14.6.2002 EN L 156/47 Official Journal of the European Communities
COMMISSION DECISION
of 22 March 2001
approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under
Objective 2 in the region of Auvergne in France
(notified under document number C(2001) 627)
(Only the French text is authentic)
(2002/433/EC)
No 1260/1999. As permitted by Article 40(2) of Council THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on
support for rural development from the EuropeanHaving regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (2).munity,The draft includes rural development measures other
than those referred to in Article 35(1) of the Regulation.Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 ofIt also includes the information listed in Article 16 of21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the StructuralRegulation (EC) No 1260/1999, in particular a descrip-Funds (1), and in particular Article 15(5) thereof,tion of the priorities selected and an indication of
the financial contribution from the European Regional
After consulting the Committee on the Development and Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund
Conversion of Regions, the Committee pursuant to Article 147 (ESF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and
of the Treaty and the Committee on Agricultural Structures Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guarantee Section.
and Rural Development,
Whereas:
(5) The date of submission of the draft which was considered (1) Articles 13 et seq. of Title II of Regulation (EC) No 1260/
acceptable by the Commission constitutes the date from 1999 lay down the procedure for preparing and
which expenditure under the plan is eligible. Under implementing single programming documents.
Article 52(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, as an
acceptable plan was submitted between 1 January and
(2) Article 15(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/ 30 April 2000 the date from which expenditure under
1999 provides that, after consultation with the partners the plan is eligible is 1 January 2000 in the case of the
referred to in Article 8 of the Regulation, the Member Structural Funds; in the case of the EAGGF Guarantee
State may submit to the Commission a development Section, Article 6 of Commission Regulation (EC)
plan which is treated as a draft single programming No 2603/1999 (3) provides that the expenditure is
document, and which contains the information referred eligible only if it has actually been paid to the beneficiary
to in Article 16 of the Regulation. after the date of submission of the programme. Under
Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, it is
necessary to lay down the final date for the eligibility of(3) Under Article 15(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999,expenditure.on the basis of the regional development plan submitted
by the Member State and within the partnership estab-
lished in accordance with Article 8 of that Regulation,the Commission is to take a decision on the single
programming document, in agreement with the Member
State concerned and in accordance with the procedures
(6) The rural development measures to be financed by the
laid down in Articles 48 to 51. EAGGF Guarantee Section are governed, in particular as
regards their compatibility and consistency with com-
mon agricultural policy measures, by Regulation (EC)(4) The French Government submitted to the CommissionNo 1257/1999.on 28 April 2000 an acceptable draft single program-
ming document for the region of Auvergne fulfilling the
conditions for Objective 2 pursuant to Article 4(1) and
qualifying for transitional support under Objectives 2and 5(b) pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC)
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.
(3) OJ L 316, 10.12.1999, p. 26. (1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1.
L 156/48 EN 14.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
(7) The single programming document has been drawn up Article 2
in agreement with the Member State concerned andwithin the partnership.
1. In accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999, the single programming document includesthe following elements:
(8) The Commission has satisfied itself that the singleprogramming document is in accordance with theprinciple of additionality. (a) the strategy and priorities for the joint action of the
Structural Funds and the Member State; their specific
quantified targets; the ex-ante evaluation of the expected
impact, including on the environmental situation, and
(9) Under Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, the the consistency of the priorities with the economic, social
Commission and the Member State are required to and regional policies and the employment strategy of
ensure, in a manner consistent with the principle of France. The priorities are as follows:
partnership, coordination between assistance from the
Funds and from the EIB and other existing financial
instruments. 1. modernising and adapting the resources of the
Auvergne;
2. improving access to the Auvergne and raising its (10) The EIB has been involved in drawing up the single
profile; programming document in accordance with the pro-
visions of Article 15(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/
1999 and has declared itself prepared to contribute to3. the environment and spatial cohesion;its implementation in conformity with its statutory
provisions.
4. cooperation within the Massif central;
(11) The financial contribution from the Community avail- 5. rural development (EAGGF Guarantee Section);
able over the entire period and its year-by-year break-
down are expressed in euro. The annual breakdown
should be consistent with the relevant financial perspec- 6. technical assistance, communications and evalu-
tive. Under Article 7(7) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/ ation;
1999, the Community contribution has already been
indexed at a rate of 2 % per year. Under Article 7(7)
(b) a summary description of the measures planned to and Article 44(2) of the Regulation, the Community
implement the priorities, including the information contribution may be reviewed at mid-term, and not later
needed to check compliance with the State aid rules than 31 March 2004, to take account of the effective
under Article 87 of the Treaty; level of inflation and the allocation of the performance
reserve.
(c) the indicative financing plan specifying for each priority
and each year the financial allocation envisaged for the
contribution from each Fund and the other financial(12) Provision should be made for adapting the financial
instruments, including the total amount from the EAGGF allocations of the priorities of this single programming
Guarantee Section and indicating separately the funding document within certain limits to actual requirements
planned for the regions receiving transitional support in reflected by the pattern of implementation on the
respect of Objectives 2 and 5(b) and the total amounts of ground, in agreement with the Member State concerned,
eligible public or equivalent expenditure and estimated
private funding in the Member State. The total contri-
bution from the Funds planned for each year for theHAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:single programming document is consistent with the
relevant financial perspective;
Article 1 (d) the provisions for implementing the single programming
document including designation of the managing auth-
ority, a description of the arrangements for managing the
single programming document and the use to be made The single programming document for Community structural
assistance in the region of Auvergne in France eligible under of global grants, a description of the systems for monitor-
ing and evaluation, including the role of the Monitoring Objective 2 and qualifying for transitional support under
Objectives 2 and 5(b) for the period 1 January 2000 to Committee and the arrangements for the participation of
the partners in that Committee; 31 December 2006 is hereby approved.
14.6.2002 EN L 156/49 Official Journal of the European Communities
(e) the ex-ante verification of compliance with additionality Article 4
and information on the transparency of financial flows.
2. The indicative financing plan puts the total cost of the This Decision is without prejudice to the Commission’s
priorities selected for the joint action by the Community and position on aid schemes falling within Article 87(1) of the
the Member State at EUR 1 493 258 121 for the whole Treaty that are included in this assistance and which it has not
period, the financial contribution from the Structural Funds at yet approved. Submission of the application for assistance, the
EUR 299 564 423 and that from the EAGGF Guarantee programme complement or a request for payment by the
Section at EUR 58 343 000. Member State does not replace the notification required by
Article 88(3) of the Treaty.
The resulting requirement for national resources of
EUR 630 982 451 from the public sector andEUR 504 368 247 from the private sector can be partly metCommunity financing of State aid falling within Article 87(1)by Community loans from the European Investment Bank andof the Treaty, granted under aid schemes or in individual cases,other lending instruments.requires prior approval by the Commission under Article 88
of the Treaty, except where the aid falls under the de minimis
rule or is exempted under an exemption regulation adopted
by the Commission under Council Regulation (EC) No 994/98 3. The rate of part-financing by the EAGGF Guarantee
of 7 May 1998 on the application of Articles 92 and 93 Section for each rural development measure is given in the
(now 87 and 88) to certain categories of horizontal State single programming document. The rate of part-financing by
aid (
4). In the absence of such exemption or approval, aid is the EAGGF at the level of the sub-measure or action is given
illegal and subject to the consequences set out in the procedural in the programme complement provided for in Article 19(4)
regulation for State aid, and its part-financing would be treated of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 and shall be valid for at
as an irregularity within the meaning of Articles 38 and 39 of least one financial year.
Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999.
Article 3
Consequently, the Commission will not accept requests for
interim and final payments under Article 32 of the Regulation1. The total assistance from the Structural Funds grantedfor measures being part-financed with new or altered aid, asunder the single programming document amounts todefined in the procedural regulation for State aid, grantedEUR 299 564 423, to which the EAGGF Guarantee Sectionunder aid schemes or in individual cases, until such aid haswill contribute a further EUR 58 343 000.been notified to and formally approved by the Commission.
The procedure for granting the financial assistance, including
the financial contribution from the Funds for the various
priorities included in the single programming document, is set By way of derogation from the preceding paragraphs,
out in the financing plan annexed to this Decision. Articles 51 and 52 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 shall
apply in the context of rural development part-financed by the
EAGGF.
2. The indicative initial estimated breakdown among the
Structural Funds of the total Community assistance availableis as follows:
Article 5ERDF EUR 253 332 423
ESF EUR 46 232 000
The date from which expenditure shall be eligible is 1 January
2000 for the Structural Funds and 17 April 2000 for the
EAGGF Guarantee Section.3. During implementation of the financing plan, the total
cost or Community financing of a given priority may be
adjusted in agreement with the Member State by up to25 % of the total Community contribution to the single
programming document throughout the programme period,
up to a maximum of EUR 30 million, without altering the
total Community contribution referred to in paragraph 1. (4) OJ L 142, 14.5.1998, p. 1.
L 156/50 EN 14.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
The closing date for the eligibility of expenditure shall be under this programming document shall be 31 December
2006. 31 December 2008. This date is extended to 30 April 2009
for expenditure incurred by bodies granting assistance under
Article 6 Article 9(l) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999. The closing
date for the eligibility of expenditure in the area receivingThis Decision is addressed to the French Republic.transitional support shall be 31 December 2007.
Done at Brussels, 22 March 2001.
For the Commission
Michel BARNIERThe final date for the EAGGF Guarantee Section to
take account of payments made by the paying bodies Member of the Commission