State of implementation of the regional operational programme (ROP) for Calabria 2014-2020

Subject: State of implementation of the regional operational programme (ROP) for Calabria 2014- 2020

In reply to written question P-003303-18 concerning a performance review with regard to the achievement of the intermediate targets of the ROP for Calabria, the Commission stated: ‘On 10 July 2018, the Italian authorities submitted a request to amend the Calabria regional operational programme. At present, the amount to be certified under the Calabria operational programme in order to avoid the automatic decommitment at the end of 2018 is EUR 446 million’.

To date, the Calabria Region has not officially reported on the outcome of this request and it is not possible to trace an updated indication of the expenditure trend certified under the Calabria ROP 2014-2020.

The Commission website https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/programmes/2014IT16M2OP006, however, suggests there is a worrying delay.

This concern is also shared by the Court of Auditors’ Regional Audit Office, which, in its very recent ruling on the official recognition of the annual accounts reported by the Calabria Region, highlights persistent problems and ‘significant delays’ in the management of the ROP, the trend of which has not changed substantially in comparison with previous years.

Can the Commission therefore answer the following questions:

1) What are the current ROP spending targets as at 31 December 2018?

2) Does it not consider it necessary for the Calabria Region to update and adequately inform citizens and the staff involved about the progress of the certified expenditure?

3) How many operations and projects to date, and for what amount, fall under the Calabria regional operational programme for 2014-2020, but were originally due to receive funding from different sources?

Answer given by Ms Creţu on behalf of the European Commission

(19 December 2018)

The 2018's financial target concerned by de-commitment set under the Calabria European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund programme 2014/2020 equals EUR 446.4 million (only EU funds) or 600 million (EU and national share altogether).

To reach this target, the managing authority has yet to certify EUR 122 million by the end of the year 2018. The Calabria region updates and adequately informs stakeholders and citizens about the progress of the programme's implementation, including certified expenditure, through its portal (1).

Furthermore, the Commission website (2) provides also data on the selection and payments certified to the EU at programmes' level.

The Union legislation does not prevent projects initially planned under other funding sources to be subsequently included in European Structural and Investments (ESI) funds programmes.

As such, there is no legal obligation for managing authorities to track data for this typology of projects. The managing authority has to ensure, in any case, that operations shall not be selected for support by the ESI funds where they have been physically completed or fully implemented before the application for funding under the programme is submitted by the beneficiary to the managing authority, irrespective of whether all related payments have been made by the beneficiary (Article 65 paragraph 6 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013).

Furthermore, it has to ensure that operations selected comply with EU and national legislations.

⋅1∙ http://calabriaeuropa.regione.calabria.it/website/

⋅2∙ https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/