EN Official Journal of the European Union L 263/40

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE

No 249/2014

of 13 November 2014

amending Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms [2015/1808]

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘the EEA Agreement’), and in particular Articles 86 and 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) It is appropriate to extend the cooperation of the Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement to include Regulation (EU) No 377/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing the Copernicus Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 911/2010 (1).

(2) It is appropriate that the participation of EFTA States in the activities resulting from Regulation (EU) No 377/2014 commence from 1 January 2014 even if this Decision is adopted, or if the fulfilment of constitutional requirements for this Decision, if any, is notified after 10 July 2014.

(3) Entities established in the EFTA States should be entitled to participate in activities which start before the entry into force of this Decision. The costs incurred for such activities, the implementation of which starts after 1 January 2014, may be considered eligible under the same conditions as those applicable to costs incurred by entities established in the EU Member States provided that this Decision enters into force before the end of the action concerned.

(4) Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended cooperation to take place from 1 January 2014,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The following paragraph is inserted after paragraph 8c of Article 1 of Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement:

‘8d. (a) The EFTA States shall, as from 1 January 2014, participate in the activities which may result from the following Union act: — 32014 R 0377: Regulation (EU) No 377/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 establishing the Copernicus Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 911/2010 (OJ L 122, 24.4.2014, p. 44). (b) The EFTA States shall contribute financially to the activities referred to under (a) in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of, and Protocol 32 to, the Agreement. (c) The costs incurred for activities the implementation of which starts after 1 January 2014, may be considered eligible as from the beginning of the action under the grant agreement or the grant decision concerned provided that Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 249/2014 of 13 November 2014 enters into force before the end of the action. (d) The EFTA States shall participate fully, without the right to vote, in all the Union committees which assist the European Commission in the management, development and implementation of the activities referred to under (a). (e) This paragraph shall not apply to Norway and Liechtenstein.’.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement (2).

It shall apply from 1 January 2014.

Article 3

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 13 November 2014. For the EEA Joint Committee The President Kurt JÄGER

(1) OJ L 122, 24.4.2014, p. 44.

(2) No constitutional requirements indicated.