Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home » Commission – Member State Partnership Agreements on EU funding

    Commission – Member State Partnership Agreements on EU funding

    eub2By eub23 November 2014 focus No Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    — last modified 21 November 2014

    A new set of rules and legislation governing the 2014-2020 round of EU investments came into force in December 2013. This legislative package sets down common rules for the “European Structural and Investment Funds” (ESIF), ensuring a more strategic and complementary use of different sources of EU funding, to combine and simplify their use for a better impact on growth and jobs.


    Advertisement


    1. What are the European Structural and Investment Funds?

    • The European Regional Development Fund
    • The European Social Fund
    • The Cohesion Fund
    • The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
    • The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

     

    2. What are “Partnership Agreements”?

     

    Under the new rules, Member States were required to draw up and implement strategic plans with investment priorities covering these five ESI Funds. These “Partnership Agreements” (PAs) were negotiated between the European Commission and national authorities, following their consultation of various levels of governance, representatives from interest groups, civil society and local and regional representatives. The starting point for these Partnership Agreements were position papers produced by the Commission services in 2012 for each Member State setting out how EU investments should support smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by focusing on key advantages and important growth sectors in regions and Member States.

     

    3. What are “Operational Programmes”?

     

    The Commission also works with the Member States as they draw up “Operational Programmes” (OPs) breaking down the investment priorities and objectives of the Partnership Agreements into concrete actions. These OPs can cover entire Member States and/or regions, or be cooperation programmes involving more than one country. The Commission negotiates with the national and regional authorities on the final content of these investment plans. All levels of governance, including civil society should be consulted and involved in the programming and management of the OPs.

     

    According to the new rules, OPs should be submitted by Member States at the latest 3 months following the submission of the Partnership Agreement.

     

    The Commission makes observations within 3 months and adopts the OP no later than 6 months from the date of its submission, provided that the Member State has adequately taken into account the Commission observations.

     

    The OPs are then implemented by the Member States and their regions. This means selecting, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the individual projects according to the priorities and targets agreed for the programmes with the Commission. This work is organised by ‘managing authorities’ in each country and/or region according to the principle of shared management and subsidiarity. The new rules require a much stronger focus on results and goals to be measured, monitored and published throughout the period.

     

    4. What is the current state of play with Member State PAs and OPs?

     

    The European Commission has now adopted Partnership Agreements with all 28 Member States, outlining their investment plans for European Structural and Investment Funds for the 2014-2020 programming period.

     

    The first Partnership Agreement to be adopted was with Denmark on 5 May 2014. The last one was adopted on 18 November 2014, with Ireland.

     

    Around 535 programmes in total are expected for the ESI Funds, ensuring that the reforms that have been agreed for the 2014-2020 period are implemented on the ground. As of today, the Commission has adopted 39 programmes. Negotiations continue to finalise the remaining programmes as soon as possible to ensure that the programmes make maximum contribution to growth and jobs. The new deadline for submitting the programmes is set on 24 November 2014. The overall aim is to adopt all programmes by the summer of 2015.

     

    Yet the Commission has underlined that a strategic approach to the use of the Funds is critical and quality is more important than speed.

     

    5. Who to contact in your country to get more information about funding individual projects?

     

    – Managing Authorities

     

     

    – Europe Direct

     

     

    – European Commission Member State Representations

     

     

     

     

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    eub2
    • Website

    eub2 is the default publisher for EUbusiness.

    Related Content

    Black Banx

    The Best Banking Solutions for Digital Nomads in 2025

    Business proposals - Image by Ronald Carreño from Pixabay

    Win more business: why small companies need better proposal tools

    Gaming online casino - Photo by Aidan Howe on Pexels

    A Top Level Comparison: Canada vs. the EU Regulatory Environment for Online Casinos and Gambling

    Investing - Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

    Opportunities for savvy investors in the rental market

    Register your company in Estonia

    Establishing a Company in Estonia: Key Advantages for 2025

    MAGA - Photo by Natilyn Hicks Photography on Unsplash

    Navigating the Tariff Storm: Strategic Imperatives for Global Investors in a Fractured Trade Landscape

    LATEST EU NEWS
    Euro - ECB-Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

    Geopolitical tension and broader risk-off sentiment hit equity markets – Euro currency news daily

    13 June 2025

    Brussels to postpone market risk prudential requirements under Basel III by one more year

    12 June 2025
    Cyberattacks - Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

    EUR 145m calls to boost European cybersecurity for hospitals

    12 June 2025
    Detergents - Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels

    EU Council and Parliament strike deal for safer detergents

    11 June 2025
    Cybersecurity - Image by Franz Bachinger from Pixabay

    EU adopts blueprint for dealing with European cyber crises

    6 June 2025

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025

    Design and developed by : 

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?