Proposal to amend Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 laying down common provisions as regards support to structural reforms

Further information:

The proposed amendments aim to offer the possibility to Member States to use all or part of the performance reserve in the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds to support reforms instead of specific projects. The proposal is seen to strengthen the link between the European Semester priorities and the EU budget.

The proposal is part of a broader set of initiatives to reform the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) put forward by the European Commission.

Background information:

This proposal was designed as a test to the main features of a reform delivery tool intended to be set up under the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework. This tool would be for Member States discussed at EU level and agreed in so-called 'reform commitments'. It would have its own budgetary endowment, separate from and in addition to the European Structural and Investment Funds, which would retain their own set of rules and conditionalities. This reform delivery tool would seek to support a broad range of reforms. The focus should be on those reforms which can contribute most to the resilience of domestic economies and have positive spill-over effects on other Member States.

Official

European Commission: Joint Statement by President Jean-Claude Juncker and Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-18-2401_en.htm

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