EU structural funding of 2005 has been acquired
and will be retrieved from EC
"Latvia has acquired EU structural funding of 2005 and it will be retrieved from the European Commission", during the press conference on November 8 informed Minister for Special Assignments for Administration of European Union Funds Normunds Broks (TB/LNNK).
"Today I would like to underline ensuring smooth acquisition of EU structural funding of 2005 and simplification of EU fund administration in the period between 2007 and 2013 as significant achievements in the year while I am the Minister for Special Assignments for Administration of European Union Funds", stressed N.Broks.
As it was said before, concerns about possible non-retrieval of ERDF and ESF funding of 2005 in amount of 40 million lats from EC were based on funding administration principle "N+2" which means that structural funding of 2005 has to be declared in the EC within 2 years, i.e. till the end of 2007, to retrieve resources to the national budget.
Line ministries have done "home works" initiated by N.Broks and approved in the government meeting on August 14, and submitted finance requests to the Agencies of ERDF and ESF, thus the assurance has been gained that ERDF and ESF funding of 2005 will be declared and retrieved from the EC.
By September 23, 2007, in Latvia, by undertaking over-obligations, projects have been approved in amount of 452 million lats or 102.8% of available structural funding, 226.7 million lats or 51.6% of available resources have already been paid to project applicants – 185.3 million lats or 42.2% of them have been declared in the EC by means of requests for payments, but in the national budget 28% or 124.8 million lats of funding for 2004-2006 have been retrieved from the total available funding.
In ERDF projects have been approved for 101.8% of available funding, payments have been made for 40.8% of structural funding, but 30.8% have been declared in the EC and repayments in amount of 22.2% of ERDF total funding have been received from the Europe in the national budget.
By September 20, in the European Social Fund projects have been approved in amount of 100.7% of available structural funding, 55.7% of allocated funding have been paid back to project implementers, Latvia has declared in the EC 42.8% of funding, but 5.5% of structural funding have been received from the EC in the national budget.
Latvia has acquired European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGFF) and Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) most smoothly – by September 30, projects have been approved in amount of 109.4% (EAGFF) and 110.8% (FIFG) of funding correspondingly, 81.7% (EAGFF) and 85.7% (FIFG) of structural resources have been paid to project implementers, 79.6% and 75.6% of funding have been declared in the EC, but 75.4% and 68.6% of structural funding have been retrieved in the national budget.
Coordinating the work of EU fund administration departments in the Ministry of Finance, as well as work of other institutions involved in the administration of structural funds and Cohesion Fund, Minister for Special Assignments for Administration of European Union Funds supervises acquisition of EU funds in Latvia, ensures supervision of fund utilization, organizes and ensures work of EU structural funds and Cohesion Fund monitoring committees, performance of common project information system, coordinates communication on EU funds and cooperation with the European Commission.
Lita Kokale
Ministry of Finance
EU Funds Department
PR Division
Phone: +371 67083880; +371 2 6469946
Lita.Kokale@fm.gov.lv
