European Parliament resolution on the draft communication from the Commission to the Member States laying down guidelines for the Community initiative for rural development (Leader +) (COM(1999) 475 — C5-0259/1999 - 1999/2185(COS))
C 339/52 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 11. 2000 Tuesday 15 February 2000 Considers that the financial involvement of regional and local players or greater participation by 39. local associations and the private sector is essential; 40. Calls on the Commission and Member States to involve their local and regional authorities, the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions in the drafting of a working programme for the Observatory; 41. Regrets that the Commission document contains no recommendations to the Member States designed to simplify procedures and national legal provisions concerning the submission and examination of projects by the national authorities or financing implementation and control; Calls on the national and local authorities to make payments to final beneficiaries as speedily as 42. possible; Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament regularly about the implementation of Interreg; a 43. requirement more justified than ever given the incomplete nature of its proposal; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the governments of the 44. Member States. 5. Rural development (Leader+) A5-0024/2000 European Parliament resolution on the draft communication from the Commission to the Member States laying down guidelines for the Community initiative for rural development (Leader+) (COM(1999) 475 , C5-0259/1999 , 1999/2185(COS)) The European Parliament, + having regard to the draft communication from the Commission (COM(1999) 475 + C5-0259/1999), + having regard to its resolution of 5 May 1994 (1) on the future of Community initiatives under the Structural Funds (Leader II programme), + having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provi- sions on the Structural Funds (2) from 2000, + having regard to its resolution of 19 November 1998 (3) and its decision of 6 May 1999 (4) on the general provisions on the Structural Funds, + having regard to the Code of Conduct (5) on the implementation of structural policies by the Commi- ssion, + having regard to the conclusions of the Berlin European Council of 24 and 25 March 1999, + having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure (6) and the financial perspective which forms an integral part thereof, + having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure, + having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the opinion of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (A5-0024/2000), (1) OJ C 205, 25. 7. 1994, p. 412. (2) OJ L 161, 26. 6. 1999, p. 1. (3) OJ C 379, 7. 12. 1998, p. 164. (4) OJ C 279, 1. 10. 1999, p. 292. (5) OJ C 279, 1. 10. 1999, p. 488. (6) OJ C 172, 18. 6. 1999, p. 1. 29. 11. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 339/53 Tuesday 15 February 2000 A. whereas it has a highly favourable opinion of the implementation of the Leader initiative, which pro- duced positive results in stages I and II, B. whereas the Leader programme, in its phases Leader I and Leader II, has aroused a great deal of inter- est and has contributed to increasing the rural world’s sense of identity, C. whereas the symbol ‘+’ after the title of the Leader programme is intended to give an explicit indica- tion of its increased degree of innovation in comparison with previous Leader programmes, D. whereas any new rural development strategy must be based on the encouragement of agricultural activity, since the countryside cannot exist without farming or farmers, E. whereas all Leader projects should take full account of environmental issues and the economic and social cohesion of the rural world, from an extremely innovative strategic viewpoint, F. whereas it is advisable to continue the Leader experiment as a means of supporting rural areas’ capa- city to respond to the challenge of changes brought about by the reform of the CAP, the resulting increased importance of product quality, a greater awareness of environmental protection, the globa- lisation of the economy, and the spread of new technology, G. whereas the fundamental objective of Leader+ is to encourage original strategies for integrated eco- nomic and sustainable development, based on new ways of enhancing the natural and cultural heri- tage, for increasing employment rates, and for improving the organisational capacities of local com- munities, H. whereas cooperation should be considered to be an essential part of the programme, I. whereas in contrast to Leader I and Leader II, under which the programme was exclusively aimed at zones eligible under Objectives 1/6 and 5b, all areas in the Union will be able to join Leader+, although Member States will have the power to restrict the programme’s application to certain rural areas, J. whereas in contrast to Leader I and Leader II, which made provision for public and private rural sector collective bodies to be included among the beneficiaries, under Leader+ the only beneficiaries will be local action groups (LAGs), K. whereas the LAGs will have to consist of a balanced and representative selection of partners drawn from the different socio-economic sectors in the area concerned, L. whereas at the decision-making level the economic and social partners, and the associations, will have to make up at least 50 % of a local partnership, M. whereas the Leader+ initiative is divided into three sections at the operational level: (a) support for integrated territorial rural development strategies of a pilot nature based on the bot- tom-up approach and horizontal partnerships, (b) support for inter-territorial and transnational cooperation, (c) the networking of all rural areas in the European Union, whether or not beneficiaries under Leader+, and all rural development actors, N. having regard to the overall context of the common agricultural policy in which Leader+ will have to find a place, following the conclusion of Agenda 2000 with its creation of the two-pillar model for agricultural subsidy, with the forthcoming agreements on agriculture and rural areas in connection with the new world trade round, and with the planned enlargement of the EU, 1. Approves of the reworking of the Leader programme in the innovative shape of Leader+, and regards it as essential, in the light of the experiences gained with the earlier Leader I and II projects, that the participation of the widest possible spread of organisations should also be guaranteed for Leader+; C 339/54 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 11. 2000 Tuesday 15 February 2000 2. Considers it vital that a dynamic strategy for rural development, benefiting from the support of the Community’s Leader+ initiative, is based on the development of agricultural activity in all regions of the EU, in the context of its direct effects on economic activity both upstream and downstream and on employment levels and the preservation of essential public services, the aim being to combat the desertifi- cation of the countryside; 3. Welcomes the fact that the Commission, without prejudice to the distinctive features of particular regions, identifies priority areas for action; notes, however, that + alongside the use of information tech- nology in rural areas, the improvement of quality of life in the countryside, the promotion of local pro- ducts, strategies to optimise the use of natural and cultural resources, create equal opportunities for women and men and improve young people’s chances of getting a job in rural areas + particular stress should be placed on general social and job-creating measures in structurally disadvantaged areas; calls in this connection for the programmes to aid development in regions with a mainly rural structure, in order to launch economic development in innovative and job-creating sectors and thus to halt and reverse the growing shortage of local workers in these areas in particular; 4. Considers it useful, for the purposes of avoiding overlapping of the various initiatives and duplication of financing, that the Leader+ initiative applies to areas which traditional rural development programmes do not cover; this complementarity is also true of the new Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on rural devel- opment and the Interreg and EQUAL initiatives; Considers it useful that the Community initiative should complement the other Structural Fund initia- 5. tives in the context of programmes for the Objective 1 and Objective 2 areas, and should remain applic- able to all rural areas; it is therefore essential that the programmes for implementation under Community initiatives should be coordinated with the Member States’ planning documents and with the operational programmes; 6. Notes with approval the specific provisions on the creation of a network to achieve the exchange of experience, information and know-how and believes that participation by Leader+ in a European network of rural regions is necessary also for regions not participating in the Leader+ programme; that Emphasises 7. inter-territorial and transnational cooperation together with the bottom-up approach, which requires the local population to continue to play an important part in defining and implementing programmes within the framework of an approach reaching from the bottom to the top, have overall worked well despite regional divergences and welcomes the continuation and enhancement of this process; 8. Welcomes in particular the fact that, although the Member States have a free choice in the approval of measures, the Commission favours the use of global grants in accordance with Articles 9 (i) and 27 of the General Regulation; 9. Has doubts about the adequacy of the planned financing, in view of the extension of the programme to the whole of the European Union, with a programming period increased from six to seven years, and is concerned that the financial framework of € 2,02 billion for Leader+ for the period 2000-2006 may prove too tight; 10. Welcomes the fact that the Leader+ programme can be applied selectively in the Member States, so that financing is not too broadly, and hence too thinly, spread; 11. Stresses that an action plan must cover a large number of initiatives and proposals, so as to deal with local problems and meet local expectations, to achieve results in the areas in question and thus to contribute to strengthening a dynamic local development process; Calls upon the Commission and national and regional authorities to make their own accounting 12. requirements known, to simplify financial management of Leader+; 13. Believes that the Commission should establish more detailed timetables, deadlines and procedures, to be binding on all parties, in order to discourage the defaults and delays caused in large part by lack of efficiency at the level of the institutional intermediaries, which have often penalised certain rural areas, and should at the same time ensure that the introduction of innovative and demanding projects for immediate implementation does not lead to a disproportionately high level of administrative effort on the ground; 29. 11. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 339/55 Tuesday 15 February 2000 assumes that the Commission, in allocating funds for the three main eligible types of measures, will stress consistency, and not inordinately favour or disadvantage anyone; calls in this connection for the selection criteria for individual pilot projects to be drafted clearly and without ambiguity; Recommends maintaining the flexibility and adaptability brought in by Leader II and permitting 14. changes to the Leader+ action plans during their implementation; Calls on the Commission to submit to Parliament as soon as possible an evaluation report on Lea- 15. der II and also to inform it of any conclusions and implications relevant to the Leader+ programme, which will also be useful for special Community programmes, particularly in order to take advantage in the future of the experience obtained and to help projects which have been concluded successfully under Leader as a whole develop into specialised EU programmes; 16. Notes that, since the conclusion of Agenda 2000, the common agricultural policy has been playing an ever greater part in the sustainable development of the countryside in a broader context, and that it therefore seems essential for the Community to commit itself to stepping up its financial contribution to initiatives and networks seeking to promote this new concept; considers, therefore, that the application of rural development strategies and the use of local resources must be further expanded + sustainably and with minimum environmental impact + within the EU, and stresses the need for Leader+ to contribute to the diversification of economic activities in the countryside and adopt a multi-sectorial approach; 17. Recommends that the LAGs should be eligible to receive technical assistance for the devising of projects and that they should be informed of the best practices and innovative measures achieved through Leader I and Leader II; Considers that the Commission should assume the tasks intended for the Observatory of Rural 18. Areas as part of its duties and ensure that the progress of Leader+ is monitored; Suggests that the Commission should compile a Compendium or Guide of successful measures 19. carried out under Leader I and Leader II; 20. Hopes, within the range of Leader+ executive projects, that there will be positive monitoring of structural changes in agriculture, that particular attention will be paid to those affected by unemployment and that commitments will be made to provide job opportunities for young people, while also observing the principle of equal opportunities for men and women; Calls on the Commission to take into consideration the following proposals for amendments to be 21. made to its communication: (a) (b) (c) (d) item 12, third paragraph: ‘Local action groups must consist of a balanced and representative selection of partners drawn from the different socio-economic sectors in the territory concerned. At the deci- sion-making level not more than 50 % of a local partnership may be made up of government officials of the Member State concerned’, item 14. 1, fourth paragraph: ‘To ensure the local and rural nature of the territories selected, the popu- lation must not, as a general rule, be more than 100 000 in the most densely populated areas (around 120 inhabitants/km2) and in general should not be less than about 10 000. However, in densely popu- lated rural areas or rural areas with low population densities, such as some areas in northern Europe, properly justified exceptions may be provided for’, item 18: add the words ‘coordination must be enhanced between Leader+ and Community cooper- ation and partnership programmes such as Interreg (including with the countries of the European Economic Area and Switzerland) PHARE, SAPARD or MEDA’, item 20: ‘The networking of all rural areas, whether or not beneficiaries under the Initiative, and of all organisations and administrations involved in territorial development, such as the Carrefours (informa- tion centres) will receive support with a view not only to the exchange and transfer of experiences (rest unchanged)’, (e) item 24, paragraph 3a (new): ‘The Member States may choose operational plans or global grants for the implementation of these programmes’. C 339/56 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 11. 2000 Tuesday 15 February 2000 (f) item 35: + title: ‘Approval of measures’ + first paragraph: ‘The Commission will approve the Leader+ Community Initiative programmes as quickly as possible, and at any rate within no more than five months of receipt of the application for assistance and will decide on the Community contribution in accordance with Article 28 of the General Regulation’, + paragraph 2: ‘Only in the case where the Member State chooses the operational plan procedure, three months after (remainder unchanged)’; 22. Stresses that the guidelines in Leader+ must now be adopted as quickly as possible, so that local action groups in the Member States can draw up their projects and submit them in good time for approval to the Commission, to ensure that there is a sufficient take-up of the funds made available in the budget before the end of 2000; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the parlia- 23. ments of the Member States