Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Simplification Agenda for the MFF 2014-2020

On 29 June 2011, the European Commission presented its vision of the EU's finances for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020, indicating the policy objectives and the means to finance them. By the end of the year, the Commission tabled 57 specific legislative proposals, which establish how, in practice, the EU's money will be directed to address the concerns of its citizens as identified in the Europe 2020 Strategy, focusing on stimulating growth and job creation in Europe.

In the context of the legislative challenge to renew and improve the performance of EU spending programmes, cross-cutting all European policies and engaging work of all the European Institutions and the Member States, the Commission has sought to ease access to EU funding for its citizens and businesses. At the same time the Commission has to ensure that the EU money is spent in accordance with the principle of sound financial management, which means that proportionate financial procedures and mechanisms must be in place.

In its Communication on the MFF 2014-2020, the Commission has seized the opportunity and decided to launch an agenda of ambitious simplification across the whole future MFF, taking stock of all its efforts, starting with the Financial Regulation, and complemented by the 57 proposed legislative acts in the present Communication.

This Communication builds on public consultations and follows-up on the calls of Member States and the European Institutions to reduce the administrative burden on the beneficiaries and actors participating in the expenditure process and speed up the delivery of the Union's financial support.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)042: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:042:FIN

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