During the Period of 2014-2020. the Management and Implementation of the EU Funds Will Become More Efficient
On Tuesday, 3 June, at the Cabinet meeting there was the draft law worked out by the Ministry of Finance supported on the Management of the European Union (EU) Structural Funds and of the Cohesion Fund for the Programming Period 2014-2020, and the purpose of this draft law is to determine general basic principles for managing the EU funds for the programming period 2014-2020 and to promote more efficient implementation of the EU funds in Latvia. By the Cabinet decision, the draft law has been refereed to the Saeima for consideration.
“Resources of the EU funds is a substantial contribution to Latvia’s national economy and it is important to use these resources to maximum effect. Our aim is to make the implementation of the funds as simple and transparent as possible as well as friendly for implementers of the projects,” specifies Minister for Finance Andris Vilks.
In comparison with the programming period 2007-2013 of the EU funds, the draft law of the new programming period provides for a clear division of managing authorities, rights and obligations of responsible authorities and of cooperation authorities. Thus, overlapping of functions will be eliminated and possibilities for an interpretation will be excluded among responsible authorities and a cooperation authority as regards a distribution of functions and responsibilities. In addition, it is planned to ease a procedure for the approval of criteria for evaluating draft submissions. Further, these will be approved only by the Supervisory Committee of the EU Funds and the Cabinet will not have to additionally approve them. In the new draft law there is a clear procedure stated for a settlement of disputes.
In order to reduce an administrative burden and to ensure a uniform approach to funding recipients and submitters of projects, it is planned to introduce a one-stop agency principle in the draft law. It prescribes that a selection of projects and an entry into agreements with funding recipients in the new programming period will be ensured by one authority instead of six as beforehand. The Central Finance and Contracting Agency will exercise functions of a cooperation authority, taking into account its long-term and varied experience in working with the projects of the EU funds in different sectors, as well as it will administer the resources granted by other foreign financial instruments.
The draft law determines the rights and obligations of the authorities involved in the EU funds’ management as well as of funding recipients, and the basic provisions for the activity of the Supervisory Committee. The draft law also regulates a procedure for challenging and appealing against the decision adopted by the authorities involved in the EU funds’ management as well as conditions for disclosure of information related to the projects.
Information prepared by:
Ieva Raboviča
Senior Expert of Communication Division
Tel.: 67095880
Ieva.Rabovica@fm.gov.lv
