Structural Funds

The main Community Funds covered by this bibliographical guide to the annual reports available on the Archive of European Integration are:

• the European Social Fund (ESF), created by the Treaty of Rome in 1958 to support vocational training, retraining of workers and, more recently, recruitment of young people
• the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), which since 1964 has supported schemes to improve conditions for agricultural production and marketing and to finance market support for agricultural production
• the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), set up in 1975 to address regional imbalances
• the Structural Funds, covering the three listed above as of 1989
• the Cohesion Fund, provided for by Article 141 of the Maastricht Treaty, set up in March 1994.

European Social Fund Annual Reports

Set up by the Treaty of Rome, the European Social Fund (ESF) is the oldest of the Structural Funds. During the transitional period (until 1970), it reimbursed the Member States half the cost of vocational training and resettlement allowances for workers affected by economic restructuring.

A review of the system at the end of the transitional period led to an initial reform in 1971 that increased the Fund's resources substantially, replaced the system of retroactive funding with new rules providing for applications for assistance to be submitted in advance, and introduced a link between assistance and Community policies.

A second reform in 1983 laid down the guidelines for the Fund to focus on:

• training young people to combat the growing unemployment within this section of the population: they were to make up at least 75% of the beneficiaries of the Fund
• the regions most in need.

The First through Seventeenth Reports cover the activities of the Fund from the reforms of 1971 until 1988. The ESF was fully integrated into the new Structural Funds mechanism in 1989 and reports on its financial operations are covered by the Structural Funds Annual Report as of 1989. Three short, independent reports were issued for 1989, 1990 and 1991.

First Report, Financial Year 1972, SEC (73) 3536, 9 October 1973

Second Report, Financial Year 1973, SEC (74) 2400, 3 July 1974

Third Report, Financial Year 1974, COM (75) 355, 23 July 1975

Fourth Report, Financial Year 1975, COM (76) 338, 28 July 1976

Fifth Report, Financial Year 1976, COM (77) 398, 28 July 1977

Sixth Report, Financial Year 1977, COM (78) 476, 6 October 1978

Seventh Report, Financial Year 1978, COM (79) 346 final/2, 12 July 1979

Eighth Report, Financial Year 1979, COM (80) 365 final/2, 29 July 1980

Ninth Report, Financial Year 1980, COM (81) 343, 1 July 1981

• Supplement, National Reports, COM (82) 211, 26 April 1982

Tenth Report, Financial Year 1981, COM (82) 420, 9 July 1982

• Supplement, National Reports, SEC (84) 486, 23 March 1984

Eleventh Report, Financial Year l982, COM (83) 434, 30 June 1983

Twelfth Report, Financial Year 1983, COM (84) 396 final, 26 July 1984

Thirteenth Report, Financial Year 1984, COM (85) 508 final, 17 October 1985

Fourteenth Report, Financial Year 1985, COM (86) 583 final, 10 November 1986

Fifteenth Report, Financial Year 1986, COM (87) 732 final, 5 February 1988

Sixteenth Report, Financial Year 1987, COM (88) 701 final, 2 December 1988

Seventeenth Report, Financial Year 1988, SEC (89) 2200 final, 20 December 1989

Conclusions of the Report pursuant to Article 25 of Regulation (EEC) No. 4253/88 on ESF assistance in:

• 1989, COM (91) 149, 3 May 1991
• 1990, SEC (92) 811, 30 April 1992
• 1991, COM (93) 139, 2 April 1993

European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund Financial Reports

Regulation (EEC) 729/70 on the financing of the common agricultural policy required the Commission to submit an annual financial report to the Council and European Parliament on the resources and expenditures of the Fund in the preceding financial year.

The Reports cover both guarantee and guidance expenditures. The Guarantee Section expenditures relate to the operation of market supports for products and agricultural prices. The Guidance Section covers financing of improvements in farm structures and marketing systems for certain products. The financing of food aid was added starting with the Third Report.

All three topics were covered in a single report until 1976. Starting with the Eighth Report in 1977, it was published in two parts. One covers guidance, the other guarantee operations and food aid.

The 19th and 20th Reports on the Guidance Section were issued under a different title: Review of the activities of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund: Guidance Section. The 20th Report for 1990 was the last in this series. Subsequent information on expenditures for farm and rural development are covered by the annual reports on the Structural Funds.

The collection on the Archive of European Integration covers the First to Twenty-Seventh Reports. Subsequent reports are available on the DG Agriculture website on Europa.

First Report, Financial Year 1971, SEC (73) 1259, 6 April 1975

Second Report, Financial Year 1972, SEC (74) 786, 8 March 1974

Third Report, Financial Year 1973, SEC (74) 5246, 13 January 1975

Fourth Report, Financial Year 1974, COM (75) 396, 24 July 1975

Fifth Report, Financial Year 1975, COM (76) 553, 25 October 1976

Sixth Report, Financial Year 1976, COM (77) 591, 21 November 1977

Seventh Report, Financial Year 1977:

• Guarantee Section, COM (78) 633, 24 November 1978
• Guidance Section, COM (78) 594, 24 November 1978

Eighth Report, Financial Year 1978:

• Guarantee Section, COM (79) 596, 6 November 1979
• Report concerning cereal sector, Vol. 1, COM (79) 686, 29 November 1979
• Annexes concerning cereal sector, COM (80) 685 final/annexes/2, 17 January 1980
• Guidance Section, COM (79) 579, 29 October 1979

Ninth Report, Financial Year 1979:

• Guarantee Section, COM (80) 685, 14 November 1980
• Guidance Section, COM (80) 639, 3 November 1980

Tenth Report, Financial Year 1980:

• Guarantee Section, COM (81) 506, 22 September 1981
• Guidance Section, COM (81) 464, 10 September 1981

Eleventh Report, Financial Year 1981:

• Guarantee Section, COM (82) 439, 23 July 1982
• Guidance Section, COM (82) 446, 26 July 1982

Twelfth Report, Financial Year 1982:

• Guarantee Section, COM (83) 531, 15 September 1983
• Guidance Section, COM (83) 499, 7 September 1983

Thirteenth Report, Financial Year 1983:

• Guarantee Section, COM (84) 485, 14 September 1984
• Guidance Section, COM (84) 486, 12 September 1984

Fourteenth Report, Financial Year 1984:

• Guarantee Section, COM (85) 492, 17 September 1985
• Guidance Section, COM (85) 447, 7 August 1985

Fifteenth Report, Financial Year 1985:

• Guarantee Section, COM (86) 631, 19 November 1986
• Guidance Section, COM (86) 407, 24 July 1986

Sixteenth Report, Financial Year 1986:

• Guarantee Section, COM (87) 533, 17 November 1987
• Guidance Section, COM (87) 357, 31 July 1987

Seventeenth Report, Financial Year 1987:

• Guarantee Section, COM (88) 563, 18 October 1988
• Guidance Section, COM (88) 437, 26 July 1988

Eighteenth Report, Financial Year 1988:

• Guarantee Section, SEC (89) 1343, 27 September 1989
• Guidance Section, SEC (89) 1984, 29 November 1989

Nineteenth Report, Financial year 1989:

• Guarantee Section, COM (90) 397, 5 September 1990
• Guidance Section, SEC (91) 1613, 9 September 1991
• Guidance 1989, Structural Funds Report, COM (91) 121, 16 April 1991

Twentieth Report, Financial Year 1990:

• Guarantee Section, COM (91) 371, 17 October 1991
• Guidance Section, SEC (92) 1336, 13 July 1992
• Guidance 1990, Structural Funds Report, SEC (92) 741, 30 April 1992

Twenty-First Report, Financial Year 1991:

• Guarantee Section, SEC (92) 1865, 19 October 1992

Twenty-Second Report, Financial Year 1992:

• Guarantee Section, COM (93) 517, 27 October 1993

Twenty-Third Report, Financial Year 1993:

• Guarantee Section, COM (94) 464, 31 October 1994

Twenty-Fourth Report, Financial Year 1994:

• Guarantee Section, COM (95) 483/final/2, 15.11.1995

Twenty-Fifth Report, Financial Year 1995:

• Guarantee Section, COM (96) 504, 22 October 1996

Twenty-Sixth Report, Financial Year 1996:

• Guarantee Section, COM (97) 589, 25 November 1997

Twenty-Seventh Report, Financial Year 1997:

• Guarantee Section, COM (98) 552, 5 October 1998

European Regional Development Fund Annual Reports

The ERDF was set up in 1975 and has become the main instrument of the Community's regional policy. Its purpose was to help redress regional imbalances through participation in the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind and conversion of declining industrial regions.

The First through Eleventh Reports cover the period 1975 through 1986. Subsequent information on the financial activities of the ERDF are in the annual reports of the Structural Funds. Short, independent reports were issued for 1989, 1990 and 1991.

First 1975, COM (76) 307, 23 June 1976

Second 1976, COM (77) 260, 17 June 1977

Third 1977, COM (78) 310, 4 July 1978

Fourth 1978, COM (79) 349, 9 July 1979

Fifth 1979, COM (80) 460, 20 July 1980

Sixth 1980, COM (81) 370, 20 July 1981

Seventh 1981, COM (82) 586, 30 September 1982

Eighth 1982, COM (83) 566, 3 October 1983

Ninth 1983, COM (84) 522, 27 September 1984

Tenth 1984, COM (85) 516, 4 October 1985

Eleventh 1985, COM (86) 545, 20 October 1986

Twelfth, 1986, COM (87) 521, 1 December 1987

Thirteenth 1987, COM (88) 728, 10 January 1989

Fourteenth 1988, COM (90) 136, 10 May 1990

Conclusions of the report pursuant to Article 25 of Regulation (EEC) No. 4253/88-ERDF:

• 1989, COM (91) 123, 23 April 1991
• 1990, SEC (92) 790, 30 April 1992
• 1991, COM (93) 140 final, 2 April 1993

Structural Funds Annual Reports

The Single Act (1986) gave the Community new competence for economic and social cohesion and set its objectives and means. The foremost of these was systematic use of the Structural Funds. This entailed a reform of their operational rules. The Council carried out this reform by Regulation 2052/88 of 24 July 1988. Regulation 4253/88 of 19 December 1988 laid down the implementing provisions for coordinating the use of the Funds.

The Archive of European Integration has the First through Tenth Reports. The Eleventh and subsequent reports are available on the DG Regional Policy website on Europa.

First, 1989, COM (90) 516, 15 November 1990

Second, 1990, COM (91) 400, 4 December 1991

Third, 1991, SEC (92) 1975, 27 October 1992

Fourth, 1992, COM (93) 530, 29 October 1993

Fifth, 1993, COM (95) 30, 20.03.1995

Sixth, 1994, COM (95) 583 , 14.12.1995

Seventh, 1995, COM (96) 502, 30.10.1996

Eighth, 1996, COM (97) 526, 30 October 1997

Ninth, 1997, COM (98) 562, 30 October 1998

Tenth, 1998, COM (99) 467 final, 15 October 1999

Cohesion Fund Annual Reports

The Cohesion Fund was provided for by Article 141 of the Maastricht Treaty. Initially on 1 April 1993, the Council set up a æhesion financial instrument' (Regulation 792/93/EEC). The Cohesion Fund replaced it on 16 May 1994 (Regulation 1164/94 modified by Regulations 1264/99 and 1265/99).

The Fund is reserved for Member States with a per capita GNP less than 90% of the Community average and who have set up a program aiming to meet the criteria set by Article 104c of the Treaty. This concerns excessive government deficits in the context of coordinating economic policies as part of EMU. Four Member States qualify: Spain, Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The Archive of European Integration covers the reports from 1993 to 1997. Subsequent reports are available on DG Regional Policy website on Europa.

Cohesion Financial Instrument Annual Report (covers the period 1 April 1993-25 May 1994):

• 1993/1994, COM (95) 1 final, 17.01. 1995
• 1994, COM (95) 222 final, 14.06.1995
• 1995, COM (96) 388 final, 04.09.1966 - Due to the excessive length of this report, it has been broken down into sections:
• Report, pages 1-99
• Annex 1 - Main Points of the Decisions approved in 1995:
• Spain, Environment, pp. 100-310
• Spain, Transport, pp. 311-356
• Portugal, Environment, pp. 357-407
• Portugal, Transport, pp. 408-413
• Greece, Environment, pp. 414-478
• Greece, Transport, pp. 479-504
• Ireland, Environment, pp. 505-532
• Ireland, Transport, pp. 523-559
• Annex 2, Tables and Graphs, pp. 560-571
• Annex 3, Maps of the roads and railway networks, pp. 572-580
• 1996, COM (97) 302 final, 23.06.1997
• 1997, COM (98) 543 final, 07.10.1998