Recital (16)

In order to enable Member States to carry out meaningful reprogramming in the context of the mid-term review and to focus resources on those new strategic Union priorities, additional restrictions should be lifted. As regards thematic concentration requirements, it is appropriate to allow Member States to count amounts programmed for new strategic priorities, regardless of whether Member States comply with thematic concentration at national level or at the level of category of region, including those contributing to STEP objectives, towards the amounts required to ensure compliance with thematic concentration requirements. The flexibility with regard to thematic concentration requirements should be accompanied by some flexibility regarding the calculation of the climate contribution for the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060, while respecting the overall requirements of that Article. In addition, Member States should also be given the possibility of contributing resources from the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund to the Member State compartment of the InvestEU Fund established by Regulation (EU) 2021/523 of the European Parliament and of the Council to deploy them through the financial instrument provided for in the InvestEU Programme. Finally, in order to allow for a comprehensive reprogramming towards the new strategic priorities in the context of the mid-term review, Member States should benefit from additional time to complement their assessment of the outcome of the mid-term review and their submission of related programme amendments. That additional time for reprogramming should also apply to JTF resources where they are included in a programme together with ERDF and Cohesion Fund resources or resources of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) established by Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Amendments to programmes under the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) are submitted in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1059 of the European Parliament and of the Council.