Publications on EU funds

Effective planning of objectives and achievable targets for regional development requires the integration of all partners and stakeholders into the planning processes, taking into account their specific knowledge of the local context and so guaranteeing the results orientation of Cohesion funding. This briefing offers guidelines and a set of recommendations for governments in pre-accession countries in order to help them establish and implement the partnership principle with all relevant stakeholders in the programming of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) for 2014-2020.

There will be MFF 2014-2020 closure, in some shape or form, and presumably at some stage in 2013 – at least, that is, when it comes to the European level negotiating and haggling over the future EU budget. But what comes after? With our long-term EU Funds partners Friends of the Earth Europe, Bankwatch is organising a series of timely events to remind how sustained and constructive dialogue between official institutions and citizens can result in highly rewarding initiatives – all derived from EU budgetary spending.

In the ‘aftergloom’ of two major inter-governmental get-togethers - the latest UN climate talks in Doha and the EU budget summit in Brussels - Bankwatch Mail 54 discusses the revision of the energy lending policies at both the EIB and the EBRD - an opportune moment for both banks to show real climate ambition and turn their backs on fossil fuels. In an interview the new EBRD president Sir Suma Chakrabarti shows that much is moving as the bank juggles such hot potatoes as potential support for Monsanto's expansion into our region while trying to lay down new roots in post-Arab Spring north Africa.

Environmental NGOs strongly welcome the Common Strategic Framework (CSF) as an Annex of the Common Provisions' Regulation. It is a needed tool to ensure a proper implementation of fundamental principles and approaches of the Regulation that helps ensure that the future programmes will better contribute to reach the Europe 2020 targets, create regional green jobs, enhance economic opportunities and address environmental challenges. This briefing on the parts of the CSF which we support the most, and underlines as well several opportunities for improvements.