A new report details the effectiveness of the European Commission’s immediate response to the public health crisis and its emerging socio-economic impacts through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+).
The two initiatives were adopted in March and April 2020 and enabled Member States to use unspent resources from the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). These initiatives provided an efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling Member States to develop national responses and integrate ESF and FEAD funds into their recovery strategies.
Report Findings
23 Member States have applied CRII and CRII+ flexibilities to implement ESF funding, with operations focusing on improving health and access to social services, as well as expanding short-term Working arrangements. ESF funds have supported anti-crisis operations for Europe’s most vulnerable – including women, persons with disabilities and people from a migrant background. CRII+ flexibilities allowed 15 Member states to continue to provide food and material assistance under FEAD, and greatly contributed to building a crisis response capacity at EU, national and regional levels.
CRII and CRII+ helped Member States redirect and reallocate resources, allowing them to maintain and improve contracting and expenditure, as well as simplify and accelerate the programming process. Additionally, the report shows that ESF and FEAD operations under CRII and CRII+ were consistent with other EU instruments supporting the crisis response, and well-integrated into the packages of crisis measures at national level.
These new flexibilities allowed Member States to test new solutions, address new target groups and adjust existing operations. The process was even more effective and efficient in situations where responsible authorities made additional efforts to help beneficiaries to fulfil their obligations.
