02021R1060 — EN — 30.06.2021 — 000.003

This text is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect. The Union's institutions do not assume any liability for its contents. The authentic versions of the relevant acts, including their preambles, are those published in the Official Journal of the European Union and available in EUR-Lex. Those official texts are directly accessible through the links embedded in this document





Corrected by:









▼B

REGULATION (EU) 2021/1060 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 24 June 2021

laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy







TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE I OBJECTIVES AND GENERAL RULES ON SUPPORT Chapter I Subject-matter, definitions and general rules Article 1 Subject-matter and scope Article 2 Definitions Article 3 Calculation of time limits for Commission actions Article 4 Processing and protection of personal data Chapter II Policy objectives and principles for the support of the Funds Article 5 Policy objectives Article 6 Climate targets and climate adjustment mechanism Article 7 Shared management Article 8 Partnership and multi-level governance Article 9 Horizontal Principles TITLE II STRATEGIC APPROACH Chapter I Partnership Agreement Article 10 Preparation and submission of the Partnership Agreement Article 11 Content of the Partnership Agreement Article 12 Approval of the Partnership Agreement Article 13 Amendment of the Partnership Agreement Article 14 Use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme Chapter II Enabling conditions and performance framework Article 15 Enabling conditions Article 16 Performance framework Article 17 Methodology for the establishment of the performance framework Article 18 Mid-term review and flexibility amount Chapter III Measures linked to sound economic governance and to exceptional or unusual circumstances Article 19 Measures linking effectiveness of Funds to sound economic governance Article 20 Temporary measures for the use of the Funds in response to exceptional or unusual circumstances TITLE III PROGRAMMING Chapter I General Provisions on the Funds Article 21 Preparation and submission of programmes Article 22 Content of programmes Article 23 Approval of programmes Article 24 Amendment of programmes Article 25 Joint support from the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF Article 26 Transfer of resources Article 27 Transfer of resources from the ERDF and the ESF+ to the JTF Chapter II Territorial development Article 28 Integrated territorial development Article 29 Territorial strategies Article 30 Integrated territorial investment Article 31 Community-led local development Article 32 Community-led local development strategies Article 33 Local action groups Article 34 Support from Funds for community-led local development Chapter III Technical assistance Article 35 Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission Article 36 Technical assistance of Member States Article 37 Financing not linked to costs for technical assistance of Member States TITLE IV MONITORING, EVALUATION, COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY Chapter I Monitoring Article 38 Monitoring committee Article 39 Composition of the monitoring committee Article 40 Functions of the monitoring committee Article 41 Annual performance review Article 42 Transmission of data Article 43 Final performance report Chapter II Evaluation Article 44 Evaluations by the Member State Article 45 Evaluation by the Commission Chapter III Visibility, transparency and communication Section I Visibility of support from the Funds Article 46 Visibility Article 47 Emblem of the Union Article 48 Communication officers and networks Section II Transparency of implementation of the Funds and communication on programmes Article 49 Responsibilities of the managing authority Article 50 Responsibilities of beneficiaries TITLE V FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FUNDS Chapter I Forms of Union contribution Article 51 Forms of Union contribution to programmes Chapter II Forms of support by Member States Article 52 Forms of support Section I Forms of Grants Article 53 Forms of grants Article 54 Flat-rate financing for indirect costs concerning grants Article 55 Direct staff costs concerning grants Article 56 Flat rate financing for eligible costs other than direct staff costs concerning grants Article 57 Grants under conditions Section II Financial Instruments Article 58 Financial instruments Article 59 Implementation of financial instruments Article 60 Interest and other gains generated by support from the Funds to financial instruments Article 61 Differentiated treatment of investors Article 62 Re-use of resources attributable to the support from the Funds Chapter III Eligibility rules Article 63 Eligibility Article 64 Non-eligible costs Article 65 Durability of operations Article 66 Relocation Article 67 Specific eligibility rules for grants Article 68 Specific eligibility rules for financial instruments TITLE VI MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL Chapter I General rules on management and control Article 69 Responsibilities of Member States Article 70 Commission powers and responsibilities Article 71 Programme authorities Chapter II Standard management and control systems Article 72 Functions of the managing authority Article 73 Selection of operations by the managing authority Article 74 Programme management by the managing authority Article 75 Support of the work of the monitoring committee by the managing authority Article 76 The accounting function Article 77 Functions of the audit authority Article 78 Audit strategy Article 79 Audits of operations Article 80 Single audit arrangements Article 81 Management verifications and audits of financial instruments Article 82 Availability of documents Chapter III Reliance on national management systems Article 83 Enhanced proportionate arrangements Article 84 Conditions for application of enhanced proportionate arrangements Article 85 Adjustment during the programming period TITLE VII FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, SUBMISSION AND EXAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS AND FINANCIAL CORRECTIONS Chapter I Financial management Section I General Accounting Rules Article 86 Budgetary commitments Article 87 Use of the euro Article 88 Repayment Section II Rules for Payments to Member States Article 89 Types of payments Article 90 Pre-financing Article 91 Payment applications Article 92 Specific elements for financial instruments in payment applications Article 93 Common rules for payments Article 94 Union contribution based on unit costs, lump sums and flat rates Article 95 Union contribution based on financing not linked to costs Section III Interruptions and Suspensions Article 96 Interruption of the payment deadline Article 97 Suspension of payments Chapter II Submission and examination of accounts Article 98 Content and submission of accounts Article 99 Examination of accounts Article 100 Calculation of the balance Article 101 Procedure for the examination of accounts Article 102 Contradictory procedure for the examination of accounts Chapter III Financial corrections Article 103 Financial corrections by Member States Article 104 Financial corrections by the Commission Chapter IV Decommitment Article 105 Decommitment principles and rules Article 106 Exceptions to the decommitment rules Article 107 Procedure for decommitment TITLE VIII FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK Article 108 Geographical coverage of support for the Investment for jobs and growth goal Article 109 Resources for economic, social and territorial cohesion Article 110 Resources for the Investment for jobs and growth goal and for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) Article 111 Transferability of resources Article 112 Determination of co-financing rates TITLE IX DELEGATION OF POWER, IMPLEMENTING, TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS Chapter I Delegation of power and implementing provisions Article 113 Delegation of powers as regards certain Annexes Article 114 Exercise of the delegation Article 115 Committee procedure Chapter II Transitional and final provisions Article 116 Review Article 117 Transitional provisions Article 118 Conditions for operations subject to phased implementation Article 119 Entry into force ANNEX I DIMENSIONS AND CODES FOR THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION FOR THE ERDF, THE ESF+, THE COHESION FUND AND THE JTF – ARTICLE 22(5) ANNEX II TEMPLATE FOR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT – ARTICLE 10(6) ANNEX III HORIZONTAL ENABLING CONDITIONS – ARTICLE 15(1) ANNEX IV THEMATIC ENABLING CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO ERDF, ESF+ AND THE COHESION FUND – ARTICLE 15(1) ANNEX V TEMPLATE FOR PROGRAMMES SUPPORTED FROM THE ERDF (INVESTMENT FOR JOBS AND GROWTH GOAL), ESF+, THE JTF, THE COHESION FUND AND THE EMFAF – ARTICLE 21(3) ANNEX VI TEMPLATE OF A PROGRAMME FOR THE AMIF, THE ISF AND THE BMVI – ARTICLE 21(3) ANNEX VII TEMPLATE FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF DATA – ARTICLE 42 ANNEX VIII A FORECAST OF THE AMOUNT FOR WHICH THE MEMBER STATE EXPECTS TO SUBMIT PAYMENT APPLICATIONS FOR THE CURRENT AND THE SUBSEQUENT CALENDAR YEAR (ARTICLE 69(10)) ANNEX IX COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY – ARTICLES 47, 49 AND 50 ANNEX X ELEMENTS FOR FUNDING AGREEMENTS AND STRATEGY DOCUMENTS – ARTICLE 59(1) AND (5) ANNEX XI KEY REQUIREMENTS OF MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEMS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION – ARTICLE 69(1) ANNEX XII DETAILED RULES AND TEMPLATE FOR THE REPORTING OF IRREGULARITIES – ARTICLE 69(2) ANNEX XIII ELEMENTS FOR THE AUDIT TRAIL – ARTICLE 69(6) ANNEX XIV ELECTRONIC DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEMS BETWEEN PROGRAMME AUTHORITIES AND BENEFICIARIES – ARTICLE 69(8) ANNEX XV SFC2021: ELECTRONIC DATA EXCHANGE SYSTEM BETWEEN THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION – ARTICLE 69(9) ANNEX XVI TEMPLATE FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEM – ARTICLE 69(11) ANNEX XVII DATA TO BE RECORDED AND STORED ELECTRONICALLY ON EACH OPERATION – ARTICLE 72(1), POINT (E) ANNEX XVIII TEMPLATE FOR THE MANAGEMENT DECLARATION – ARTICLE 74(1), POINT (F) ANNEX XIX TEMPLATE FOR THE ANNUAL AUDIT OPINION – ARTICLE 77(3), POINT (A) ANNEX XX TEMPLATE FOR THE ANNUAL CONTROL REPORT – ARTICLE 77(3), POINT (B) ANNEX XXI TEMPLATE FOR THE ANNUAL AUDIT REPORT – ARTICLE 81(5) ANNEX XXII TEMPLATE FOR THE AUDIT STRATEGY – ARTICLE 78 ANNEX XXIII TEMPLATE FOR PAYMENT APPLICATIONS – ARTICLE 91(3) ANNEX XXIV TEMPLATE FOR THE ACCOUNTS – ARTICLE 98(1), POINT (A) ANNEX XXV DETERMINATION OF THE LEVEL OF FINANCIAL CORRECTIONS: FLAT-RATE AND EXTRAPOLATED FINANCIAL CORRECTIONS – ARTICLE 104(1) ANNEX XXVI METHODOLOGY ON THE ALLOCATION OF GLOBAL RESOURCES PER MEMBER STATE – ARTICLE 109(2)

TITLE I

OBJECTIVES AND GENERAL RULES ON SUPPORT

CHAPTER I

Subject matter, definitions and general rules

Article 1

Subject matter and scope

1. This Regulation lays down: (a) financial rules for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund (JTF), the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI) (together referred to as the ‘Funds’); (b) common provisions applicable to the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund, the JTF and the EMFAF.

2. This Regulation does not apply to the Employment and Social Innovation strand of the ESF+ or to the direct or indirect management components of the EMFAF, the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, except for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

3. Articles 5, 14, 19, 28 to 34 and 108 to 112 do not apply to the AMIF, the ISF or the BMVI.

4. Articles 108 to 112 do not apply to the EMFAF.

5. Articles 14, 15, 18, 19, 21 to 27, 37 to 42, Article 43(1) to (4), Articles 44 and 50, Article 55(1) and Articles 73, 77, 80 and 83 to 85 do not apply to Interreg programmes.

6. The Fund-specific Regulations listed below may establish rules to complement this Regulation which shall not be in contradiction with this Regulation: (a) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ) (the ‘ERDF and CF Regulation’); (b) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 2 ) (the ‘ESF+ Regulation’); (c) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 3 ) (the ‘Interreg Regulation’); (d) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 4 ) (the ‘JTF Regulation’). (e) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 (the ‘EMFAF Regulation’); (f) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (the ‘AMIF Regulation’); (g) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Internal Security Fund (the ‘ISF Regulation’); (h) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing, as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (the ‘BMVI Regulation’);

In case of doubt about the application between this Regulation and Fund-specific Regulations, this Regulation shall prevail.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purpose of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:

(1) ‘relevant country-specific recommendations’ mean Council recommendations adopted in accordance with Articles 121(2) and 148(4) TFEU relating to structural challenges as well as complementary Commission recommendations issued in accordance with Article 34 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, which are appropriate to be addressed through multiannual investments that fall within the scope of the Funds as set out in Fund-specific Regulations;

(2) ‘enabling condition’ means a prerequisite condition for the effective and efficient implementation of the specific objectives;

(3) ‘applicable law’ means Union law and the national law relating to its application;

(4) ‘operation’ means: (a) a project, contract, action or group of projects selected under the programmes concerned; (b) in the context of financial instruments, a programme contribution to a financial instrument and the subsequent financial support provided to final recipients by that financial instrument;

(5) ‘operation of strategic importance’ means an operation which provides a significant contribution to the achievement of the objectives of a programme and which is subject to particular monitoring and communication measures;

(6) ‘priority’ in the context of the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, means a specific objective;

(7) ‘priority’ in the context of the EMFAF, for the purpose of Title VII only, means a specific objective;.

(8) ‘intermediate body’ means a public or private body which acts under the responsibility of a managing authority, or which carries out functions or tasks on behalf of such an authority;

(9) ‘beneficiary’ means: (a) a public or private body, an entity with or without legal personality, or a natural person, responsible for initiating or both initiating and implementing operations; (b) in the context of public-private partnerships (‘PPPs’), the public body initiating a PPP operation or the private partner selected for its implementation; (c) in the context of State aid schemes, the undertaking which receives the aid; (d) in the context of de minimis aid provided in accordance with Commission Regulations (EU) No 1407/2013 ( 5 ) or (EU) No 717/2014 ( 6 ), the Member State may decide that the beneficiary for the purposes of this Regulation is the body granting the aid, where it is responsible for intiating or both initiating and implementing the operation; (e) in the context of financial instruments, the body that implements the holding fund or, where there is no holding fund structure, the body that implements the specific fund or, where the managing authority manages the financial instrument, the managing authority;

(10) ‘small project fund’ means an operation in an Interreg programme aimed at the selection and implementation of projects, including people-to-people actions, of limited financial volume;

(11) ‘target’ means a pre-agreed value to be achieved by the end of the eligibility period in relation to an indicator included under a specific objective;

(12) ‘milestone’ means an intermediate value to be achieved at a given point in time during the eligibility period in relation to an output indicator included under a specific objective;

(13) ‘output indicator’ means an indicator to measure the specific deliverables of the intervention;

(14) ‘result indicator’ means an indicator to measure the effects of the interventions supported, with particular reference to the direct addressees, population targeted or users of infrastructure;

(15) ‘PPP operation’ means an operation which is implemented under a partnership between public bodies and the private sector in line with a PPP agreement, and which aims to provide public services through risk sharing by the pooling of either private sector expertise or additional sources of capital or both;

(16) ‘financial instrument’ means a form of support delivered via a structure through which financial products are provided to final recipients;

(17) ‘financial product’ means equity or quasi-equity investments, loans and guarantees as defined in Article 2 of the Financial Regulation;

(18) ‘final recipient’ means a legal or natural person receiving support from the Funds through a beneficiary of a small project fund or from a financial instrument;

(19) ‘programme contribution’ means the support from the Funds and the national public and private, if any, co-financing to a financial instrument;

(20) ‘holding fund’ means a fund set up under the responsibility of a managing authority under one or more programmes, to implement one or more specific funds;

(21) ‘specific fund’ means a fund through which a managing authority or a holding fund provides financial products to final recipients;

(22) ‘body implementing a financial instrument’ means a body, governed by public or private law, carrying out tasks of a holding fund or specific fund;

(23) ‘leverage effect’ means the amount of reimbursable financing provided to final recipients divided by the amount of the contribution from the Funds;

(24) ‘multiplier ratio’ in the context of guarantee instruments means a ratio established on the basis of a prudent ex ante risk assessment in respect of each a guarantee product to be offered, between the value of the underlying disbursed new loans, equity or quasi-equity investments, and the amount of the programme contribution set aside for guarantee contracts to cover expected and unexpected losses from these new loans, equity or quasi-equity investments;

(25) ‘management costs’ means direct or indirect costs reimbursed against evidence of expenditure incurred in the implementation of financial instruments;

(26) ‘management fees’ means a price for services rendered, as determined in the funding agreement between the managing authority and the body implementing a holding fund or a specific fund; and, where applicable, between the body implementing a holding fund and the body implementing a specific fund;

(27) ‘relocation’ means a transfer of the same or similar activity or part thereof within the meaning of point (61a) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 651/2014;

(28) ‘public contribution’ means any contribution to the financing of operations the source of which is the budget of national, regional or local public authorities or of any European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) established in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 7 ), the budget of the Union made available to the Funds, the budget of public law bodies or the budget of associations of public authorities or of public law bodies and, for the purpose of determining the co-financing rate for ESF+ programmes or priorities, may include any financial resources collectively contributed by employers and workers;

(29) ‘accounting year’ means the period from 1 July to 30 June of the following year, except for the first accounting year of the programming period, in respect of which it means the period from the start date for eligibility of expenditure until 30 June 2022; for the final accounting year, it means the period from 1 July 2029 to 30 June 2030;

(30) ‘economic operator’ means any natural or legal person, or other entity involved in the implementation of the Funds, with the exception of a Member State exercising its prerogatives as a public authority;

(31) ‘irregularity’ means any breach of applicable law, resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the budget of the Union by charging unjustified expenditure to that budget;

(32) ‘serious deficiency’ means a deficiency in the effective functioning of the management and control system of a programme for which significant improvements in the management and control systems are required and where any of the key requirements 2, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13 and 15 referred to in Annex XI, or two or more of the other key requirements are assessed into categories 3 and 4 of that Annex;

(33) ‘systemic irregularity’ means any irregularity, which may be of a recurring nature, with a high probability of occurrence in similar types of operations, which results from a serious deficiency, including a failure to establish appropriate procedures in accordance with this Regulation and the Fund-specific rules;

(34) ‘total errors’ means the sum of the projected random errors and, if applicable, delimited systemic errors and uncorrected anomalous errors;

(35) ‘total error rate’ means total errors divided by the audit population;

(36) ‘residual error rate’ means the total errors less the financial corrections applied by the Member State to reduce the risks identified by the audit authority, divided by the expenditure to be declared in the accounts;

(37) ‘completed operation’ means an operation that has been physically completed or fully implemented and in respect of which all related payments have been made by beneficiaries and the corresponding public contribution has been paid to the beneficiaries;

(38) ‘sampling unit’ means one of the units, which may be an operation, a project within an operation or a payment claim by a beneficiary, into which an audit population is divided for the purpose of sampling;

(39) ‘escrow account’ means, in the case of a PPP operation, a bank account covered by a written agreement between a public body beneficiary and the private partner approved by the managing authority or an intermediate body used for payments during or after the eligibility period;

(40) ‘participant’ means a natural person benefiting directly from an operation without being responsible for initiating or both initiating and implementing the operation and who, in the context of the EMFAF, does not receive financial support;

(41) ‘energy efficiency first’ means taking utmost account in energy planning, and in policy and investment decisions, of alternative cost-efficient energy efficiency measures to make energy demand and energy supply more efficient, in particular by means of cost-effective end-use energy savings, demand response initiatives and more efficient conversion, transmission and distribution of energy, whilst still achieving the objectives of those decisions;

(42) ‘climate proofing’ means a process to prevent infrastructure from being vulnerable to potential long-term climate impacts whilst ensuring that the ‘energy efficiency first’ principle is respected and that the level of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the project is consistent with the climate neutrality objective in 2050;

(43) ‘grants under conditions’ means a category of grant subject to conditions linked to the repayment of support;

(44) ‘EIB’ means the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund or any subsidiary of the European Investment Bank;

(45) ‘Seal of Excellence’ means the quality label attributed by the Commission in respect of a proposal, which shows that the proposal which has been assessed in a call for proposals under a Union instrument is deemed to comply with the minimum quality requirements of that Union instrument, but could not be funded due to lack of budget available for that call for proposals, and might receive support from other Union or national sources of funding.

Article 3

Calculation of time limits for Commission actions

Where a time limit is set for an action by the Commission, that time limit shall start when all information in accordance with the requirements laid down in this Regulation or in Fund-specific Regulations have been submitted by the Member State.

That time limit shall be suspended from the day following the date on which the Commission sends its observations or a request for revised documents to the Member State and until the Member State responds to the Commission.

Article 4

Processing and protection of personal data

The Member States and the Commission shall be allowed to process personal data only where necessary for the purpose of carrying out their respective obligations under this Regulation, in particular for monitoring, reporting, communication, publication, evaluation, financial management, verifications and audits and, where applicable, for determining the eligibility of participants. The personal data shall be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 8 ), whichever is applicable.

CHAPTER II

Policy objectives and principles for the support of the funds

Article 5

Policy objectives

1. The ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF shall support the following policy objectives: (a) a more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity; (b) a greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility; (c) a more connected Europe by enhancing mobility; (d) a more social and inclusive Europe implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights; (e) a Europe closer to citizens by fostering the sustainable and integrated development of all types of territories and local initiatives.

The JTF shall support the specific objective of enabling regions and people to address the social, employment, economic and environmental impacts of the transition towards the Union’s 2030 targets for energy and climate and a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050, based on the Paris Agreement.

The first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to the resources of the ERDF and the ESF+ that are transferred to the JTF in accordance with Article 27.

2. The ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF shall contribute to the actions of the Union, leading to the strengthening of its economic, social and territorial cohesion in accordance with Article 174 TFEU, by pursuing the following goals: (a) the Investment for jobs and growth goal in Member States and regions, to be supported by the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF; and (b) the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg), to be supported by the ERDF.

3. Member States and the Commission shall promote the coordination, complementarity and coherence between the Funds and other Union instruments and funds. They shall optimise mechanisms for coordination between those responsible to avoid duplication during planning and implementation. Accordingly, Member States and the Commission shall also take into account the relevant country-specific recommendations in the programming and implementation of the Funds.

Article 6

Climate targets and climate adjustment mechanism

1. Member States shall provide information on support for environment and climate objectives by using a methodology based on types of intervention for each of the Funds. That methodology shall consist of assigning a specific weighting to the support provided at a level which reflects the extent to which such support makes a contribution to environmental objectives and to climate objectives. In the case of the ERDF, the ESF+ and the Cohesion Fund, weightings shall be attached to dimensions and codes for the types of intervention established in Annex I. The ERDF and the Cohesion Fund shall contribute with 30 % and 37 % respectively of the Union contribution to expenditure supported for the achievement of the climate objectives set for the Union budget.

2. The climate contribution target for each Member State shall be established as a percentage of its total ERDF and Cohesion Fund allocation and included in programmes as a result of the types of intervention and the indicative financial breakdown pursuant to point (d)(viii) of Article 22(3). As provided for in Article 11(1), the preliminary climate contribution target shall be established in the Partnership Agreement.

3. The Member State and the Commission shall regularly monitor respect of the climate contribution targets, based on the total eligible expenditure declared by the beneficiaries to the managing authority as broken down by types of intervention in accordance with Article 42 and on data submitted by the Member State. Where the monitoring shows insufficient progress towards reaching the climate contribution target, the Member State and the Commission shall agree on remedial measures in the annual review meeting.

4. Where there is insufficient progress towards reaching the climate contribution target at national level by 31 December 2024, the Member State shall take this into account in its mid-term review in accordance with Article 18(1).

Article 7

Shared management

1. The Member States and the Commission shall implement the budget of the Union allocated to the Funds under shared management in accordance with Article 63 of the Financial Regulation. Member States shall prepare and implement programmes at the appropriate territorial level in accordance with their institutional, legal and financial framework.

2. The Commission shall implement the amount of support from the Cohesion Fund transferred to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the European Urban Initiative, Interregional Innovative Investments, the amount of support transferred from the ESF+ to transnational cooperation, the amounts contributed to the InvestEU Programme and technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission under direct or indirect management in accordance with points (a) and (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation.

3. The Commission may, with the agreement of the Member State and the regions concerned, implement outermost regions’ cooperation under the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) under indirect management.

Article 8

Partnership and multi-level governance

1. For the Partnership Agreement and each programme, each Member State shall organise and implement a comprehensive partnership in accordance with its institutional and legal framework and taking into account the specificities of the Funds. That partnership shall include at least the following partners: (a) regional, local, urban and other public authorities; (b) economic and social partners; (c) relevant bodies representing civil society, such as environmental partners, non-governmental organisations, and bodies responsible for promoting social inclusion, fundamental rights, rights of persons with disabilities, gender equality and non-discrimination; (d) research organisations and universities, where appropriate.

2. The partnership established under paragraph 1 of this Article shall operate in accordance with the multi-level governance principle and a bottom-up approach. The Member State shall involve partners referred to in paragraph 1 in the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and throughout the preparation, implementation and evaluation of programmes, including through participation in monitoring committees in accordance with Article 39.

In that context, Member States shall, where relevant, allocate an appropriate percentage of the resources coming from the Funds for the administrative capacity building of social partners and civil society organisations.

3. For Interreg programmes, the partnership shall include partners from all participating Member States.

4. The organisation and implementation of partnership shall be carried out in accordance with the European code of conduct on partnership established by Delegated Regulation (EU) No 240/2014.

5. At least once a year, the Commission shall consult organisations which represent partners at Union level on the implementation of programmes, and shall report to the European Parliament and Council on the outcome.

Article 9

Horizontal Principles

1. Member States and the Commission shall ensure respect for fundamental rights and compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the implementation of the Funds.

2. Member States and the Commission shall ensure that equality between men and women, gender mainstreaming and the integration of a gender perspective are taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programmes.

3. Member States and the Commission shall take appropriate steps to prevent any discrimination based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation during the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programmes. In particular, accessibility for persons with disabilities shall be taken into account throughout the preparation and implementation of programmes.

4. The objectives of the Funds shall be pursued in line with the objective of promoting sustainable development as set out in Article 11 TFEU, taking into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the "do no significant harm" principle.

The objectives of the Funds shall be pursued in full respect of the Union environmental acquis.

TITLE II

STRATEGIC APPROACH

CHAPTER I

Partnership Agreement

Article 10

Preparation and submission of the Partnership Agreement

1. Each Member State shall prepare a Partnership Agreement which sets out the strategic orientation for programming and the arrangements for using the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund, the JTF and the EMFAF in an effective and efficient way for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027.

2. The Partnership Agreement shall be prepared in accordance with the European code of conduct on partnership. Where a Member State already provides for a comprehensive partnership during the preparation of its programmes, that requirement is considered to be complied with.

3. The Member State shall submit the Partnership Agreement to the Commission before or at the same time as the submission of the first programme.

4. The Partnership Agreement may be submitted together with the relevant annual National Reform Programme and the integrated national energy and climate plan.

5. The Partnership Agreement shall be a strategic and concise document. It shall be no longer than 35 pages, unless the Member State, at its own initiative, decides to extend the length of the document.

6. The Member State shall draw up the Partnership Agreement in accordance with the template set out in Annex II. The Member State may include the Partnership Agreement in one of its programmes.

7. Interreg programmes may be submitted to the Commission before the submission of the Partnership Agreement.

8. The EIB may, at the request of the Member State concerned, participate in the preparation of the Partnership Agreement, as well as in activities relating to the preparation of operations, financial instruments and PPPs.

Article 11

Content of the Partnership Agreement

1. The Partnership Agreement shall contain the following elements: (a) the selected policy objectives and the specific objective of the JTF, indicating by which of the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement and programmes these objectives will be pursued and a justification thereto, taking into account relevant country-specific recommendations, the integrated national energy and climate plan, the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights and, where relevant, regional challenges; (b) for each of the selected policy objectives and the specific objective of the JTF: (i) a summary of the policy choices and the main results expected for each of the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement; (ii) coordination, demarcation and complementarities between the Funds and, where appropriate, coordination between national and regional programmes; (iii) complementarities and synergies between the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement, the AMIF, the ISF, the BMVI, and other Union instruments, including LIFE strategic integrated projects and strategic nature projects, and, where appropriate, projects funded under Horizon Europe; (c) the preliminary financial allocation from each of the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement by policy objective at national and where appropriate at regional level, respecting Fund-specific rules on thematic concentration and the preliminary financial allocation for the specific objective of the JTF, including any ERDF and ESF+ resources to be transferred to the JTF in accordance with Article 27; (d) the preliminary climate contribution target in accordance with Article 6(2); (e) where applicable, the breakdown of financial resources by category of region drawn up in accordance with Article 108(2) and the amounts of allocations proposed to be transferred pursuant to Articles 26 and 111, including a justification for such transfers; (f) for technical assistance, the choice of the Member State of the form of Union contribution pursuant to Article 36(3) and, where applicable, the preliminary financial allocation from each of the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement at national level and breakdown of financial resources by programme and category of region; (g) the amounts to be contributed to the InvestEU Programme by Fund and by category of region, where applicable; (h) the list of planned programmes under the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement with the respective preliminary financial allocations by fund and the corresponding national contribution by category of region, where applicable; (i) a summary of the actions which the Member State concerned plans to take to reinforce its administrative capacity of the implementation of the funds covered by the Partnership Agreement; (j) where appropriate, an integrated approach to address the demographic challenges or specific needs of regions and areas.

As regards the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg), the Partnership Agreement shall only contain the list of planned programmes.

2. The Partnership Agreement may also contain a summary of the assessment of the fulfilment of relevant enabling conditions referred to in Article 15 and Annexes III and IV.

Article 12

Approval of the Partnership Agreement

1. The Commission shall assess the Partnership Agreement and its compliance with this Regulation and with the Fund-specific rules while respecting the principle of proportionality, taking into account the strategic nature of the document, the number of programmes covered and the total amount of resources allocated to the Member State concerned. In its assessment, the Commission shall, in particular, take into account how the Member State intends to address relevant country-specific recommendations, its integrated national energy and climate plan as well as the European Pillar of Social Rights.

2. The Commission may make observations within 3 months of the date of submission by the Member State of the Partnership Agreement.

3. The Member State shall review the Partnership Agreement, taking into account the observations made by the Commission.

4. The Commission shall adopt a decision by means of an implementing act approving the Partnership Agreement no later than 4 months after the date of first submission of that Partnership Agreement by the Member State concerned.

5. When the Partnership Agreement is included in a programme in accordance with Article 10(6), the Commission shall adopt a single decision by means of an implementing act approving both the Partnership Agreement and the programme no later than 6 months after the date of first submission of the programme by the Member State concerned.

Article 13

Amendment of the Partnership Agreement

1. A Member State may submit to the Commission by 31 March 2025 an amended Partnership Agreement, taking into account the outcome of the mid-term review.

2. The Commission shall assess the amendment and may make observations within 3 months of the submission of the amended Partnership Agreement.

3. The Member State shall review the amended Partnership Agreement, taking into account the observations made by the Commission.

4. The Commission shall approve the amendment of a Partnership Agreement no later than 6 months after its first submission by the Member State.

Article 14

Use of the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF delivered through the InvestEU Programme

1. Member States may allocate, in the Partnership Agreement, an amount of up to 2 % of the initial national allocation for the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the EMFAF, respectively, to be contributed to the InvestEU Programme and delivered through the EU guarantee and the InvestEU Advisory Hub in accordance with Article 10 of the InvestEU Regulation. Member States, with the agreement of the managing authority concerned, may further allocate an amount of up to 3 % of the initial national allocation of each of those Funds after 1 January 2023 through one or more programme amendment requests.

Such amounts shall contribute to the achievement of the policy objectives selected in the Partnership Agreement or the programme and shall support investments essentially in the category of contributing regions.

Such contributions shall be implemented in accordance with the rules established in the InvestEU Regulation and shall not constitute transfers of resources under Article 26.

2. Member States shall determine the total amount contributed for each year by Fund and by category of region, where applicable. For the Partnership Agreement, resources of the current and future calendar years may be allocated. Where a Member State requests an amendment of a programme, only resources of future calendar years may be allocated.

3. The amounts referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be used for the provisioning of the part of the EU guarantee under the Member State compartment and for the InvestEU Advisory Hub upon conclusion of the contribution agreement in accordance with Article 10(3) of the InvestEU Regulation. The budgetary commitments of the Union in respect of each contribution agreement may be made by the Commission in annual instalments during the period between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2027.

4. Notwithstanding Article 12 of the Financial Regulation, where a contribution agreement, as set out in Article 10(2) of the InvestEU Regulation, has not been concluded within 4 months of the date of the Commission decision adopting the Partnership Agreement, for an amount referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article allocated in the Partnership Agreement, the corresponding amount shall be allocated to a programme or programmes within the contributing Fund and category of region, where relevant following a request by the Member State.

The contribution agreement for the amounts referred to in paragraph 1 allocated in the request of the amendment of a programme shall be concluded simultaneously with the adoption of the decision amending the programme.

5. In accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 10(4) of the InvestEU Regulation, where a guarantee agreement has not been concluded within 9 months from the conclusion of the contribution agreement, the contribution agreement shall be terminated or prolonged by mutual agreement.

Where the participation of a Member State in the InvestEU Fund is discontinued, the amounts concerned paid into the common provisioning fund as a provisioning shall be recovered as internal assigned revenue pursuant to Article 21(5) of the Financial Regulation. The Member State concerned shall submit a request for one or more programme amendments to use the amounts recovered and the amounts allocated to future calendar years according to paragraph 2 of this Article. The termination or amendment of the contribution agreement shall be concluded simultaneously with the adoption of the decisions amending the programme or programmes concerned.

6. In accordance with the third subparagraph of Article 10(4) of the InvestEU Regulation, where a guarantee agreementhas not been duly implemented within 4 years from the conclusion of the guarantee agreement, the contribution agreement shall be amended. The Member State may request that amounts contributed to the EU guarantee under paragraph 1 of this Article and committed in the guarantee agreement but not covering underlying loans, equity investments or other risk bearing instruments be treated in accordance with paragraph 5 of this Article.

7. Resources generated by or attributable to the amounts contributed to the EU guarantee shall be made available to the Member State in accordance with point (a) of Article 10(5) of the InvestEU Regulation and shall be used for support under the same objective or objectives in the form of financial instruments or budgetary guarantees.

8. For the amounts to be reused in a programme in accordance with paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of this Article, the decommitment time limit as set out in Article 105(1) shall start in the year in which the corresponding budgetary commitments are made.

CHAPTER II

Enabling conditions and performance framework

Article 15

Enabling conditions

1. For the specific objectives, enabling conditions are laid down in this Regulation.

Annex III contains horizontal enabling conditions applicable to all specific objectives and the criteria necessary for the assessment of their fulfilment.

Annex IV contains thematic enabling conditions for the ERDF, the ESF+ and the Cohesion Fund and the criteria necessary for the assessment of their fulfilment.

The enabling condition regarding the tools and capacity for effective application of State aid rules shall not be applicable to programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF or the BMVI.

2. When preparing a programme or introducing a new specific objective as part of a programme amendment, the Member State shall assess whether the enabling conditions linked to the selected specific objective are fulfilled. An enabling condition is fulfilled where all the related criteria are met. The Member State shall identify in each programme or in the programme amendment the fulfilled and non-fulfilled enabling conditions and shall provide a justification where it considers that an enabling condition has been fulfilled.

3. Where an enabling condition is not fulfilled at the time of approval of the programme or the programme amendment, the Member State shall inform the Commission as soon as it considers that the enabling condition has been fulfilled with a justification of the fulfilment.

4. The Commission shall, as soon as possible and no later than 3 months after receipt of the information referred to in paragraph 3, carry out an assessment and inform the Member State whether it agrees with the Member State regarding the fulfilment of the enabling condition.

Where the Commission disagrees with the Member State regarding the fulfilment of the enabling condition, it shall inform the Member State and set out its assessment.

Where the Member State disagrees with the Commission’s assessment, it shall present its observations within 1 month and the Commission shall proceed in accordance with the first subparagraph.

Where the Member State accepts the Commission’s assessment, it shall proceed in accordance with paragraph 3.

5. Without prejudice to Article 105, expenditure related to operations linked to the specific objective may be included in payment applications but shall not be reimbursed by the Commission until the Commission has informed the Member State of the fulfilment of the enabling condition pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 4 of this Article.

The first subparagraph shall not apply to operations that contribute to the fulfilment of the corresponding enabling condition.

6. The Member State shall ensure that enabling conditions remain fulfilled and respected throughout the programming period. It shall inform the Commission of any modification impacting the fulfilment of enabling conditions.

Where the Commission considers that an enabling condition is no longer fulfilled, it shall inform the Member State setting out its assessment. Subsequently, the procedure set out in the second and third subparagraphs of paragraph 4 shall be followed.

Where the Commission concludes that the non-fulfilment of the enabling condition persists and without prejudice to Article 105, based on the observations of the Member State, expenditure related to the specific objective concerned may be included in payment applications but shall not be reimbursed by the Commission until the Commission has informed the Member State of the fulfilment of the enabling condition pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 4 of this Article.

7. Annex IV shall not apply to priorities supported by the JTF or to any ERDF and ESF+ resources transferred to the JTF in accordance with Article 27.

Article 16

Performance framework

1. Each Member State shall establish a performance framework to allow monitoring, reporting on and evaluating programme performance during implementation of the programme, and to contribute to measuring the overall performance of the Funds.

The performance framework shall consist of:

(a) output and result indicators linked to specific objectives set out in the Fund-specific Regulations selected for the programme;

(b) milestones to be achieved by the end of the year 2024 for output indicators; and

(c) targets to be achieved by the end of the year 2029 for output and result indicators.

2. Milestones and targets shall be established in relation to each specific objective within a programme, with the exception of technical assistance and of the specific objective addressing material deprivation set out in point (m) of Article 4(1) of the ESF+ Regulation.

3. Milestones and targets shall allow the Commission and the Member State to measure progress towards the achievement of the specific objectives. They shall meet the requirements set out in Article 33(3) of the Financial Regulation.

Article 17

Methodology for the establishment of the performance framework

1. The methodology to establish the performance framework shall include: (a) the criteria applied by the Member State to select indicators; (b) data or evidence used, data quality assurance and the calculation method; (c) factors that may influence the achievement of the milestones and targets and how they were taken into account.

2. The Member State shall make the methodology to establish the performance framework available to the Commission on request.

Article 18

Mid-term review and flexibility amount

1. For programmes supported by the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF, the Member State shall review each programme, taking into account the following elements: (a) the new challenges identified in relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in 2024; (b) the progress in implementing the integrated national energy and climate plan, if relevant; (c) the progress in implementing the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights; (d) the socioeconomic situation of the Member State or region concerned, with special emphasis on territorial needs, taking into account any major negative financial, economic or social development; (e) the main results of relevant evaluations; (f) the progress in achieving the milestones, taking into account major difficulties encountered in the implementation of the programme; (g) for programmes supported by the JTF, the assessment carried out by the Commission, pursuant to point (b) of Article 29(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.

2. The Member State shall submit an assessment for each programme on the outcome of the mid-term review, including a proposal for the definitive allocation of the flexibility amount referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 86(1), to the Commission by 31 March 2025.

3. If deemed necessary following the mid-term review of the programme or in the event that new challenges are identified pursuant to point (a) of paragraph 1, the Member State shall submit to the Commission the assessment referred to in paragraph 2 together with the amended programme.

The revisions shall include:

(a) the allocations of the financial resources by priority;

(b) revised or new targets;

(c) the amounts to be contributed to the InvestEU Programme per Fund and per category of region, where applicable.

The Commission shall approve the revised programme in accordance with Article 24, including a definitive allocation of the flexibility amount.

4. Where, as a result of the mid-term review, the Member State considers that the programme does not need to be amended, the Commission shall either: (a) adopt a decision within 3 months of the submission of the assessment referred to in paragraph 2 confirming the definitive allocation of the flexibility amount; or (b) request the Member State within 2 months of the submission of the assessment referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article to submit an amended programme in accordance with Article 24.

5. Until the adoption of the Commission decision confirming the definitive allocation of the flexibility amount, this amount shall not be available for selection of operations.

6. The Commission shall prepare a report about the outcome of the mid-term review and submit it to the European Parliament and to the Council by the end of 2026.

CHAPTER III

Measures linked to sound economic governance and to exceptional or unusual circumstances

Article 19

Measures linking effectiveness of Funds to sound economic governance

1. The Commission may request a Member State to review and propose amendments of relevant programmes, where this is necessary to support the implementation of relevant Council Recommendations.

Such a request may be made for the following purposes:

(a) to support the implementation of a relevant country-specific recommendation adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and of a relevant Council recommendation adopted in accordance with Article 148(4) TFEU, addressed to the Member State concerned;

(b) to support the implementation of relevant Council Recommendations addressed to the Member State concerned and adopted in accordance with Article 7(2) or 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 9 ) provided that these amendments are deemed necessary to help correct the macroeconomic imbalances.

2. A request by the Commission to a Member State in accordance with paragraph 1 shall be justified, with reference to the need to support the implementation of the relevant recommendations, and shall indicate the programmes or priorities which it considers are concerned and the nature of the amendments expected. Such a request shall not be made before 2023 or after 2026, nor in relation to the same programmes in two consecutive years.

3. The Member State shall submit its response to the request referred to in paragraph 1 within 2 months of its receipt, setting out the amendments it considers necessary in the relevant programmes, the reasons for such amendments, identifying the programmes concerned and outlining the nature of the amendments proposed and their expected effects on the implementation of recommendations and on the implementation of the Funds. If necessary, the Commission shall make observations within 1 month of the receipt of that response.

4. The Member State shall submit a proposal to amend the relevant programmes within 2 months of the date of submission of the response referred to in paragraph 3.

5. Where the Commission has not submitted observations or where it is satisfied that any observations submitted have been duly taken into account, it shall adopt a decision approving the amendments of the relevant programmes no later than 4 months after its submission by the Member State.

6. Where the Member State fails to take effective action in response to a request made in accordance with paragraph 1, within the deadlines set out in paragraphs 3 and 4, the Commission may, within 3 months, following its observations under paragraph 3 or following the submission of the proposal of the Member State under paragraph 4, make a proposal to the Council to suspend part or all of the payments for the programmes or priorities concerned. In its proposal, the Commission shall set out the grounds for concluding that the Member State has failed to take effective action. In making its proposal, the Commission shall take account of all relevant information, and shall give due consideration to any elements arising from and opinions expressed through the structured dialogue under paragraph 14.

The Council shall decide on that proposal by means of an implementing act. That implementing act shall only apply with respect to payment applications submitted after the date of the adoption of that implementing act.

7. The Commission shall make a proposal to the Council to suspend all or part of the commitments or payments for one or more of the programmes of a Member State where the Council decides in accordance with Article 126(8) or (11) TFEU that a Member State has not taken effective action to correct its excessive deficit, unless it has determined the existence of a severe economic downturn in the euro area or in the Union as a whole within the meaning of Articles 3(5) and 5(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/97 ( 10 ).

8. The Commission may make a proposal to the Council to suspend all or part of the commitments or payments for one or more of the programmes of a Member State in the following cases: (a) where the Council adopts two successive recommendations in the same excessive imbalance procedure in accordance with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 on the grounds that a Member State has submitted an insufficient corrective action plan; (b) where the Council adopts two successive decisions in the same excessive imbalance procedure in accordance with Article 10(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 establishing non-compliance by a Member State on the grounds that it has not taken the recommended corrective action; (c) where the Commission concludes that a Member State has not taken measures as referred to in Council Regulation (EC) No 332/2002 ( 11 ) and as a consequence decides not to authorise the disbursement of the financial assistance granted to that Member State; (d) where the Council decides that a Member State does not comply with the macroeconomic adjustment programme referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 12 ), or with the measures requested by a Council decision adopted in accordance with Article 136(1) TFEU.

9. Priority shall be given to the suspension of commitments. Payments shall be suspended only when immediate action is sought and in the case of significant non-compliance. The suspension of payments shall apply to payment applications submitted for the programmes concerned after the date of the decision to suspend.

10. A proposal by the Commission for a decision to suspend commitments shall be deemed adopted by the Council unless the Council decides, by means of an implementing act, to reject such a proposal by qualified majority within 1 month of the submission of the Commission proposal.

The suspension of commitments shall apply to the commitments from the Funds for the Member State concerned from 1 January of the year following the adoption of the decision to suspend.

The Council shall adopt a decision, by means of an implementing act, on a proposal by the Commission referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 in relation to the suspension of payments.

11. The scope and level of the suspension of commitments or payments to be imposed shall be proportionate, respect the equality of treatment between Member States and take into account the economic and social circumstances of the Member State concerned, in particular the level of unemployment, the level of poverty or social exclusion in the Member State concerned compared to the Union average and the impact of the suspension on the economy of the Member State concerned. The impact of suspensions on programmes of critical importance to address adverse economic or social conditions shall be a specific factor to be taken into account.

12. The suspension of commitments shall be subject to a maximum of 25 % of the commitments relating to the next calendar year for the Funds or 0,25 % of nominal GDP, whichever is lower, in any of the following cases: (a) in the first case of non-compliance with an excessive deficit procedure as referred to in paragraph 7; (b) in the first case of non-compliance relating to a corrective action plan under an excessive imbalance procedure as referred to in point (a) of paragraph 8; (c) in the case of non-compliance with the recommended corrective action pursuant to an excessive imbalance procedure as referred to in point (b) of paragraph 8; (d) in the first case of non-compliance as referred to in points (c) and (d) of paragraph 8.

In the case of persistent non-compliance, the suspension of commitments may exceed the maximum percentages set out in the first subparagraph.

13. The Council shall lift the suspension of commitments on a proposal from the Commission in the following cases: (a) where the excessive deficit procedure is held in abeyance in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1467/97or the Council has decided in accordance with Article 126(12) TFEU to abrogate the decision on the existence of an excessive deficit; (b) where the Council has endorsed the corrective action plan submitted by the Member State concerned in accordance with Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 or the excessive imbalance procedure is placed in a position of abeyance in accordance with Article 10(5) of that Regulation or the Council has closed the excessive imbalance procedure in accordance with Article 11 of that Regulation; (c) where the Commission has concluded that the Member State concerned has taken appropriate measures as referred to in Regulation (EC) No 332/2002; (d) where the Commission has concluded that the Member State concerned has taken appropriate measures to implement the macroeconomic adjustment programme referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 or the measures requested by a Council decision adopted in accordance with Article 136(1) TFEU.

After the Council has lifted the suspension of commitments, the Commission shall re-budget the suspended commitments in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093.

Suspended commitments may not be re-budgeted beyond the year 2027.

The decommitment time limit for the re-budgeted amount in accordance with Article 105 shall start from the year in which the suspended commitment has been re-budgeted.

A decision concerning the lifting of the suspension of payments shall be taken by the Council on a proposal by the Commission where the applicable conditions set out in in the first subparagraph are fulfilled. A proposal by the Commission for a decision to lift the suspension of commitments shall be deemed adopted by the Council unless the Council decides, by means of an implementing act, to reject such a proposal by qualified majority within 1 month of the submission of the Commission proposal.

14. The Commission shall keep the European Parliament informed of the implementation of this Article. In particular, the Commission shall, when one of the conditions set out in paragraph 6, 7 or 8 is fulfilled for a Member State, immediately inform the European Parliament and provide details of the Funds and programmes which could be subject to a suspension.

The European Parliament may invite the Commission for a structured dialogue on the application of this Article, having regard to the transmission of the information referred to in the first subparagraph.

The Commission shall transmit the proposal for suspension or the proposal to lift such a suspension to the European Parliament and to the Council without delay after its adoption. The European Parliament may invite the Commission to explain the reasons for its proposal.

15. By 31 December 2025, the Commission shall carry out a review of the application of this Article. To that end, the Commission shall prepare a report which it shall transmit to the European Parliament and the Council, accompanied where necessary by a legislative proposal.

16. Where there are major changes in the social and economic situation in the Union, the Commission may submit a proposal to review the application of this Article, or the European Parliament or the Council, acting in accordance with Article 225 or 241 TFEU respectively, may request the Commission to submit such a proposal.

17. This Article shall not apply to the ESF+, the AMIF, the ISF, the BMVI or to Interreg programmes.

Article 20

Temporary measures for the use of the Funds in response to exceptional or unusual circumstances

1. Where after 1 July 2021 the Council has recognised the occurrence of an unusual event outside the control of one or more Member States, which has a major impact on the financial position of the general government or a severe economic downturn for the euro area or the Union as a whole as referred to in the tenth subparagraph of Article 5(1), the fourth subparagraph of Article 6(3), the tenth subparagraph of Article 9(1) and the fourth subparagraph of Article 10(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 ( 13 ) or the occurrence of unexpected adverse economic events with major unfavourable consequences for government finances as referred to in Articles 3(5) and 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1467/97, the Commission may, by means of an implementing decision and for a period of a maximum of 18 months, adopt one or more of the following measures provided that they are strictly necessary to respond to such exceptional or unusual circumstances: (a) on request of one or more Member States concerned, increase interim payments by 10 percentage points above the co-financing rate applicable, not exceeding 100 %, by way of derogation from Article 112(3) and (4) of this Regulation, as well as from Article 40 of the EMFAF Regulation, Article 15 of the AMIF Regulation, Article 12 of the ISF Regulation and Article 12 of the BMVI Regulation; (b) allow the authorities of a Member State to select for support operations that have been physically completed or fully implemented before the application for the funding under the programme is duly submitted to the managing authority, by way of derogation from Article 63(6), provided that the operation is in response to the exceptional circumstances; (c) provide that expenditure for operations in response to such circumstances may be eligible from the date on which the Council endorsed the occurrence of those circumstances, by way of derogation from Article 63(7); (d) extend the deadlines for the submission of documents and the submission of data to the Commission by up to 3 months, by way of derogation from Articles 41(6), 42(1), 44(2) and the first subparagraph of Article 49(3).

2. The Commission shall keep the European Parliament and the Council informed of the implementation of this Article. When one of the conditions set out in paragraph 1 is fulfilled, the Commission shall immediately inform the European Parliament and the Council on its assessment of the situation and its envisaged follow-up.

3. The European Parliament or the Council may invite the Commission for a structured dialogue on the application of this Article. When assessing the situation and envisaging a follow-up, the Commission shall give due consideration to the positions taken and views expressed through the structured dialogue.

4. If after the period not exceeding 18 months, as referred to in paragraph 1, the specific circumstances that led to the adoption of these temporary measures persist, the Commission shall reassess the situation and put forward a legislative proposal, as appropriate, amending this Regulation, providing for the necessary flexibility to address these circumstances.

5. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of the implementing decision adopted under paragraph 1 without delay, at the latest within 2 working days of its adoption.

TITLE III

PROGRAMMING

CHAPTER I

General provisions on the Funds

Article 21

Preparation and submission of programmes

1. Member States shall prepare, in cooperation with the partners referred to in Article 8(1), programmes to implement the Funds for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027.

2. Member States shall submit programmes to the Commission no later than 3 months after the submission of the Partnership Agreement. For the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, Member States shall submit programmes to the Commission no later than 3 months after the entry into force of this Regulation or the relevant fund-specific Regulation, whichever is later.

3. Member States shall prepare programmes in accordance with the programme template set out in Annex V.

For the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, Member States shall prepare programmes in accordance with the programme template set out in Annex VI.

4. Where an environmental report is prepared in accordance with Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 14 ), it shall be published on the programme website referred to in Article 49(1) of this Regulation.

Article 22

Content of programmes

1. Each programme shall set out a strategy for the contribution of the programme to the policy objectives or to the specific objective of the JTF and the communication of its results.

2. A programme shall consist of one or more priorities. Each priority shall correspond to a single policy objective, the specific objective of the JTF, or to technical assistance implemented pursuant to Article 36(4) or Article 37. A priority may use support from one or more Funds unless it receives support from the JTF or concerns technical assistance implemented pursuant to Article 36(4) or Article 37. A priority corresponding to a policy objective shall consist of one or more specific objectives. More than one priority may correspond to the same policy objective or to the specific objective of the JTF.

For programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, a programme shall use support from one Fund and consist of specific objectives and of technical assistance specific objectives.

3. Each programme shall set out: (a) a summary of the main challenges, taking into account: (i) economic, social and territorial disparities as well as inequalities, except for programmes supported by the EMFAF; (ii) market failures; (iii) investment needs and complementarity and synergies with other forms of support; (iv) challenges identified in relevant country-specific recommendations, relevant national or regional strategies of that Member State, including its integrated national energy and climate plan, in relation to the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights and, for the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, other relevant Union recommendations addressed to the Member State; (v) challenges in administrative capacity and governance and simplification measures; (vi) an integrated approach to address demographic challenges, where relevant; (vii) lessons learnt from past experience; (viii) macro-regional strategies and sea-basin strategies where Member States and regions participate in such strategies; (ix) for programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, progress in implementing the relevant Union acquis and action plans and a justification for the choice of specific objectives; (x) for programmes supported by the JTF, transition challenges identified in the territorial just transition plans; Points (i), (ii) and (viii) shall not apply to programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF or the BMVI. (b) a justification for the selected policy objectives, corresponding priorities, specific objectives and the forms of support; (c) for each priority, except for technical assistance, specific objectives; (d) for each specific objective: (i) the related types of actions and their expected contribution to those specific objectives, to macro-regional strategies, sea-basin strategies, and to territorial just transition plans supported by the JTF, where appropriate; (ii) output indicators and result indicators with the corresponding milestones and targets; (iii) the main target groups; (iv) actions safeguarding equality, inclusion and non-discrimination; (v) indication of the specific territories targeted, including the planned use of integrated territorial investment, community-led local development or other territorial tools; (vi) the interregional, cross-border and transnational actions with beneficiaries located in at least one other Member State or outside the Union, where relevant; (vii) the planned use of financial instruments; (viii) the types of intervention and an indicative breakdown of the programmed resources by type of intervention; (ix) for the specific objective of the JTF, the justification of any amounts transferred from the ERDF and the ESF+ resources in accordance with Article 27, as well as their breakdown by category of region, reflecting the types of interventions planned in accordance with the territorial just transition plans; (e) for each priority on technical assistance implemented pursuant to Article 36(4): (i) the related types of actions; (ii) output indicators with the corresponding milestones and targets; (iii) the main target groups; (iv) the types of intervention and an indicative breakdown of the programmed resources by type of intervention; (f) the planned use of technical assistance pursuant to Article 37, if applicable, and relevant types of intervention; (g) a financing plan containing: (i) a table specifying the total financial allocations for each of the Funds and, where applicable, for each category of region for the whole programming period and by year, including any amounts transferred pursuant to Article 26 or 27; (ii) for programmes supported by ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF, a table specifying the total financial allocations for each priority by Fund and by category of region, where applicable, and the national contribution and whether it is made up of public or private contribution, or both; (iii) for programmes supported by the EMFAF, a table specifying for each specific objective, the amount of the total financial allocations of the support from the Fund and the national contribution; (iv) for programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, a table specifying, by specific objective, the total financial allocations by type of action, the national contribution and whether it is made up of public or private contribution, or both; (h) the actions taken to involve the relevant partners referred to in Article 8(1) in the preparation of the programme, and the role of those partners in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme; (i) for each enabling condition linked to the selected specific objective, established in accordance with Article 15 and Annexes III and IV, an assessment of whether the enabling condition is fulfilled at the date of submission of the programme; (j) the envisaged approach to communication and visibility for the programme through defining its objectives, target audiences, communication channels, including social media outreach, where appropriate, planned budget and relevant indicators for monitoring and evaluation; (k) the programme authorities and the body or, in case of technical assistance pursuant to Article 36(5), where applicable, bodies which receive payments from the Commission.

Points (a)(i), (ii) and (viii) of this paragraph shall not apply to programmes limited to supporting the specific objective set out in point (m) of Article 4(1) of the ESF+ Regulation. Point (d) of this paragraph shall not apply to the specific objective set out in point (m) of Article 4(1) of the ESF+ Regulation.

For the ERDF, the Cohesion Fund, the ESF+, the JTF and the EMFAF, the programme shall be accompanied for information purposes by a list of planned operations of strategic importance, with a timetable.

If, in accordance with point (k), more than one body is identified to receive payments from the Commission, the Member State shall set out the share of the reimbursed amounts between those bodies.

4. By way of derogation from point (b) to (e) of paragraph 3, for each specific objective of programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, the following shall be provided: (a) a description of the initial situation, challenges and responses supported by the Fund; (b) indication of the implementation measures; (c) an indicative list of actions and their expected contribution to the specific objectives; (d) where applicable, a justification for the operating support, specific actions, emergency assistance, and actions as referred to in Articles 19 and 20 of the AMIF Regulation; (e) output and result indicators with the corresponding milestones and targets; (f) an indicative breakdown of the programmed resources by type of intervention.

5. Types of intervention shall be based on a nomenclature set out in Annex I. For programmes supported by the EMFAF, the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, types of intervention shall be based on a nomenclature set out in the Fund-specific Regulations.

6. For ERDF, ESF+, Cohesion Fund and JTF programmes, the table referred to in point (g)(ii) of paragraph 3 shall include the amounts for the years 2021 to 2027, including the flexibility amount.

7. The Member State shall communicate to the Commission any changes in the information referred to in point (k) of the first subparagraph of paragraph (3) without requiring a programme amendment.

8. For programmes supported by the JTF, Member States shall submit to the Commission the territorial just transition plans as part of the programme or programmes or of a request for amendment.

Article 23

Approval of programmes

1. The Commission shall assess the programme and its compliance with this Regulation and with the Fund-specific Regulations, as well as, for the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund, the JTF and the EMFAF, its consistency with the relevant Partnership Agreement. In its assessment, the Commission shall, in particular, take into account relevant country-specific recommendations, relevant challenges identified in the integrated national energy and climate plan, and the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the way they are addressed.

2. The Commission may make observations within 3 months of the date of submission of the programme by the Member State.

3. The Member State shall review the programme, taking into account the observations made by the Commission.

4. The Commission shall adopt a decision by means of an implementing act approving the programme no later than 5 months after the date of the first submission of the programme by the Member State.

Article 24

Amendment of programmes

1. The Member State may submit a reasoned request for an amendment of a programme, together with the amended programme, setting out the expected impact of that amendment on the achievement of the objectives.

2. The Commission shall assess the amendment and its compliance with this Regulation and with the Fund-specific Regulations, including requirements at national level, and may make observations within 2 months of the submission of the amended programme.

3. The Member State shall review the amended programme, taking into account the observations made by the Commission.

4. The Commission shall adopt a decision approving the amendment of a programme no later than 4 months after its submission by the Member State.

5. For programmes supported by the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF, the Member State may transfer during the programming period an amount of up to 8 % of the initial allocation of a priority and no more than 4 % of the programme budget to another priority of the same Fund of the same programme. For programmes supported by the ERDF, the ESF+ and the JTF, the transfer shall only concern allocations for the same category of region.

For programmes supported by the EMFAF, the Member State may transfer during the programming period an amount of up to 8 % of the initial allocation of a specific objective to another specific objective, including technical assistance implemented pursuant to Article 36(4).

For programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, the Member State may transfer during the programming period allocations between types of actions within the same priority and, in addition, an amount of up to 15 % of the initial allocation of a priority to another priority of the same Fund.

Such transfers shall not affect previous years. The transfers and related changes shall be considered to be not substantial and shall not require a decision of the Commission approving the amendment of the programme. They shall however, comply with all regulatory requirements and shall be approved by the monitoring committee in advance pursuant to point (d) of Article 40(2). The Member State shall submit to the Commission the amended table referred to under points (g)(ii), (iii) or (iv) of Article 22(3), as applicable, together with any related changes in the programme.

6. The approval of the Commission shall not be required for corrections of a purely clerical or editorial nature that do not affect the implementation of the programme. Member States shall inform the Commission of such corrections.

7. For programmes supported by the EMFAF, amendments of the programmes relating to the introduction of indicators shall not require the approval of the Commission.

Article 25

Joint support from the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF

1. The ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund and the JTF may jointly provide support for programmes under the Investment for jobs and growth goal.

2. The ERDF and the ESF+ may finance, in a complementary manner and subject to a limit of 15 % of support from those Funds for each priority of a programme, all or part of an operation for which the costs are eligible for support from the other Fund on the basis of eligibility rules applied to that Fund, provided that such costs are necessary for the implementation. That option shall not apply to any resources of the ERDF and the ESF+ that are transferred to the JTF in accordance with Article 27.

Article 26

Transfer of resources

1. Member States may request, in the Partnership Agreement or in a request for an amendment of a programme if agreed by the monitoring committee of the programme pursuant to point (d) of Article 40(2), the transfer of up to 5 % of the initial national allocation of each Fund to any other instrument under direct or indirect management, where such possibility is provided for in the basic act of such an instrument.

The sum of the transfers referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph and the contributions in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 14(1) shall not exceed 5 % of the initial national allocation of each Fund.

Member States may also request in the Partnership Agreement or in the request for an amendment of a programme the transfer of up to 5 % of the initial national allocation of each Fund to another Fund or Funds, except for transfers which are set out in the fourth subparagraph.

Member States may also request in the Partnership Agreement or in the request for an amendment of a programme an additional transfer of up to 20 % of the initial national allocation by Fund between the ERDF, the ESF+ or the Cohesion Fund within the Member State’s global resources under the Investment for jobs and growth goal. The Member States whose average total unemployment rate for the period 2017-2019 is under 3 % may request such an additional transfer of up to 25 % of the initial national allocation.

2. Transferred resources shall be implemented in accordance with the rules of the Fund or the instrument to which the resources are transferred and, in the case of transfers to instruments under direct or indirect management, for the benefit of the Member State concerned.

3. Requests for an amendment of a programme shall set out the total amount transferred for each year by Fund and by category of region, where applicable, shall be duly justified with a view to the complementarities and impact to be achieved, and shall be accompanied by the amended programme or programmes in accordance with Article 24.

4. After consultation with the Member State concerned, the Commission shall object to a request for transfer in the related programme amendment where such a transfer would undermine the achievement of the objectives of the programme from which the resources are to be transferred.

The Commission shall also object to the request where it considers that the Member State has not provided an adequate justification for the transfer with regard to the results to be achieved or the contribution to be made to the objectives of the receiving Fund or instrument in direct or indirect management.

5. Where the request for transfer concerns an amendment of a programme, only resources of future calendar years may be transferred.

6. JTF resources, including any resources transferred from the ERDF and the ESF+ in accordance with Article 27, shall not be transferable to other Funds or instruments pursuant to paragraphs 1 to 5 of this Article.

The JTF shall not receive transfers pursuant to paragraphs 1 to 5.

7. Where the Commission has not entered into a legal commitment under direct or indirect management for resources transferred in accordance with paragraph 1, the corresponding uncommitted resources may be transferred back to the Fund from which they have been initially transferred and allocated to one or more programmes.

To this end, the Member State shall submit a request for a programme amendment in accordance with Article 24(1), at the latest 4 months before the time limit for commitments set out in the first subparagraph of Article 114(2) of the Financial Regulation.

8. Resources transferred back to the Fund from which they have been initially transferred and allocated to one or more programmes shall be implemented in accordance with the rules set out in this Regulation and the Fund-specific Regulations as from the date of submission of the request for programme amendment.

9. For the resources transferred back to the Fund from which they have been initially transferred and allocated to a programme in accordance with paragraph 7 of this Article, the decommitment time limit as defined in Article 105(1) shall start in the year in which the corresponding budgetary commitments are made.

Article 27

Transfer of resources from the ERDF and the ESF+ to the JTF

1. Member States may request on a voluntary basis that the amount of resources available for the JTF under the Investment for jobs and growth goal in accordance with Article 3 of theJTF Regulation be complemented with resources from the ERDF, the ESF+ or a combination thereof, of the category of region where the territory concerned is located. The total of the ERDF and the ESF+ resources transferred to the JTF shall not exceed three times the amount of the JTF allocation referred to in point (g) of Article 110(1). The resources transferred from either the ERDF or the ESF+ shall not exceed 15 % of the respective ERDF and ESF+ allocation to the Member State concerned. Member States shall set out in those requests the total amount transferred for each year by category of region.

2. The respective transfers from the ERDF and the ESF+ resources to the priority or priorities supported by the JTF shall reflect the types of interventions in accordance with the information set out in the programme pursuant to point (d)(ix) of Article 22(3). Such transfers shall be considered to be definitive.

3. The JTF resources, including the resources transferred from the ERDF and the ESF+, shall be implemented in accordance with the rules set out in this Regulation and in the JTF Regulation. The rules set out in the ERDF and CF Regulation and in the ESF+ Regulation shall not apply to the ERDF and ESF+ resources transferred in accordance with paragraph 1.

CHAPTER II

Territorial development

Article 28

Integrated territorial development

Where a Member State supports integrated territorial development, it shall do so through territorial or local development strategies in any of the following forms:

(a) integrated territorial investments;

(b) community-led local development; or

(c) another territorial tool supporting initiatives designed by the Member State.

Where implementing territorial or local development strategies under more than one Fund, the Member State shall ensure coherence and coordination among the Funds concerned.

Article 29

Territorial strategies

1. Territorial strategies implemented pursuant to point (a) or (c) of Article 28 shall contain the following elements: (a) the geographical area covered by the strategy; (b) an analysis of the development needs and the potential of the area, including economic, social and environmental interlinkages; (c) a description of an integrated approach to address the identified development needs and the potential of the area; (d) a description of the involvement of partners in accordance with Article 8 in the preparation and in the implementation of the strategy.

They may also contain a list of operations to be supported.

2. Territorial strategies shall be under the responsibility of the relevant territorial authorities or bodies. Existing strategic documents concerning the covered areas may be used for territorial strategies.

3. Where the list of operations to be supported has not been included in the territorial strategy, the relevant territorial authorities or bodies shall select or shall be involved in the selection of operations.

4. When preparing territorial strategies, the authorities or bodies referred to in paragraph 2 shall cooperate with relevant managing authorities, in order to determine the scope of operations to be supported under the relevant programme.

Selected operations shall comply with the territorial strategy.

5. Where a territorial authority or body carries out tasks falling under the responsibility of the managing authority other than the selection of operations, the authority shall be identified by the managing authority as an intermediate body.

6. Support may be provided for the preparation and design of territorial strategies.

Article 30

Integrated territorial investment

Where a territorial strategy referred to in Article 29 involves investments that receive support from one or more Funds, from more than one programme or from more than one priority of the same programme, actions may be carried out as an integrated territorial investment.

Article 31

Community-led local development

1. Where a Member State considers it appropriate pursuant to Article 28, the ERDF, the ESF+, the JTF and the EMFAF shall support community-led local development.

2. The Member State shall ensure that community-led local development is: (a) focused on subregional areas; (b) led by local action groups composed of representatives of public and private local socioeconomic interests, in which no single interest group controls the decision-making; (c) carried out through strategies in accordance with Article 32; (d) supportive of networking, accessibility, innovative features in the local context and, where appropriate, cooperation with other territorial actors.

3. Where support to strategies referred to in point (c) of paragraph 2 is available from more than one Fund, the relevant managing authorities shall organise a joint call for selection of those strategies and establish a joint committee for all the Funds concerned to monitor the implementation of those strategies. The relevant managing authorities may choose one of the Funds concerned to support all preparatory, management and animation costs referred to in points (a) and (c) of Article 34(1) related to those strategies.

4. Where the implementation of such a strategy involves support from more than one Fund, the relevant managing authorities may choose one of the Funds concerned as the Lead Fund.

5. While respecting the scope and the eligibility rules of each fund involved in supporting the strategy, the rules of the Lead Fund shall apply to that strategy. The authorities of other funds shall rely on decisions and management verifications made by the competent authority of the Lead Fund.

6. The authority of the Lead Fund shall provide the authorities of other Funds with information necessary to monitor and make payments in accordance with the rules set out in the Fund-specific Regulations.

Article 32

Community-led local development strategies

1. The relevant managing authorities shall ensure that each strategy referred to in point (c) of Article 31(2) sets out the following elements: (a) the geographical area and population covered by that strategy; (b) the community involvement process in the development of that strategy; (c) an analysis of the development needs and potential of the area; (d) the objectives of that strategy, including measurable targets for results, and related planned actions; (e) the management, monitoring and evaluation arrangements, demonstrating the capacity of the local action group to implement that strategy; (f) a financial plan, including the planned allocation from each Fund, and also, where appropriate, the planned allocation from the EAFRD and each programme concerned.

It may also contain types of measures and operations to be financed by each affected Fund.

2. The relevant managing authorities shall define criteria for the selection of those strategies, set up a committee to carry out this selection and approve the strategies selected by that committee.

3. The relevant managing authorities shall complete the first round of selection of strategies and ensure the local action groups selected can fulfil their tasks set out in Article 33(3) within 12 months of the date of the decision approving the programme or, in the case of strategies supported by more than one Fund, within 12 months of the date of the decision approving the last programme concerned.

4. The decision approving a strategy shall set out the allocation of each Fund and programme concerned and set out the responsibilities for the management and control tasks under the programme or programmes.

Article 33

Local action groups

1. Local action groups shall design and implement the strategies referred to in point (c) of Article 31(2).

2. The managing authorities shall ensure that the local action groups are inclusive, and that they either select one partner within the group as a lead partner in administrative and financial matters or come together in a legally constituted common structure.

3. The following tasks shall be carried out exclusively by the local action groups: (a) building the capacity of local actors to develop and implement operations; (b) drawing up a non-discriminatory and transparent selection procedure and criteria, which avoids conflicts of interest and ensures that no single interest group controls selection decisions; (c) preparing and publishing calls for proposals; (d) selecting operations and fixing the amount of support and presenting the proposals to the body responsible for final verification of eligibility before approval; (e) monitoring progress towards the achievement of objectives of the strategy; (f) evaluating the implementation of the strategy.

4. Where local action groups carry out tasks not covered by paragraph 3 that fall under the responsibility of the managing authority, or of the paying agency where the EAFRD is selected as a Lead Fund, these local action groups shall be identified by the managing authority as intermediate bodies in accordance with the Fund-specific rules.

5. The local action group may be a beneficiary and may implement operations in accordance with the strategy, provided that the local action group ensures that the principle of separation of functions is respected.

Article 34

Support from Funds for community-led local development

1. The Member State shall ensure that support from the Funds for community-led local development covers: (a) capacity building and preparatory actions supporting the design and future implementation of the strategy; (b) the implementation of operations, including cooperation activities and their preparation, selected under the strategy; (c) the management, monitoring and evaluation of the strategy and its animation, including the facilitation of exchanges between stakeholders;

2. The support referred to under point (a) of paragraph 1 shall be eligible regardless of whether the strategy is subsequently selected for funding.

The support referred to under point (c) of paragraph 1 shall not exceed 25 % of the total public contribution to the strategy.

CHAPTER III

Technical assistance

Article 35

Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission

1. At the initiative of the Commission, the Funds may support preparatory, monitoring, control, audit, evaluation, communication including corporate communication on the political priorities of the Union, visibility and all administrative and technical assistance actions necessary for the implementation of this Regulation and, where appropriate, with third countries.

2. The actions referred to in paragraph 1 may include in particular: (a) assistance for project preparation and appraisal; (b) support for institutional strengthening and administrative capacity-building for the effective management of the Funds; (c) studies linked to the Commission’s reporting on the Funds and the cohesion report; (d) measures related to the analysis, management, monitoring, information exchange and implementation of the Funds, as well as measures relating to the implementation of control systems and technical and administrative assistance; (e) evaluations, expert reports, statistics and studies, including those of a gener