Structural Funds. 11th annual report 1999

By adopting the report by Mr Camilio NOGUEIRA ROMAN (Greens/ALE, E), the European Parliament acknowledges the efforts of the Commission to provide an overview of the results for the whole 1994-1999 period, but regrets that the Commission does not provide a more extensive analysis of the budgetary performance over the period, but limits itself to a description of the actual out-turn. The Parliament also notes that indirect reference is made to the backlog of outstanding commitments remaining to be paid at the end of the period (reste à liquider) and invites the Commission to remedy this situation. It also underlines the lack of quantitative descriptions or detailed explanations in the use of the community initiatives. The Parliament calls for the Funds to have as a policy priority and effect the incorportation of small businesses (creation, expansion, technological equipment, development and innovation, internalisation of markets etc.) by their inclusion in all priority projects of the Community Support Frameworks and their substantial participation in the take-up of such funds. The Parliament is also calling for a more effective policy to promote women's interests in the implementation of the Structural and Cohesion Funds, considering that the objective of gender quality has only partly been taken into account. Special measures should be taken to link the Funds to the 60% target for female employment to be achieved by 2010 and also to deal the large problem of insecure employment. With regard to the enlargement process, the Parliament calls for an immediate start to be made on the determination, on the basis of consultation which should be as wide as possible, of cohesion policy for the period after 2006 with a view to ensuring both continued support for the sectors and regions of the current Member States which will continue to be eligible in an enlarged Union, adn specific supplementary cohesion arrangements for the new Member States. The Parliament is dismayed that the principle of additionality, one of the four basic principles underlying the Structural Funds, is not been respected by the Member States. It regrets the fact that no penalty can be imposed when Member States infringe the additionality principle.�