“We want to trigger an avalanche of regional recovery projects after this pandemic. National governments will now be able to use EU funds to finance the economic recovery without needing to co-finance the projects with national money”, explained Andrey Novakov MEP, who is the EPP Group’s Spokesman on Regional Development, ahead of the votes in the European Parliament on changes to the rules of the European Structural and Investment Funds.

"We need to be more flexible, quicker and less bureaucratic when using EU funds for regional projects related to the Coronavirus. This is all the more urgent as nationalists spread the rumour that the EU is not doing enough to counter the crisis. It has never been as easy as it will be now to benefit from EU help", said Novakov.

The law package voted by Parliament allows that all non-utilised support from the European Structural and Investment Funds can be mobilised immediately. More flexibility is provided for through transfer possibilities across different cohesion policy funds (the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund). For the accounting year 2020-2021, there will also be the possibility for a 100% EU co-financing, allowing Member States to benefit from full EU financing for crisis-related measures. The law package also simplifies procedures linked to programme implementation and audit.