Structural policies focusing on employment: regional programmes 1977-1999, objective 2

The European Parliament adopted the report by Mr Joan VALLVÉ (ELDR, E) on the new regional programmes for 1997-1999 under Objective 2 of the Community's structural policies. It called to be consulted when the broad outlines were being decided, and considered that job creation should be the general and principal priority and should be linked to and a result of the market, with the aim of ensuring long-term employment. Parliament deplored the fact that the quality of programmes did not always come up to expectations and that the Commission had sometimes backed programmes in respect of which it had observed that the horizontal aspects of Directives on such matters as environmental protection, sustainable development and equality of opportunity had not been sufficiently complied with. Parliament called, in particular, for an effort to be made to quantify objectives (particularly for job creation). On this subject, it stressed the need to devote more space in programme documents to establishing indicators, which alone would make it possible to provide evidence of the progress made towards sustainable and job-creating development in the regions. Parliament wished to see regional partnerships (involving regional and local partners and representatives of employers and employees) enhanced and formalised, to make them one of the pillars of planning and the management of programmes. It considered that, in the new Objective 2, priority should be clearly assigned to the industrial and services sectors and rural areas, which should receive a level of funding similar to the years 1994-1999.�