow Member States flexibility but • Concentrate on limited number of priorities • Territorial co-operation complementary to competitiveness • Recognise social agenda and involvement of regions, cities and NGOs in programmes

13. Regulations • Developed in parallel with Community Strategic Guidance • Loosely worded, “May be spent on…, primarily through…” • Allow subsidiarity through “menu” approach - regions can pick from the list of priorities in the regulations • Still require Political Agreement

14. Regulations - ERDF - Convergence • R&TD, innovation and entrepreneurship • Information society • Local employment and development initiatives • Environment - waste, water, brownfield, Natura • Risk prevention • Tourism • Culture

15. Regulations - ERDF - Convergence • Transport including TENS, clean urban transport, equal access for disabled persons • Energy including trans-European supply networks, energy efficiency and renewables • Education and vocational training • Health infrastructure and where justified social infrastructure

16. ERDF - Competitiveness • Innovation and the knowledge economy • Environment and risk prevention • Access to transport and telecommunications services in particular on transport: • links to TENs, regional railway hubs, airports and ports or to multimodal platforms, by providing radial links to main railway lines and by promoting waterways and short-sea shipping

17. ERDF - Co-operation • Cross-border • Transnational • Inter-regional Cross-border likely to get the most budget

18. New proposals JASPERS • Assistance to prepare Cohesion Fund projects JEREMIE • Helping SMEs and micro-enterprises to access finance

19. Summary Breakdown

20. Questions for Workshop • What lessons have we learnt from the last programme? • How can we maximise the likely funds to gain strategic value? • Given the current state of negotiations, what planning can we do now? What is the Slovenian position?

21. Title Slides Your audience needs to know who you are and what you are going to talk about. Give your presentation an opening slide showing the title of your presentation, your name and position or job title. Keep it simple. Your audience is far more likely to be distracted at the start of the presentation, when they are still settling down. Job titles should be kept to a single phrase - ‘Managing Director’ or ‘Events Manager’ - and qualifications used only if they are strictly relevant to your audience or presentation. Your closing slide should mirror the opening one, showing the title of the presentation and any contact details, if those are relevant. You can duplicate blank title slides, either by holding down Ctrl and click-dragging into the desired position in Slide Sorter mode (View - Slide Sorter), or by using Insert - New Slide - Title Slide. Thank you Sophie Purdey sophie.purdey@environment-agency.gov.uk