Decision No 6/98 of the Association Council, association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Bulgaria, of the other part of 11 December 1998 adopting the terms and conditions for the participation of Bulgaria in the Community programme for energy efficiency, SAVE II
Date: 1998-12-11
Institutions: EC–Bulgaria Association Council
Subjects: Bulgaria, EU programme, energy policy, financing of the EU budget, greenhouse gas

9.2.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

L 35/29

DECISION  No  6/98  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  COUNCIL,

association  between  the  European  Communities  and  their  Member  States,  of  the  one  part,  and
the  Republic  of  Bulgaria,  of  the  other  part

adopting  the  terms  and  conditions  for  the  participation  of  Bulgaria  in  the  Community
programme  for  energy  efficiency,  SAVE  II

of  11  December  1998

(1999/113/EC)

THE  ASSOCIATION  COUNCIL,

HAS  DECIDED  AS  FOLLOWS:

Having  regard  to  the  Europe  Agreement  establishing  an
association between the European Communities and their
Member  States,  of  the  one  part,  and  the  Republic  of
Bulgaria,  of  the  other  part (1),

Having  regard  to  the  additional  Protocol  to  the  Europe
the
Agreement  establishing  an  association  between 
European  Communities  and  their  Member  States,  of  the
one  part,  and  the  Republic  of  Bulgaria,  of  the  other
part,  concerning  Bulgaria’s  participation  in  Community
programmes (2),  and  in  particular  Articles  1  and  2
thereof,

Whereas,  according  to  Article  1  of  the  said  additional
in  Community
Protocol,  Bulgaria  may  participate 
framework programmes, specific programmes, projects or
other  actions,  including  those  in  the  field  of  energy;

Whereas,  according  to  Article  2  of  the  said  additional
Protocol,  the  terms  and  conditions  for  the  participation
of Bulgaria in the activities referred to in Article 1 thereof
are  to  be  decided  by  the  Association  Council,

Article  1

Bulgaria  shall  participate  in  the  European  Community
II  according  to  the  terms  and
programme  SAVE 
conditions  set  out  in  Annexes  I  and  II  which  shall  form
an  integral  part  of  this  Decision.

Article  2

This Decision shall apply for the duration of the SAVE II
programme.

Article  3

This Decision shall enter into force on the first day of the
month  following  the  day  of  its  adoption.

Done  at  Brussels,  11  December  1998.

For  the  Association  Council

The  Chairman

N.  MIHAILOVA

(1) OJ  L  358,  31.12.1994,  p.  2.
(2) OJ  L  317,  30.12.1995,  p.  25.

L 35/30

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

9.2.1999

ANNEX  I

TERMS  AND  CONDITIONS  FOR  THE  PARTICIPATION  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  BULGARIA  IN
THE  MULTIANNUAL  COMMUNITY  PROGRAMME  FOR  ENERGY  EFFICIENCY,  SAVE  II

1. Bulgaria will participate in all actions of the multiannual Community programme for energy efficiency,
SAVE II (hereinafter called ‘SAVE II’) in conformity, unless otherwise provided in this Decision, with the
objectives,  criteria,  procedures  and  time  limits  laid  down  in  Council  Decision  96/737/EC  of
16  December  1996  concerning  a  multiannual  programme  for  the  promotion  of  energy  efficiency  in  the
Community  —  SAVE  II (1)  establishing  a  five-year  programme  for  the  preparation  and  implementation
of  measures  and  actions  in  a  cost-effective  manner  in  order  to  promote  energy  efficiency  within  the
Community.

2. The terms and conditions for the submission, assessment and selection of applications related to eligible
institutions,  organisations  and  individuals  of  Bulgaria  will  be  the  same  as  those  applicable  to  eligible
institutions,  organisations  and  individuals  of  the  Community,  set  within  the  limits  of  the  financial
contribution  of  Bulgaria  less  administrative  costs  as  provided  in  Annex  II.

3. Where applicable, to ensure the Community dimension of SAVE II, transnational projects and activities
proposed  by  Bulgaria  will  be  required  to  include  a  minimum  number  of  partners  from  the  Member
States  of  the  Community.  This  minimum  number  will  be  decided  in  the  framework  of  the
implementation  of  SAVE  II,  taking  into  account  the  nature  of  the  various  activities,  the  number  of
partners  in  a  given  project  and  the  number  of  countries  participating  in  the  activity.

4. Bulgaria will take all necessary steps to ensure national coordination and organisation of participation in

SAVE  II.

5. Bulgaria will pay each year a contribution to the general budget of the European Communities to cover

the  costs  resulting  from  its  participation  in  SAVE  II  (see  Annex  II).

The  Association  Committee  is  entitled  to  adapt  this  contribution  whenever  necessary.

6. The  Member  States  of  the  Community  and  Bulgaria  will  make  every  effort,  within  the  framework  of
existing  provisions,  to  facilitate  the  free  movement  and  residence  of  persons  moving  between  Bulgaria
and  the  Member  States  of  the  Community  for  the  purpose  of  participating  in  activities  covered  by  this
Decision.

7. Without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Commission and the Court of Auditors of the European
Communities in relation to the monitoring and evaluation of SAVE II pursuant to Article 5 of Decision
96/737/EC,  the  participation  of  Bulgaria  in  the  programme  will  be  continuously  monitored  on  a
partnership  basis  involving  Bulgaria  and  the  Commission  of  the  European  Communities.  Bulgaria  will
submit  the  necessary  reports  to  the  Commission  and  take  part  in  other  specific  activities  set  out  by  the
Community  in  that  context.

8. Without prejudice to the procedures referred to in Articles 4 and 5 of Decision 96/737/EC, Bulgaria will
be  invited  to  coordination  meetings  on  any  question  concerning  the  implementation  of  this  Decision
prior to the regular meetings of the SAVE Committee. The Commission will inform Bulgaria about the
results  of  such  regular  meetings.

9. The language to be used as regards the application process, contracts, reports to be submitted and other
administrative  arrangements  for  the  SAVE  II  programme  will  be  one  of  the  official  languages  of  the
Community.

(1) OJ  L  335,  24.12.1996,  p.  50.

9.2.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

L 35/31

ANNEX  II

FINANCIAL  CONTRIBUTION  OF  BULGARIA  TO  SAVE  II

1. The  financial  contribution  of  Bulgaria  will  cover:

— subsidies  or  any  other  financial  support  from  the  programme  to  Bulgarian  participants,

— supplementary administrative costs related to the management of the programme by the Commission

of  the  European  Communities  stemming  from  the  Republic  of  Bulgaria’s  participation.

2. For  every  financial  year,  the  aggregated  amount  of  subsidies  or  any  other  financial  support  received
from the programme by Bulgarian beneficiaries will not exceed the contribution paid by Bulgaria, after
deduction  of  the  supplementary  administrative  costs.

Should  the  contribution  paid  by  Bulgaria  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Communities,  after
deduction  of  the  supplementary  administrative  costs,  be  higher  than  the  aggregated  amount  of  the
subsidies  or  other  financial  support  received  by  the  Bulgarian  beneficiaries  from  the  programme,  the
Commission  will  transfer  the  balance  to  the  next  budgetary  exercise,  and  it  will  be  deducted  from  the
following year’s contribution. Should such a balance be left when the programme comes to an end, the
corresponding  amount  will  be  reimbursed  to  Bulgaria.

3. Bulgaria’s  annual  contribution  will  be  ECU  231 768  from  1998.  From  this  sum,  an  amount  of
ECU 15 768 will cover supplementary administrative costs related to the management of the programme
by  the  Commission  stemming  from  Bulgaria’s  participation.

4. The  Financial  Regulation  applicable  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European  Communities  will  apply,

notably  to  the  management  of  the  contribution  of  Bulgaria.

Upon the entry into force of this Decision and at the beginning of each year, the Commission will send
to  Bulgaria  a  call  for  funds  corresponding  to  its  contribution  to  the  costs  under  this  Decision.

This  contribution  will  be  expressed  in  ecus  and  paid  into  an  ecu  bank  account  of  the  Commission.

Bulgaria will pay its contribution to the annual costs under this Decision according to the call for funds
and  at  the  latest  three  months  after  the  call  for  funds  is  sent.  Any  delay  in  the  payment  of  the
contribution  will  give  rise  to  the  payment  of  interest  by  Bulgaria  on  the  outstanding  amount  from  the
due date. The interest rate corresponds to the rate applied by the European Monetary Cooperation Fund
for  the  month  of  the  due  date,  for  its  operations  in  ecus (1),  increased  by  1,5 %.

5. Bulgaria  will  pay  the  supplementary  administrative  costs  referred  to  in  paragraph  3  from  its  national

budget.

6. Subject  to  regular  PHARE  programming  procedures,  the  remaining  costs  of  ECU  216 000  for  each  of

the  years  1998,  1999  and  2000  will  be  paid  from  Bulgaria’s  annual  PHARE  allocations.

(1) Rate  published  monthly  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities  —  C  series.