Council Decision
of 26 January 2004
establishing a Community action programme to promote active European citizenship (civic participation)
(2004/100/EC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 308 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(1),
Whereas:
(1) The Treaty establishes citizenship of the Union, which complements and does not replace national citizenship, and which is to be promoted with due regard for subsidiarity.
(2) The Community and the Member States have as their objectives the promotion of employment, improved living and working conditions, proper social protection, the development of human resources with a view to lasting high employment and the combating of exclusion.
(3) Effective and uniform application of Community law is a new priority, which is indispensable to the proper functioning of the internal market. The Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999 stressed that an area of freedom, security and justice should be based on the principles of transparency and democratic control, involving an open dialogue with civil society on the aims and principles of this area. The Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union promotes exchanges of views and experience on these matters and coordinates and relays to the public the judicial decisions of the Councils of State with regard to Community law.
(4) The European Parliament, in its resolution of 15 April 1988(2), considered it desirable that a major effort be undertaken to step up contacts between citizens of different Member States and stated that specific support from the Community institutions for the development of twinning schemes between communes or towns in different Member States is both rational and desirable.
(5) The European Council of Nice in December 2000, in its Declaration 23, recognised the need to improve and to monitor the democratic legitimacy and transparency of the Union and its institutions, in order to bring them closer to the citizens of the Member States. The social policy agenda adopted at Nice is based on a new form of governance underlining the role of civil dialogue as an essential part in promoting cooperation with civil society. The agenda provides that the non-governmental organisations, such as the Platform of European social non-governmental organisations, are closely associated with the development of inclusive policies and equal opportunities for all.
(6) The Laeken Declaration annexed to the Conclusions of the European Council of 14 and 15 December 2001 asserts that one of the basic challenges to be resolved by the European Union is how to bring citizens closer to the European design and the European institutions.
(7) Headings A-321, A-3020, A-3021, A-3024, A-3026, A-3036 and B3-305 of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2003 and previous financial years have proved their worth in promoting a sustained dialogue with civil society organisations and municipalities on the building of Europe.
(8) The Council reaffirms its belief in the need to continue supporting town-twinning schemes, given the important role that they can play in promoting civic identity and mutual understanding between the people of Europe. It stresses that, in the context of the multiannual programme, an appropriate budget for, and continued promotion of, town-twinning schemes should be guaranteed, as the European Parliament has insisted every year in the budgetary procedure. It further stresses that it is essential to make the application procedure for, and administration of, town-twinning schemes comprehensible and bring them closer to the citizens.
(9) The "Our Europe" Association takes the form of a think tank of personalities representative of European society and the political, social, economic and scientific worlds to act as a marketplace for ideas promoting a closer European Union; as such, it pursues an aim of general European interest.
(10) The Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman houses are meeting places for the people of Europe, the aim being to set the pioneers and pioneering activities of European integration in the context in which two of the founding fathers of Europe lived and worked, and to provide information on today's and tomorrow's Europe; as such, these organisations pursue an aim of general European interest.
(11) The European Council on Refugees and Exiles represents the organisations of refugees and displaced persons vis-à-vis the European Union, promoting the principles and policies contributing to the objectives of the Treaty as regards asylum and combating social exclusion.
(12) Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities(3), hereinafter referred to as "the Financial Regulation", requires a basic act to be provided to cover these existing support actions.
(13) The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission undertook, at the time of the adoption of the Financial Regulation, to achieve the objective of ensuring that this basic act enters into force as from the financial year 2004. The Commission undertook to take into account the remarks entered in the budget in the context of implementation.
(14) The Interinstitutional Declaration of 24 November 2003 on the basic acts for grants of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission provides, on an exceptional basis, for transitional clauses concerning the period of eligibility of expenditure to be introduced in this programme.
(15) This Interinstitutional Declaration also provides for transitional measures for grants under part 2 of the programme to be introduced for the years 2004 and 2005.
(16) Provision should be made for the geographic coverage of the programme to extend to the acceding Member States, and possibly, in the case of certain actions, to the EFTA/EEA countries and the candidate countries.
(17) A financial reference amount, within the meaning of point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure(4), is included in this Decision for the entire duration of the programme, without thereby affecting the powers of the budgetary authority as they are defined by the Treaty.
(18) Any non-Community financing from State resources must comply with Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty.
(19) Entities whose actions are not compatible with the objectives of the European Union and its Member States in the areas of public order and public security should be excluded from the benefits of this programme.
(20) Any support granted pursuant to this Decision should comply strictly with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
Programme objective
1. This Decision establishes a Community action programme to support bodies working in the field of active European citizenship and to promote actions in this field.
The programme shall have the following objectives:
(a) to promote and disseminate the values and objectives of the European Union;
(b) to bring citizens closer to the European Union and its institutions and to encourage them to engage more frequently with its institutions;
(c) to involve citizens closely in reflection and discussion on the construction of the European Union;
(d) to intensify links and exchanges between citizens from the countries participating in the programme, notably by way of town-twinning arrangements;
(e) to stimulate initiatives by the bodies engaged in the promotion of active and participatory citizenship.
2. The activities supported by the programme seek to support the operation and to promote the actions of the bodies pursuing the programme's objectives in accordance with the criteria set out in the Annex.
3. The programme shall start on 1 January 2004 and shall end on 31 December 2006.
Article 2
Access to the programme
To be eligible for a Community grant for an action, bodies shall satisfy the requirements set out in the Annex.
The action concerned must be in accordance with the principles underlying Community activity in the field of active citizenship.
To be eligible for an operating grant for the ongoing work programme of a body pursuing an aim of general European interest in the field of active citizenship or an objective forming part of the European Union's activities in this area, bodies shall satisfy the requirements of the Annex and be so structured as to accommodate actions having a potential impact throughout the European Union.
Article 3
Access to the programme for the acceding States, the EFTA/EEA countries and the candidate countries for accession to the European Union
Participation in actions under the programme may be opened to bodies established in:
(a) the acceding States which signed the Treaty of Accession on 16 April 2003;
(b) the EFTA/EEA countries, in accordance with the conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement;
(c) Romania and Bulgaria, the conditions for participation for which to be laid down in accordance with the Europe Agreements, their additional protocols and the decisions of the respective Association Councils;
(d) Turkey, the conditions for participation to be laid down in accordance with the Framework Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Turkey on the general principles for the participation of the Republic of Turkey in Community programmes(5).
Article 4
Selection of beneficiaries
1. Operating grants for the ongoing work programme of a body pursuing an aim of general European interest in the field of active citizenship, or an objective forming part of the European Union's activities in this area, shall be awarded in accordance with the overall criteria laid down in the Annex.
2. Grants for actions specified in the programme shall be awarded in accordance with the overall criteria laid down in the Annex. Actions shall be selected by means of a call for proposals.
Article 5
Award of the grant
Grants under the different actions of the programme shall be awarded in compliance with the provisions set out in the relevant part of the Annex.
Article 6
Financial provisions
The financial reference amount for the implementation of this programme for the period 2004 to 2006 shall be EUR 72 million.
The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective.
Article 7
Monitoring and evaluation
No later than 31 December 2007, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the achievement of the programme's objectives. This report shall be based, inter alia, on an external evaluation report which must be available no later than the end of 2006 and which shall appraise at least the overall pertinence and coherence of the programme, the effectiveness of its execution (preparation, selection, implementation of the actions) and the overall and individual effectiveness of the various actions in terms of achievement of the objectives set out in Article 1 and in the Annex.
Article 8
Final provisions
For grants awarded in 2004 under sections 1 and 2 of the Annex, it will be possible for the period of eligibility of expenditure to start on 1 January 2004, provided that the expenditure does not precede the date on which the grant application was lodged or the date on which the beneficiary's budget year starts.
For such grants, on an exceptional basis, the agreements referred to in Article 112(2) of the Financial Regulation can be signed not later than 30 June 2004.
Article 9
Taking effect
This Decision shall take effect on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2004.
Done at Brussels, 26 January 2004.