14 setembro 2014

Enabling synergies between European Structural and Investment Funds and other research, Horizon 2020 and other research, innovation and competitiveness-related Union programmes

Enabling synergies between European Structural and Investment Funds and other research, Horizon 2020 and other research, innovation and competitiveness-related Union programmes : guidance for policy-makers and implementing bodies / European Commission. Directorate-General for Regional and Urban policy. - Luxembourg : Publications Office of the European Union, 2014. - 121 p. : quadros

ISBN 978-92-79-38599-5

programa-quadro de IDT / programa comunitário / fundos estruturais / política comunitária da investigação / apoio monetário

https://infoeuropa.eurocid.pt/registo/000060580/documento/0001/

10 setembro 2014

Elements of Europe's energy union | Georg Zachmann at Bruegel.org

he issue: European
Union energy policy is guided by three objectives: sustainability,
security of supply and competitiveness. To meet its goals in these
areas, the EU is updating its energy strategy with new targets for 2030.
The starting point for this is the assessment of the previous EU
climate and energy package, at the centre of which were the 20-20-20
targets for 2020. Although the EU is largely on track to meet these
targets, EU energy policy is generally not perceived as a success.
Recent events have undermined some of the assumptions on which the 2020
package was built, and the policies for achieving the 2020 targets –
although at first sight effective – are far from efficient.

Policy challenge: ;To meet the EU's objectives for emissions,
electricity supply and gas security of supply, well-designed European
markets could provide better results at lower cost than uncoordinated
national approaches. In other areas – such as energy efficiency and
supporting innovation – markets alone might not be enough. Europe should
thus rethink its quantitative headline targets for 2030.The proposed 40
percent decarbonisationtarget is in line with a stronger emission
allowance market, but the target for renewables should be defined in
terms of innovation rather than deployment, and the energy-efficiency
target should be defined in terms of encouraged energy and cost savings,
not the amount of energy consumed in a certain period. | Read more at
Bruegel
http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/846-elements-of-europes-energy-union/?utm_source=Bruegel+publication+alert&utm_campaign=8d474e2176-Publication+Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f233d52bd-8d474e2176-275713602
The issue: European
Union energy policy is guided by three objectives: sustainability,
security of supply and competitiveness. To meet its goals in these
areas, the EU is updating its energy strategy with new targets for 2030.
The starting point for this is the assessment of the previous EU
climate and energy package, at the centre of which were the 20-20-20
targets for 2020. Although the EU is largely on track to meet these
targets, EU energy policy is generally not perceived as a success.
Recent events have undermined some of the assumptions on which the 2020
package was built, and the policies for achieving the 2020 targets –
although at first sight effective – are far from efficient.

Policy challenge: ;To meet the EU's objectives for emissions,
electricity supply and gas security of supply, well-designed European
markets could provide better results at lower cost than uncoordinated
national approaches. In other areas – such as energy efficiency and
supporting innovation – markets alone might not be enough. Europe should
thus rethink its quantitative headline targets for 2030.The proposed 40
percent decarbonisationtarget is in line with a stronger emission
allowance market, but the target for renewables should be defined in
terms of innovation rather than deployment, and the energy-efficiency
target should be defined in terms of encouraged energy and cost savings,
not the amount of energy consumed in a certain period. | Read more at
Bruegel
http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/846-elements-of-europes-energy-union/?utm_source=Bruegel+publication+alert&utm_campaign=8d474e2176-Publication+Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f233d52bd-8d474e2176-275713602
http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/846-elements-of-europes-energy-union/#.VBBY6HI9UW0.blogger 

The issue: European Union energy policy is guided by three objectives: sustainability, security of supply and competitiveness. To meet its goals in these areas, the EU is updating its energy strategy with new targets for 2030. The starting point for this is the assessment of the previous EU climate and energy package, at the centre of which were the 20-20-20 targets for 2020. Although the EU is largely on track to meet these targets, EU energy policy is generally not perceived as a success. Recent events have undermined some of the assumptions on which the 2020 package was built, and the policies for achieving the 2020 targets – although at first sight effective – are far from efficient.

Policy challenge: To meet the EU's objectives for emissions, electricity supply and gas security of supply, well-designed European markets could provide better results at lower cost than uncoordinated national approaches. In other areas – such as energy efficiency and supporting innovation – markets alone might not be enough. Europe should thus rethink its quantitative headline targets for 2030.The proposed 40 percent decarbonisation target is in line with a stronger emission allowance market, but the target for renewables should be defined in terms of innovation rather than deployment, and the energy-efficiency target should be defined in terms of encouraged energy and cost savings, not the amount of energy consumed in a certain period.

07 setembro 2014

An Assessment of the State Aid Consistency of Financial Instruments Supported by Structural and Investment Funds (Regulation 1303/2013)

Last week I reviewed the new State aid guidelines on risk finance. This week I will examine the provisions on financial instruments in the new structural and investment funds regulation. The regulation was published in the Official Journal just before Christmas. Both sets of rules have been updated on the basis of similar principles. The primary aim of both is to increase the flow of funds to SMEs and other innovative enterprises by incentivising private investors to assume more risk or to commit more of their own resources [this is the leveraging effect].

However, in this article I also identify a peculiar inconsistency between the two sets of rules. It concerns the possibility afforded to Managing Authorities to invest directly into enterprises. Since, as shown below, one of the requirements for mobilising structural and investment funds is compliance with State aid rules, I will suggest that the only way to effect direct investment is the removal of the State aid element from such investment.

Trabalhos

Anderson da Cruz Andrade - África do Sul -  Draft 1 entregue e revisto Aneia Leónidas Céu Rodrigues da Costa - Hungria  -  Draft 1 entregue ...