Regiobeleid 2007-2013: Oostenrijk en Letland sturen als eerste projectvoorstellen (en)
Regional policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner urged the national and regional authorities across the European Union to follow the example of Austria and Latvia to send to the European Commission their plans for the new Cohesion policy 2007-2013. The Commissioner announced today that Austria and Latvia were the first Member States to send electronically their national strategic reference frameworks. In that document they describe how EU funding will be used to deliver growth and jobs in the new programming period to start on January 2007.
" Cohesion Policy is a modern, flexible and clearly focused policy that motivates all parties involved and produces results " said Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner i and added: " It has motivated all of us in the Commission who worked hard to put everything in place for the new policy to start in time. It has motivated the Austrian and Latvian authorities who have drafted and sent us their national strategic reference frameworks. I hope that all other countries will follow soon. It is in their best interest to claim from day one their rightful part of the biggest investment in the history of our Union ".
The Austrian and Latvian authorities have become the first Member States to send to the Commission their respective national strategic reference programmes and draft operational programmes (9 for Austria and 2 for Latvia) to implement the set priorities.
Over the period 2007-2013, the EU will make available about € 350 billion (in current prices) from its Structural Funds and instruments, which represents 35% of the Community budget.
According to the new regulations national authorities must send these documents electronically to the Commission through a system called SFC2007. No copy received by paper mail can be considered as a valid transmission and the official reception date will be the one provided by that system. This is a big step towards simplifying the implementation of European Regional Policy. It will help achieving a quicker, more accurate, and more transparent implementation of the policy.
The Commission has been cooperating closely with the national authorities to see that their preparation of the new Cohesion policy 2007-2013 is (a) completed in time for the new programmes to start in 2007 and (b) serves the purpose of modernisation. Each Member State has been asked to draft a document setting its framework and priorities for the new programming period. The document, called national strategic reference framework, is expected to link with the more general national reform programme where member states describe specific measures to modernise their economy in the context of what is known as Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth.
Further information about European Regional Policy available at: