(10 July 2015) – Today the European Commission has published a call for expressions of interest for membership of the stakeholder group of the new REFIT Platform. It also adopted the decision setting up the High Level Group of Independent Experts on Monitoring Simplification for Beneficiaries of the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Announced as part of the Commission’s Better Regulation agenda, the REFIT Platform will bring together high-level experts from Member States and business people (including from SMEs), representatives of social partners, NGOs and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
It will collect suggestions from any interested party and will bring forward concrete ideas for reducing regulatory and administrative burdens in a way that is fully consistent with the policy objectives of EU regulation.
As for the European Structural and Investment Funds, the High Level Group’s purpose is to assess the uptake by the Member States of simplification opportunities to access and use the Funds, in order to reduce the administrative burden for beneficiaries. The call for applications for membership is open from today until 10 August.
The group shall consist of a maximum of twelve members appointed in a personal capacity and will be chaired by Former Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas. It will hold its first meeting on 20 October in Brussels.