Europese Rekenkamer: MEDA-projecten succesvol (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Rekenkamer i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 18 maart 2009.

ECA/09/18

Luxembourg, 2009/03/18

Information note of the European Court of Auditors concerning Special Report No 1/2009 “Banking measures in the Mediterranean area in the context of the MEDA Programme and the previous protocols”[1]

Co-operation between the EU and non-member Mediterranean countries started some 30 years ago and has gradually developed over the years. The framework for financial and technical measures (MEDA) aiming to accompany the reform of economic and social structures in the partner countries in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership covered the period 1996–2006.

Three types of banking measures are financed under the MEDA Regulations or the previous protocols from the EU budget and implemented by the European Investment Bank (EIB): technical assistance through the FEMIP (Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership) Support Fund, interest rate subsidies for certain EIB loans and risk capital operations.

The Court audited the banking measures under the MEDA programme and the previous protocols to determine whether the ongoing projects were being adequately monitored by the Commission and the EIB and whether the projects had achieved their objectives.

Regarding the monitoring by the Commission and the EIB, the Court found that:

  • - 
    the Commission relied entirely on the work performed by the EIB and did not carry out any monitoring of its own;
  • - 
    until 2005, the level of monitoring by the EIB was not adequate;
  • - 
    there was a lack of coordination between the EIB's activities and the Commission's, especially at the local level;
  • - 
    not enough emphasis was put on environmental monitoring.

Regarding the achievement of project objectives, the Court found that technical assistance projects had broadly achieved their objectives. For interest rate subsidies and risk capital operations projects, the situation was more diverse as they only partially achieved their objectives.

With the end of the MEDA programme and the start of the new European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) that was launched in 2007, the Commission should:

  • - 
    set up a tailor-made evaluation and monitoring programme for banking measures;
  • - 
    ensure the effective coordination of the assistance work undertaken by the Community, the EIB and other international/local partners in order to increase the consistency and complementarity of their actions;
  • - 
    negotiate adequate management conventions that ensure appropriate monitoring, cover the environmental aspects and safeguard the Community's financial interests;
  • - 
    ensure that monitoring by the EIB provides that all projects are adequately executed and that the financial and reporting obligations of the intermediaries/promoters are met;
  • - 
    for risk capital operations, define an overall strategy at the Commission level and choose the best implementation process, involving either direct management or management by international/local partners.

Special Report No 1/2009

http://eca.europa.eu/products/SR09_01

 

[1] The sole aim of this information note is to present a summary. The Special Report adopted by the Court of Auditors is available on the internet website ( http://www.eca.europa.eu ) and will be published in the near future.