ERDF Programme Progress

Progress update - January 2010

As of 7th January 2010, Yorkshire and The Humber's ERDF Programme 2007-13 had contracts with thirty-three separate ERDF projects. Cumulatively these projects have been allocated £149m of ERDF and have the cumulative eligible expenditure (ERDF and match funding) of £329m. Additionally, project sponsors have submitted a significant number of further proposals for consideration.

The European Commission sets spending targets (in euros) for the Programme that have to be met throughout its lifetime. It is important that the spending profile of the Programme is maintained as any unspent amount against target has to be  returned to the Commission. The Programme has met its spend target of €41.3m, known as N+2 in European terms, for the end of 2009. The initial spend target for 2009 was €127 million. Part of the Programme strategy has been to focus attention on larger, more transformative projects. We have two major European projects contracted — Digital Region and Science City York, the only English region to do so. Major projects are those over the €50m public investment threshold which means that they have to be examined and approved individually by the European Commission. Regulations allow us to defer some of our major project target spend and we reduced our 2009 N+2 target substantially (by €41.9m) by contracting these projects this year. The Commission provides each programme with a cash advance (€43.7m) that reduces the N+2 target further to €41.3m. Late in 2009 the region’s Venture Capital Loan Fund was established and will be launched this year.  £30 million of ERDF was transferred to the fund and contributes to the target as does ERDF spent and claimed by contracted projects. This means that a total of €53.6m has been spent by the Programme, over-achieving the target by 28%.

Annual Implementation Reports

An annual report that details the progress made implementing the Programme is submitted each year to the European Commission. These reports, which cover progress in the previous calendar year, have to be approved by the Programme Monitoring Committee before being submitted by the 30th June deadline.

The Commission examines each report, first to see that it is admissable and contains information requested in the provisions of the Structural Funds laid down by Article 67(2) of Regulation 1083/2006. Once it has decided that it is admissable the Commission then examines the content of the report as set out in Article 67 (4) of Regulation 1083/2006 and has up to two months to raise any issues with the Programme before it is approved.

The Annual Implementation Report for 2008 was declared admissable on 12^th July 2009 and approved on 31^st July 2009. Reports are available to download from the links below:

• Annual Implementation Report 2008
• Annual Implementation Report 2007

European Focus

European Focus is the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme's e-newsletter. To request the newsletter by email please contact erdfnews@yorkshire-forward.com. Previous issues are available via these links

• European Focus 1.10 (January 2010)
• European Focus 8.09 (November 2009)
• European Focus 7.09 (October 2009)
• European Focus 6.09 (August 2009)
• European Focus 5.09 (July 2009)
• European Focus 4.09 (June 2009)
• European Focus 3.09  (April 2009)
• European Focus 2.09  (March 2009)
• European Focus 1.09 (January 2009)
• European Focus 3.08 (December 2008)
• European Focus 2.08 (October 2008)
• European Focus 1.08 (September 2008)