Background to the 2007-2013 Structural and Cohesion Funds
The former DTI led for the UK on the negotiations of the Structural Fund Regulations which set out the framework for how each fund should be managed. The Regulations were published in July 2006. The European Council of December 2005 agreed a total Structural Funds budget of €308 billion, in 2004 prices, for 2007-13. As a result of the agreement, the UK will receive Structural Funds receipts amounting to €9.4 billion (2004 prices) for 2007-13.
Negotiation on the Regulations and the Budget
The former DTI led for the UK on the negotiations of the Structural Fund Regulations which set out the framework for how each fund should be managed. The Regulations were published in July 2006. The European Council of December 2005 agreed a total Structural Funds budget of €308 billion, in 2004 prices, for 2007-13. As a result of the agreement, the UK will receive Structural Funds receipts amounting to €9.4 billion (2004 prices) for 2007-13.
Consultation on the draft UK National Strategic Reference Framework for the EU Structural Funds from 2007 to 2013
The National Strategic Reference Framework is a requirement of the EU Regulations for the Structural and Cohesion Funds for 2007-2013 and establishes the broad priorities for future Structural Funds Programmes in the UK. On 28 February 2006 the then Government launched a nationwide consultation on the UK's draft National Strategic Reference Framework. The consultation attracted 314 written responses from a range of local, regional and national organisations. The UK published its response to the consultation and the finalised National Strategic Reference Framework on 23 October 2006.
As part of the Commission’s Structural Funds Regulations, Managing Authorities and regions are required to develop individual Operational Programmes setting out their detailed spending plans for the Funds for the current period. These Programmes were the subject of public consultations, which ran between autumn 2006 and spring 2007. All of the Operational Programmes were subsequently agreed by the European Commission.
On 30 July 2007 the European Commission approved the UK’s National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) for Structural Funds spending from 2007-2013.
The European Commission ran a public consultation on the future of EU Cohesion Policy in January 2008 to which the UK government at the time responded.
The House of Lords carried out an inquiry into the Future of the EU Regional Policy and published its report on the 16 July 2008. The report includes the then Government’s written and oral evidence and response to the report. The Government published its response to the Commission's consultation and informed Parliament through a written statement.
On 6 October 2008 the European Commission launched its Green paper on Territorial Cohesion. The UK responded to this consultation on the 10 March 2009.
