Ms Rose Power:

I would like to mention that across all of the European territorial cooperation, the Commission has brought in a number of simplified cost options that reduce the administrative burden on applicants. That has been increasing with each programme period. INTERREG Europe increased the number of simplified cost options that were available under its programme this time out. In addition, from our perspective, I can see where Ms Murtagh is coming from. There is a requirement on the managing authorities. We are the ones who review all of the claims that are made under these programmes, but the managing authorities have a responsibility to make sure that what is being submitted to us is factually correct and all in order. We do not want these to be audited at a later date and for a financial correction to come back to the applicants and participants.

There is a requirement for us to take that responsibility seriously and make sure that no participant in an EU project ever faces a retrospective financial correction. That is there.

With regard to the regional programmes and how we are trying to incorporate more participatory processes through that, an urban regeneration scheme is currently with the monitoring committee for approval. It is about €120 million and, within that, there is a mandatory requirement for that funding to include all sectors of society as an eligibility criterion. As the regional assemblies, we are ensuring that we are bringing in all sectors of communities, particularly in regard to any of the ERDF regional programme schemes that we are getting involved in, and putting in mandatory clauses that require that participation within the projects.