Utilisation of existing funding and reallocation of unused funding from EU funds in Croatia

Subject: Utilisation of existing funding and reallocation of unused funding from EU funds in Croatia

Croatia has been allocated a total of approximately EUR 10.7 billion from EU funds during the current financial year, with EUR 8.448 billion for the cohesion policy objectives for the period 2014-2020. Of this amount, approximately EUR 1.7 billion had been utilised by December 2018.

1. How much of the funding that remained unspent by the end of 2018, for which prior approval has been given by the Monitoring Committee for the Operational Programme and the Commission, will Croatia have at its disposal in 2019 and 2020?

2. How much of the unspent funding available to Croatia will the Commission reallocate for the other priority axes, including the 6% reserve?

3. Within what deadline will Croatia be notified of this?

Answer given by Ms Creţu on behalf of the European Commission

(7 June 2019)

1. At the end on 2018, the selection rate (amounts contracted to selected projects) was the following:

— Operational programme Competitiveness and Cohesion co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund: 64%, (EUR 4.3 billion out of EUR 6.8 billion);

— Operational programme Efficient Human Resources co-financed by European Social Fund: 63% (EUR 1 billion out of EUR 1.617 billion);

— Operational programme for support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund: 48% (EUR 120,805.419 out of EUR 252,643.138)

— Rural Development Programme co-financed by European Agricultural Fund (cut-off date 31/01/2019): 58% (EUR 1.1 billion out of EUR 2 billion).

This represents a global selection rate of 60%. The remaining 40% (EUR 4.2 billion) needs to be contracted to selected operations and spent until 31 December 2023.

2. Any re-allocation of unspent amounts is subject to the reception by the Commission of a proposal from the Croatian authorities approved by the Monitoring Committee of the respective programme. To date, Croatian authorities have not submitted any proposal.

3. Following the receipt of the Annual Implementation Reports 2018, due by 30/06/2019 (for European Maritime and Fisheries Fund due by 31/05/2019) the Commission will within two months carry out a performance review and take a decision on the performing programmes/priority axes (rural development priorities in the case of the RDP) and will immediately notify Croatia. If some programmes/priority axes are considered non-performing, Croatia shall submit to the Commission a proposal to modify the operational programme/RDP, i.e. a re-allocation of the performance reserve of non-performing programmes/priority axes to the performing ones, within 3 months of the above Commission decision.