Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 in Support of Marginalised Communities - Fit for Purpose? journal article Simone Reinhart European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 4 (2016), Issue 3, Page 133 - 141 Numerous changes have been introduced in the legislative framework for cohesion policy 2014-2020 to support marginalised communities, thus replacing the ad hoc scheme of the previous funding period with integrated and strategic approaches. Overall, improvements are reported on available EU funding, legal requirements and implementation on the ground. Whereas it is still too early to provide evidence as to whether EU funds are designed and put into practice in a way that includes and benefits marginalised communities, case studies and stakeholders suggest that further progress is still necessary. In particular, persistent obstacles and bottlenecks are often linked to underlying discrimination and segregation that prevents greater effectiveness. Therefore, an even stronger role for the EU including through cohesion policy instruments remains necessary.
The Role of the European Parliament in the Reform of Cohesion Policy and its Contribution to Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion journal article Simone Reinhart European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 2 (2014), Issue 4, Page 267 - 276 For the first time ever, the European Parliament (EP) has exercised full legislative powers for the adoption of the new regulations on cohesion policy 2014-2020. It is therefore important to analyse whether the Parliament's players succeeded to use their new legislative powers. Beyond the institutional point of view, it needs to be examined which influences the EP had on the policy with regards to content. Although it became obvious that the EP is not yet on equal footing with the Member States, represented by the European Council and its rotating presidency, the involvement of the EP led to substantial changes on the proposed regulations in the course of the inter-institutional negotiations executed in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure. Furthermore, the positions successfully defended by the EP can be associated with options in favour of reducing regional disparities and of economic, social and territorial cohesion, whereas the Council's positions might rather be linked to competitiveness orientation. In order to enable the EP to better fulfil its role as co-legislator, the framework conditions require further catch up, e.g. in terms of human resources and technical capacities.
The Audit Authority’s Role within the Single Audit Concept as Governance Principle in the EU’s Cohesion Policy Marcel Bode
