Structural actions 2000-2006 – Commentary and regulations: The Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund, the instrument for structural policies for pre-accession

Summary:

At the Berlin European Council on 24 and 25 March 1999, the Heads of State and Government decided to allocate EUR 260 billion to structural measures in the European Union for the period 2000-06. Of this sum, EUR 213 billion was committed to the fifteen existing Member States via the Structural Funds programmes (195 billion) and the Cohesion Fund (18 billion). An additional 47 billion was earmarked for the applicant countries for accession to the European Union, 7 billion of which will start to be distributed as of 1 January 2000 through the Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession.

The Regulations governing these Funds were adopted by the Council of the European Union on 21 June 1999.