Structural reform support programme 2017-2020

PURPOSE: to establish the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period from 2017-2020 with the objective of enhancing institutional, structural and administrative reforms.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2017/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period 2017 to 2020 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 1305/2013.

CONTENT: the Regulation establishes a programme with a budget of EUR 142.8 million to assist Member States in implementing structural reforms.

The Programme shall finance actions and activities with European added value.

It shall be to contribute to institutional, administrative and growth-sustaining structural reforms with a view to enhancing cohesion, competitiveness, productivity, sustainable growth, job creation, and investment, in particular in the context of economic governance processes, including through assistance for the efficient, effective and transparent use of the Union funds.

Scope: support under the programme shall be provided by the Commission at the request of a Member State in the following areas:

• public financial and asset management, budget process, debt management and revenue administration;
• institutional reform and efficient and service-oriented functioning of public administration, reform of the justice systems and reinforcement of the fight against fraud, corruption and money laundering;
• business environment (including for SMEs), re-industrialisation, private sector development, investment, public participation in enterprises, privatisation processes, trade and foreign direct investment, competition and public procurement, sustainable sectoral development and support for innovation and digitalisation;
• education and training, labour market policies, the fight against poverty, social security and social welfare systems, cohesion, asylum, migration and border policies;
• policies for implementing climate action, promoting energy efficiency;
• financial sector policies, including the promotion of financial literacy, financial stability, access to finance and lending to the real economy.

Request for support: Member States will have to submit a request to the Commission specifying the priority policy areas for support within the scope of this Programme by 31 October of a calendar year.

Based on that analysis and taking into account the existing actions and measures financed by Union funds or other Union programmes, the Commission shall come to an agreement with the Member State concerned on the priority areas for support, the objectives, an indicative timeline, the scope of the support measures to be provided and the estimated global financial contribution for such support, to be set out in a cooperation and support plan.

The Commission shall forward the cooperation and support plan to the European Parliament and to the Council as soon as the beneficiary Member State has cleared all sensitive or confidential information, the disclosure of which would jeopardise public interests of the beneficiary Member State.

The Commission may, with the consent of the beneficiary Member State, organise the support under the Programme in cooperation with other Member States or European and international organisations.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 20.5.2017.

DELEGATED ACTS: the Commission may adopt delegated acts in order to adapt the list of indicators measuring the achievement of the objectives of the Programme in the light of experience during the implementation of the Programme. The power to adopt such acts shall be conferred on the Commission for a period from 20 May 2017 to 31 December 2020. The European Parliament or the Council shall have the right to object to a delegated act within a period of two months (extendable for two months) from the date of notification of the act.