Member states urged to do more on overseeing EU regional funds

Member states have been urged to show more "commitment" to the auditing of EU regional funds.

Regional affairs chief Danuta Hübner said that some member states had "excellent" systems for monitoring the way structural funds were allocated.

But, speaking at a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday, she said other countries, which she did not name, need to show more "involvement and commitment".

"Improving controls means not only respecting the law and regulations but also strengthening national monitoring systems," the Polish commissioner said.

She made her appeal as she presented details of member states’ "record" performance in making payments of over €41bn in regional funds last year, compared with €33bn in the previous year.

"Last year, we set a record in terms of budget execution in cohesion policy," she said.

"We also adopted over 400 operational programmes for 2007-2013. Now the challenge is to keep up that momentum so that economic modernisation, growth and job creation are achieved."

Meanwhile, the Brussels-based council of European municipalities and regions (CEMR) says the future of EU cohesion policy should be based on a wider set of criteria for the allocation of funding.

"It is time to move beyond purely economic data as the way to decide which regions can benefit from what funding," said its secretary general Jeremy Smith.

He said that Europe’s local and regional governments also believe that the 2007-2013 funding of regional policy is too small.

"The funding of cohesion policy should be included in the broader debate on the future EU budget lest it cannot achieve its aims."

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