COMMISSION DECISION
of 20 January 2006
laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Decision 2004/904/EC as regards the eligibility of expenditure within the framework of actions co-financed by the European Refugee Fund implemented in the Member States
(notified under document number C(2006) 51/1)
(Only the Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Swedish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovakian, Slovenian and Spanish texts are authentic)
(2006/399/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 2004/904/EC of 2 December 2004 establishing a European Refugee Fund for the period 2005 to 2010 (1), and in particular Article 21(3) thereof,
Having consulted the Committee established by Article 11(3) of Decision 2004/904/EC,
Whereas:
(1)
In order to ensure the efficient implementation of the European Refugee Fund in the Member States, in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, a series of common rules should be adopted on the eligibility of expenditure from the Fund.
(2)
In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, the United Kingdom takes part in Decision 2004/904/EC and by consequence in this present decision.
(3)
In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Ireland takes part in Decision 2004/904/EC and by consequence in this present decison.
(4)
In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark does not take part in Decision 2004/904/EC and is not bound by it nor by this present decision,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
This Decision shall apply to the co-financing of actions provided for in Articles 5, 6 and 7 of Decision 2004/904/EC, which are managed by the Member States.
Article 2
For the purposes of this Decision:
1.
‘Project’ shall mean the specific, practical means deployed to implement all or part of an operation by the beneficiaries of grants. Each project will have a well-defined description, duration, budget, objectives, staff assigned to it, and will be implemented by a named legal entity, or a group of legal entities.
2.
‘beneficiaries’ shall mean the legal entities (such as NGOs, federal, national, regional or local authorities, other non-profit organisations, private or public law companies, international organisations) responsible for implementing projects.
Article 3
1. The rules set out in the Annex to this Decision shall be used to determine the eligibility of expenditure of actions financed under the annual programmes referred to in Article 16 of Decision 2004/904/EC.
2. Member States may apply national eligibility rules that are more rigorous than those prescribed in this Decision.
Article 4
The present decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, Ireland, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Done at Brussels, 20 January 2006.