Structural Actions 2000-2006 [antikvár]

Introduction 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. The Structural Funds will finance socio-economic development programmes in the 15 Member States. The new programmes will involve a greater degree of concentration (both geographic and financial), more devolved management structures, the search for greater efficiency and tighter checks. The Cohesion Fund will finance projects to improve the environment and develop transport infrastructure in Member States whose per capita GNP is less than 90% of the Union average (Spain, Greece, Ireland and Portugal). The rules governing this Fund have been amended in certain respects to improve its performance. The Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession functions in a similar manner to the Cohesion Fund. The assistance it provides for environmental projects should help the beneficiary countries to comply with European Union environmental legislation. In the transport sector, funding will be allocated to infrastructure projects aimed at developing sustainable modes of transport, promoting interlinking and interoperability between different national networks and developing access to trans-European transport systems. Projects will be selected on the basis of the contribution they make to the objectives set by the Accession Partnerships between the Commission and each applicant country. This guide is designed to allow all potential users to understand the rules governing the Funds and the broad principles of their operation. It contains the following sections: • A comparative analysis highlighting the main amendments to the Structural Funds Regulations for the period 2000-06 compared with the period 1994-99 and listing the articles concerned; • An explanation of the main amendments to the legislation governing the Cohesion Fund; • An introduction to the Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession; • The complete texts of all the relevant Regulations; • The contact details of all the authorities responsible for implementing the assistance programmes under the Funds in each Member State.