General Affairs Council (November 2017)

Margot James Excerpts

Tuesday 14th November 2017 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Margot James)]

A meeting of the General Affairs Council (cohesion) will be held in Brussels on 15 November 2017. The UK will be represented by Rory O’Donnell (Counsellor for Regions, Agriculture and Fisheries) from the UK permanent representation to the European Union.

The General Affairs Council is expected to focus on the modification of the common provisions regulation; followed by an exchange of views based on the seventh report on economic, social and territorial cohesion.

Modification of the commons provisions regulation

The Estonian presidency will provide an update on proposed changes to the common provisions regulation (the overarching EU regulation which governs the European structural and investment funds). These are expected to be in place before our withdrawal from the EU and were proposed by the Commission as part of the mid-term review of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) in order to simplify and harmonise existing regulations.

Seventh report on economic, social and territorial cohesion

The Council will discuss conclusions from the cohesion report, which assesses the EU’s cohesion policy in recent years and recognises the need for greater visibility in its implementation. It calls for further simplification and flexibility in the period beyond 2020. A discussion between member states on the themes raised in the report is expected.

[HCWS242]