Summary of the annual implementation reports for the operational programmes co-financed by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived in 2015

The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) was set up under Regulation (EU) No 223/2014. Its aim is to help alleviate the worst forms of poverty in the EU, such as homelessness, child poverty and food deprivation. Under the terms of the Regulation, the FEAD can support the most disadvantaged groups in society by providing food and basic consumer items such as clothing, footwear and toiletries, or by organising social inclusion activities. In this way its added value is that it provides dedicated support to a group of people who may not be in a position to directly access and benefit from other EU funding instruments.

The monitoring arrangements for the fund specify that Member States must send a report on the implementation of their programmes to the Commission each year, by 30 June of the following calendar year. The Commission assesses the implementation reports and if necessary, asks the Member State concerned to make changes. The Commission is also required to present a summary of the reports submitted by Member States to the European Parliament and the Council. The Regulation also stipulates that at least once a year, the Commission consult the organisations that represent the partner organisations at EU level on the implementation of support from the fund.

This summary is based on the information contained in the implementation reports for 2015, as accepted by the Commission. The UK has not submitted an implementation report because no activities were carried out in 2015. The summary gives a general overview of EU developments relating to the FEAD and presents the information provided by Member States, following the structure of the reports. It also gives an overview of the consultations on the implementation of the FEAD which took place in 2015 with the EU representatives of the partner organisations.