Strategic report 2016 on the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds
In the context of signs of economic recovery, many Member States and regions still face fragile growth and structural weaknesses. Economic and social disparities between and within Member States persist while the overall level of investment remains below pre-crisis levels. The new generation of programmes under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) 2014-2020 offer significant opportunities for public and private investment to support growth, employment and structural transformation.
An overall investment effort worth EUR 638 billion between 2014 and 2020; around one million projects selected worth EUR 58.8 billion (already increased to EUR 128.8 billion by autumn 2016); 274 000 enterprises receiving support; 2.7 million people supported in their search for a job, training, or education; and investment to improve the biodiversity of 11.1 million hectares of agricultural land. These are some of the preliminary results emerging from the 2016 Annual Implementation Reports (AIRs) submitted by Member States on the implementation of the ESI Funds in the first two years of the programming cycle.
In December 2015 the Communication "Investing in jobs and growth - maximising the contribution of European Structural and Investment Funds" summarised the outcomes of the negotiations with all Member States on Partnership Agreements and programmes 1 . It also highlighted the expected contribution of the five ESI Funds 2 to the EU's growth strategy, the Investment Plan for Europe and to address structural challenges and reforms in the Member States. The ESI Funds also make direct contributions to the Commission's political priorities.
This report is the first in a series of annual reports to the EU institutions on the implementation of the ESI Funds. This stock-taking is done in the context of major novelties introduced in 2014 to enhance the quality of spending, such as thematic concentration, stronger links to economic governance, ex-ante conditionalities, enhanced results focus and performance measurement mechanisms. It responds to two formal requirements: (a) to summarise the 2016 annual implementation reports on the 533 programmes provided by the Member States and regions covering the period 2014-2015 and (b) to synthesise the available evaluations of those programmes 3 .
It summarises information on project selection and indicator achievements on the ground and on the building of delivery mechanisms by the Member States and regions. It provides a complement to the May 2016 technical analysis from the EU budget perspective of the ESI Funds budgetary implementation 4 .
Section 2 below provides an overview of implementation progress until end-2015 and describes the efforts to build sound strategies and mechanisms to deliver effective investments. Section 3 presents in more detail the progress in the key thematic areas. Section 4 presents a summary of the work under way to deliver robust evaluation of policy implementation.