COUNCIL DECISION
of 3 December 2013
establishing the specific programme implementing Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) and repealing Decisions 2006/971/EC, 2006/972/EC, 2006/973/EC, 2006/974/EC and 2006/975/EC
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2013/743/EU)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 182(4) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (2),
Acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure,
Whereas:
(1)
In accordance with Article 182(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2014-2020 ("Horizon 2020"), established by Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 (3), is to be implemented through a specific programme which determines the specific objectives and rules for their implementation, fixes its duration and provides for the means deemed necessary.
(2)
The general objective of Horizon 2020 should be pursued through three priorities dedicated to generating excellent science ("Excellent science"), creating industrial leadership ("Industrial leadership") and tackling societal challenges ("Societal challenges"). The general objective should also be pursued through the specific objectives "Spreading excellence and widening participation" and "Science with and for society". Those priorities and specific objectives should be implemented by means of a specific programme setting out one Part for each of the three priorities, one Part for the specific objective "Spreading excellence and widening participation", one Part for the specific objective "Science with and for society" and one Part for the non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC).
(3)
All Horizon 2020 priorities and specific objectives should include an international dimension. International cooperation activities should be maintained at least at the level of the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013) ("Seventh Framework Programme"), adopted by Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4).
(4)
While Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 sets out the general objective of Horizon 2020, the priorities and the broad lines of the specific objectives and activities to be carried out, the specific programme should define the specific objectives and the broad lines of the activities which are specific to each of the Parts. The provisions on implementation set out in Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 apply fully to the specific programme, including those relating to ethical principles.
(5)
Each Part should be complementary to and implemented in a coherent way with the other Parts of the specific programme.
(6)
There is a critical need to reinforce, widen and extend the excellence of the Union's science base and to ensure a supply of world-class research and talent to secure Europe's long term competitiveness and well-being. The priority "Excellent science" should support the activities of the European Research Council (ERC) on frontier research, future and emerging technologies, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions and European research infrastructures. These activities should aim at building competence in the long term, focusing strongly on the next generation of science, systems and researchers, and providing support for emerging talent from across the Union and from associated countries. Union activities to support excellent science should help consolidate the European Research Area (ERA) and make the science system of the Union more competitive and attractive on a global scale.
(7)
Research actions carried out under the priority "Excellent science" should be determined according to the needs and opportunities of science. The research agenda should be set in close liaison with the scientific community. Research should be funded on the basis of excellence.
(8)
The ERC should replace and succeed the ERC established by Commission Decision 2007/134/EC (5). It should operate according to the established principles of scientific excellence, autonomy, efficiency and transparency.
(9)
In order to maintain and increase the Union's industrial leadership there is an urgent need to stimulate private sector research and development and innovation investment, promote research and innovation with a business driven agenda and accelerate the development of new technologies which will underpin future businesses and economic growth. The priority "Industrial leadership" should support investments in excellent research and innovation in key enabling technologies and other industrial technologies, facilitate access to risk finance for innovative companies and projects, and provide Union-wide support for innovation in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
(10)
Space research and innovation, which is a shared competence of the Union, should be included as a coherent element in the priority "Industrial leadership" in order to maximise the scientific, economic and societal impact and to ensure an efficient and cost-effective implementation.
(11)
Addressing the major societal challenges identified in the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth ("Europe 2020 strategy") requires major investments in research and innovation to develop and deploy novel and breakthrough solutions that have the necessary scale and scope. These challenges also represent major economic opportunities for innovative companies and therefore contribute to the Union's competitiveness and employment.
(12)
The priority "Societal challenges" should increase the effectiveness of research and innovation in responding to key societal challenges by supporting excellent research and innovation activities. Those activities should be implemented using a challenge-based approach which brings together resources and knowledge across different fields, technologies and disciplines. Social sciences and humanities research is an important element for addressing all of the challenges. The activities should cover the full range of research and innovation, including innovation-related activities such as piloting, demonstration, test-beds, and support for public procurement, pre-normative research and standard setting, and market uptake of innovations. The activities should support directly the corresponding sectoral policy competences at Union level, where appropiate. All challenges should contribute to the overarching objective of sustainable development.
(13)
There should be an appropriate balance between small and large projects within the priority "Societal challenges" and the specific objective "Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies".
(14)
The specific objective "Spreading excellence and widening participation" should fully exploit the potential of Europe's talent pool and ensure that the benefits of an innovation-led economy are both maximised and widely distributed across the Union in accordance with the principle of excellence.
(15)
The specific objective "Science with and for society" should build effective cooperation between science and society, foster the recruitment of new talent for science, and pair scientific excellence with social awareness and responsibility.
(16)
As an integral part of Horizon 2020, the JRC should continue to provide independent customer-driven scientific and technical support for the formulation, development, implementation and monitoring of Union policies. In order to achieve its mission the JRC should carry out research of the highest quality. In carrying out the direct actions in accordance with its mission, the JRC should place particular emphasis on areas of key concern for the Union, namely smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, and the headings "Security and citizenship" and "Global Europe" of the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020.
(17)
The direct actions of the JRC should be implemented in a flexible, efficient and transparent manner, taking into account the relevant needs of the users of the JRC and the needs of Union policies, and respecting the objective of protecting the financial interests of the Union. Those research actions should be adapted, where appropriate, to those needs and to scientific and technological developments and should aim to achieve scientific excellence.
(18)
The JRC should continue to generate additional resources through competitive activities, including participation in the indirect actions of Horizon 2020, third party work and, to a lesser extent, the exploitation of intellectual property.
(19)
The specific programme should complement the actions carried out in the Member States as well as other Union actions which are necessary for the overall strategic effort for the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.
(20)
Pursuant to Council Decision 2001/822/EC (6), legal entities of the overseas countries and territories are eligible to participate in Horizon 2020 subject to the specific conditions laid down in the latter.
(21)
In order to ensure that the specific conditions for the use of the finance facilities reflect market conditions, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission to adapt or define further the specific conditions for use of the finance facilities. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the Council.
(22)
In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of the specific programme, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to adopt work programmes for the implementation of the specific programme.
(23)
The implementing powers relating to the work programmes for the priorities "Excellent science", "Industrial leadership" and "Societal challenges" and for the specific objectives "Spreading excellence and widening participation" and "Science with and for society" should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7).
(24)
The Board of Governors of the JRC, set up by Commission Decision 96/282/Euratom (8), has been consulted on the scientific and technological content of the specific programme on the non-nuclear direct actions of the JRC.
(25)
For reasons of legal certainty and clarity, Council Decision 2006/971/EC (9), Council Decision 2006/972/EC (10), Council Decision 2006/973/EC (11), Council Decision 2006/974/EC (12) and Council Decision 2006/975/EC (13) should be repealed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
TITLE I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Subject matter
This Decision establishes the specific programme implementing Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 and determines the specific objectives for Union support to the research and innovation activities set out in Article 1 of that Regulation as well as the rules for implementation.
Article 2
Establishment of the specific programme
1. The specific programme implementing Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) (the 'specific programme') is hereby established for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.
2. In accordance with Article 5(2), (3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013, the specific programme shall consist of the following Parts:
(a)
Part I 'Excellent science';
(b)
Part II 'Industrial leadership';
(c)
Part III 'Societal challenges';
(d)
Part IV 'Spreading excellence and widening participation';
(e)
Part V 'Science with and for society';
(f)
Part VI 'Non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC)'.
Article 3
Specific objectives
1. Part I 'Excellent science' shall strengthen the excellence of European research in accordance with the priority "Excellent science" set out in point (a) of Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 by pursuing the following specific objectives:
(a)
strengthening frontier research, through the activities of the European Research Council (ERC) ("The European Research Council (ERC)");
(b)
strengthening research in future and emerging technologies ("Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)");
(c)
strengthening skills, training and career development, through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions ("Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions");
(d)
strengthening European research infrastructures, including e-infrastructures ("Research infrastructures").
The broad lines of the activities for those specific objectives are set out in Part I of Annex I.
2. Part II 'Industrial leadership' shall strengthen industrial leadership and competitiveness in accordance with the priority 'Industrial leadership' set out in point (b) of Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 by pursuing the following specific objectives:
(a)
boosting Europe's industrial leadership through research, technological development, demonstration and innovation in the following enabling and industrial technologies ("Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies"):
(i)
information and communication technologies ("ICT");
(ii)
nanotechnologies;
(iii)
advanced materials;
(iv)
biotechnology;
(v)
advanced manufacturing and processing;
(vi)
space;
(b)
enhancing access to risk finance for investing in research and innovation ("Access to risk finance");
(c)
increasing innovation in SMEs ("Innovation in SMEs").
The broad lines of the activities for those specific objectives are set out in Part II of Annex I.
There shall be specific conditions for use of finance facilities under the specific objective in point (b) of the first subparagraph. Those conditions are set out in section 2 of Part II of Annex I.
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 11 concerning the modifications of the share of investment from the Equity facility of Horizon 2020 of the total Union investment in expansion and growth-stage investments regarding the financial instruments referred to in section 2 of Part II of Annex I.
3. Part III 'Societal challenges' shall contribute to the priority 'Societal challenges' set out in point (c) of Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 by pursuing research, technological development, demonstration and innovation actions which contribute to the following specific objectives:
(a)
improving the lifelong health and well-being of all ("Health, demographic change and well-being");
(b)
securing sufficient supplies of safe, healthy and high quality food and other bio-based products, by developing productive, sustainable and resource-efficient primary production systems, fostering related ecosystem services and the recovery of biological diversity, alongside competitive and low-carbon supply, processing and marketing chains ("Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy");
(c)
making the transition to a reliable, affordable, publicly accepted, sustainable and competitive energy system, aiming at reducing fossil fuel dependancy in the face of increasingly scarce resources, increasing energy needs and climate change ("Secure, clean and efficient energy");
(d)
achieving a European transport system that is resource-efficient, climate- and environmentally-friendly, safe and seamless for the benefit of all citizens, the economy and society ("Smart, green and integrated transport");
(e)
achieving a resource- and water-efficient and climate change resilient economy and society, protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems and a sustainable supply and use of raw materials, in order to meet the needs of a growing global population within the sustainable limits of the planet's natural resources and ecosystems ("Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials");
(f)
fostering a greater understanding of Europe, providing solutions and supporting inclusive, innovative and reflective European societies in a context of unprecedented transformations and growing global interdependencies ("Europe in a changing world - Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies");
(g)
fostering secure European societies in a context of unprecedented transformations and growing global interdependencies and threats, while strengthening the European culture of freedom and justice ("Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens").
The broad lines of the activities for those specific objectives are set out in Part III of Annex I.
4. Part IV 'Spreading excellence and widening participation' shall contribute to the specific objective "Spreading excellence and widening participation" set out in Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 by fully exploiting the potential of Europe's talent pool and ensuring that the benefits of an innovation-led economy are both maximised and widely distributed across the Union in accordance with the principle of excellence.
The broad lines of the activities for this specific objective are set out in Part IV of Annex I.
5. Part V 'Science with and for society' shall contribute to the specific objective "Science with and for society" set out in Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 by building effective cooperation between science and society, recruiting new talent for science and pairing scientific excellence with social awareness and responsibility.
The broad lines of the activities for this specific objective are set out in Part V of Annex I.
6. Part VI 'Non-nuclear direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC)' shall contribute to all of the priorities set out in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 with the specific objective of providing customer-driven scientific and technical support to Union policies.
The broad lines of the activities for this specific objective are set out in Part VI of Annex I.
7. The specific programme shall be assessed in relation to results and impact as measured against performance indicators.
Further details on the key performance indicators are set out in Annex II.
Article 4
Budget
1. In accordance with Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013, the financial envelope for the implementation of the specific programme shall be EUR 74 316,9 million.
2. The amount referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be distributed among the six Parts set out in Article 2(2) of this Decision in accordance with Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013. The indicative budgetary breakdown for the specific objectives set out in Article 3 of this Decision and the maximum overall amount of the contribution to the actions of the JRC are set out in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013.
3. No more than 5 % of the amounts referred to in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 for Parts I to V of the specific programme shall be for the Commission's administrative expenditure. The Commission shall ensure that during the programme its administrative expenditure will decrease and it will endeavour to reach a target of 4,6 % or less in 2020. These figures shall be subject to review as part of the Horizon 2020 interim evaluation as laid down in Article 32(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013.
4. Where necessary, appropriations may be entered in the budget beyond 2020 to cover technical and administrative expenses, in order to enable the management of activities not yet completed by 31 December 2020.
TITLE II
IMPLEMENTATION
Article 5
Work programmes
1. The specific programme shall be implemented by work programmes.
2. The Commission shall adopt common or separate work programmes for the implementation of Parts I to V of the specific programme referred to in points (a) to (e) of Article 2(2), except for the implementation of the actions under the specific objective "The European Research Council (ERC)", referred to in point (a) of Article 3(1). Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 10(4).
3. The work programmes for the implementation of the actions under the specific objective "The European Research Council (ERC)" referred to in point (a) of Article 3(1), as established by the Scientific Council under point (b) of Article 7(2), shall be adopted by the Commission, by means of an implementing act, in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 10(3). The Commission shall depart from the work programme established by the Scientific Council only when it considers that it is not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision. In that case, the Commission shall adopt the work programme by means of an implementing act in in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 10(4). The Commission shall duly motivate this measure.
4. The Commission shall adopt a separate multi-annual work programme, by means of an implementing act, for Part VI of the specific programme referred to in point (f) of Article 2(2).
This work programme shall take into account the opinion provided by the Board of Governors of the JRC referred to in Decision 96/282/Euratom.
5. The work programmes shall take account of the state of science, technology and innovation at national, Union and international level and of relevant policy, market and societal developments. They shall contain, where appropriate, information on coordination with research and innovation activities carried out by Member States (including their regions), including in areas where there are joint programming initiatives. They shall be updated where appropriate.
6. The work programmes for the implementation of Parts I to V referred to in points (a) to (e) of Article 2(2) of this Decision shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and their total amount, including indicative information on the amount of climate-related expenditure, where appropriate. They shall also contain a description of the actions to be financed, an indication of the amount allocated to each action, an indicative implementation timetable, as well as a multi-annual approach and strategic orientations for the following years of implementation. They shall include for grants the priorities, the selection and award criteria and the relative weight of the different award criteria and the maximum rate of funding of the total eligible costs. They shall also indicate any additional exploitation and dissemination obligations for participants, in accordance with Article 43 of Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013 (14) of the European Parliament and of the Council. They shall allow for strategic top-down as well as bottom-up approaches, as appropriate, that address the objectives in innovative ways.
In addition, those work programmes shall contain a section which identifies the cross-cutting issues as referred to in Article 14 and under the subtitle "Cross-cutting issues and support measures in Horizon 2020" in Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013, across two or more specific objectives both within the same priority or across two or more priorities. Those actions shall be implemented in an integrated manner.
7. The Commission shall adopt, by means of implementing acts, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 10(4) the following measures:
(a)
the decision on the approval of the funding of indirect actions, where the estimated amount of the Union contribution under the specific programme is equal to or more than EUR 2,5 million, with the exception of actions under the specific objective "European Research Council (ERC)" referred to in point (a) of Article 3(1) of this Decision and with the exception of actions funded under the "Fast Track to Innovation" pilot, referred to in Article 24 of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013;
(b)
the decision on the approval of the funding of actions involving the use of human embryos and human embryonic stem cells and of actions under the specific objective "Secure societies - Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens" referred to in point (g) of Article 3(3);
(c)
the decision on the approval of the funding of actions, where the estimated amount of the Union contribution under the specific programme is equal to or more than EUR 0,6 million for actions under the specific objective "Europe in a changing world - Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies" referred to in point (f) of Article 3(3) and for actions under the specific objectives "Spreading excellence and widening participation" and "Science with and for society" referred to in Article 3(4) and (5) respectively;
(d)
the drawing up of the terms of reference for the evaluations provided for in Article 32 of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013.
Article 6
European Research Council
1. The Commission shall establish a European Research Council ("ERC"), which shall be the means of implementing the actions under Part I 'Excellent science' which relate to the specific objective "The European Research Council (ERC)", referred to in point (a) of Article 3(1) of this Decision. The ERC shall succeed the ERC set up by Decision 2007/134/EC.
2. The ERC shall be composed of the independent Scientific Council provided for in Article 7 and the dedicated implementation structure provided for in Article 8.
3. The ERC shall have a President who shall be chosen from among senior and internationally respected scientists.
The President shall be appointed by the Commission following a transparent recruitment process involving an independent dedicated search committee, for a term of office limited to four years, renewable once. The recruitment process and the candidate selected shall have the approval of the Scientific Council.
The President shall chair the Scientific Council and shall ensure its leadership and liaison with the dedicated implementation structure, and represent it in the world of science.
4. The ERC shall operate according to the principles of scientific excellence, autonomy, efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability. It shall ensure continuity with ERC actions conducted under Decision 2006/972/EC.
5. The activities of the ERC shall support research carried out across all fields by individual and transnational teams in competition at the European level. ERC frontier research grants shall be awarded on the sole criterion of excellence.
6. The Commission shall act as the guarantor of the autonomy and integrity of the ERC and shall ensure the proper execution of the tasks entrusted to it.
The Commission shall ensure that the implementation of the ERC actions is in accordance with the principles set out in paragraph 4 of this Article as well as with the overall strategy for the ERC, referred to in point (a) of Article 7(2), established by the Scientific Council.
Article 7
Scientific Council
1. The Scientific Council shall be composed of scientists, engineers and scholars of the highest repute and appropriate expertise, of both women and men in different age groups, ensuring a diversity of research areas and acting in their personal capacity, independent of extraneous interests.
The members of the Scientific Council shall be appointed by the Commission, following an independent and transparent procedure for their identification agreed with the Scientific Council, including a consultation of the scientific community and a report to the European Parliament and the Council.
Their term of office shall be limited to four years, renewable once, on the basis of a rotating system which shall ensure the continuity of the work of the Scientific Council.
2. The Scientific Council shall establish:
(a)
the overall strategy for the ERC;
(b)
the work programme for the implementation of the ERC activities;
(c)
the methods and procedures for peer review and proposal evaluation on the basis of which the proposals to be funded are determined;
(d)
its position on any matter which from a scientific perspective may enhance achievements and impact of the ERC and the quality of the research carried out;
(e)
a code of conduct addressing, inter alia, the avoidance of conflict of interests.
The Commission shall depart from the positions established by the Scientific Council in accordance with points (a), (c), (d), and (e) of the first subparagraph only when it considers that the provisions of this Decision have not been respected. In that case, the Commission shall adopt measures to maintain continuity in the implementation of the specific programme and the achievements of its objectives, setting out the points of departure from the Scientific Council positions and duly motivating them.
3. The Scientific Council shall act in accordance with the mandate set out in section 1.1 of Part I of Annex I.
4. The Scientific Council shall act exclusively in the interest of achieving the specific objective "The European Research Council (ERC)", referred to in point (a) of Article 3(1), according to the principles set out in Article 6(4). It shall act with integrity and probity and carry out its work efficiently and with the greatest possible transparency.
Article 8
Dedicated implementation structure
1. The dedicated implementation structure shall be responsible for the administrative implementation and programme execution, as described in section 1.2 of Part I of Annex I. It shall support the Scientific Council in the conduct of all of its tasks.
2. The Commission shall ensure that the dedicated implementation structure follows strictly, efficiently and with the necessary flexibility the objectives and requirements of the ERC alone.
TITLE III
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 9
Monitoring and information on implementation
1. The Commission shall annually monitor and report on the implementation of Horizon 2020 in accordance with Article 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 and Annex III to this Decision.
2. The Commission shall regularly inform the Committee referred to in Article 10 of the overall progress of the implementation of the indirect actions of the specific programme to allow the Committee to provide early appropriate input on the preparation of the work programmes, in particular the multi-annual approach and strategic orientations, and shall provide it with timely information on all actions proposed or funded under Horizon 2020 as specified in Annex IV.
Article 10
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee (the Programme Committee). That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
2. The committee shall meet in different configurations as set out in Annex V, having regard to the subject matter to be discussed.
3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
4. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
5. Where the opinion of the committee is to be obtained by written procedure, that procedure shall be terminated without result when, within the time-limit for delivery of the opinion, the chair of the committee so decides or a simple majority of committee members so request.
Article 11
Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 3(2) shall be conferred on the Commission for the duration of Horizon 2020.
3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 3(2) may be revoked at any time by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it to the Council.
5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 3(2) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the Council has informed the Commission that it will not object. That period shall be extended by one month at the initiative of the Council.
6. The European Parliament shall be informed of the adoption of delegated acts by the Commission, or any objection formulated to them, or of the revocation of the delegation of powers by the Council.
Article 12
Repeal and transitional provisions
1. Decisions 2006/971/EC, 2006/972/EC, 2006/973/EC, 2006/974/EC and 2006/975/EC are repealed with effect from 1 January 2014.
2. However, actions initiated under the Decisions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and financial obligations related to actions pursued under those Decisions shall continue to be governed by those Decisions until their completion. Where necessary, any remaining tasks of the Committees established by the Decisions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be undertaken by the Committee referred to in Article 10.
3. The financial allocation for the specific programme may also cover technical and administrative assistance expenses necessary to ensure the transition between the specific programme and the measures covered by Decisions 2006/971/EC, 2006/972/EC, 2006/973/EC, 2006/974/EC and 2006/975/EC.
Article 13
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 14
Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 3 December 2013.