Rules to cut bureaucracy in EU funding welcomed by Emma McClarkin MEP

East Midlands Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin has today welcomed news that from next year businesses and organisations receiving EU funds will benefit from simplified procedures.

New rules coming into force from 1 January 2013 include the scrapping of the obligation to open separate bank accounts, shortening the time for payments to beneficiaries, more use of lump sums and flat rates for smaller amounts, no need to fill in the same details every time one applies for EU funds, on-line applications and other measures in order to focus more on results and less on paper work

Miss McClarkin said:

“I warmly welcome this agreement, as I have been calling for cuts in EU funding bureaucracy since being elected. We need to make sure people have easy and simple access to EU funds, as ultimately it is UK taxpayer’s own money.

“The new rules will help ensure that EU funding is more effective, and easier to access, as well as cutting the red tape and bureaucracy necessary to get funding. It will therefore benefit people, companies and organisations not just in the East Midlands and UK, but across Europe.”

The news follows Miss McClarkin releasing her own free guide to European funding opportunities, to help groups and organisations across the East Midlands gain access to EU funds.

Janusz Lewandowski, European Commissioner for budget and financial programming, said:

“We have finally moved forward in making the life of many beneficiaries of EU funds easier by simplifying the rules, cutting the unnecessary red tape and speeding up the time to grant the money. Clearer transparency will give a possibility to exercise better public control on how the European taxpayers’ money is distributed.”

The new rules will be formally adopted later this year. In parallel, the Commission will adopt the Rules of Application which will provide further necessary implementing details. The new financial rules will then apply from 1 January 2013.