Council Regulation (EC) No 214/2000 of 24 January 2000 on Community financial contributions to the International Fund for Ireland
Date: 2000-01-24
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU financing, European Commission, activity report, cross-border cooperation, international aid

29. 1. 2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 214/2000

of 24 January 2000

on Community financial contributions to the International Fund for Ireland

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 308 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The programmes of the International Fund for Ireland
(hereinafter referred to as ‘the Fund’) encourage cross-
border and cross-community cooperation and thereby
promote dialogue and reconciliation between national-
ists and unionists;

The Fund is an example of
successful Anglo-Irish
cooperation in promoting reconciliation between the
two communities
and social
progress;

and their

economic

ECU 15 million a year has been provided from the
general budget of
the European Communities from
1989 until 1995 to support projects of the Fund which
have a genuine additional impact in the areas concerned;

On 31 October 1994 the Council adopted Regulation
(EC) No 2687/94 on Community financial contributions
to the International Fund for Ireland (2) for 1995, 1996
and 1997;

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2687/94, the amount
established as part of the budgetary procedure for each
of the years 1995, 1996 and 1997 has been ECU 20
million;

Pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 2614/97 of 15
December 1997 on Community financial contributions
to the International Fund for Ireland (3), the amount
established as part of the budgetary procedure for each
of the years 1998 and 1999 has been ECU 17 million;

The assessments carried out in accordance with Articles
5 and 7 of Regulation (EC) No 2614/97 have confirmed
that the Community's contribution has been used in
accordance with the objectives of the Fund and the
criteria laid down in Articles 2 and 3 of the said Regula-
tion;

Regulation (EC) No 2614/97 expires on 31 December
1999;

The peace process in Northern Ireland requires a contin-
uation of Community support beyond that date;

(1) Opinion of

the European Parliament delivered on 17 December

1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal).

(2) OJ L 286, 5.11.1994, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 353, 24.12.1997, p. 5.

(10) At its meeting in Berlin on 24 to 25 March 1999, the
European Council decided that support for the Fund
would be continued for three more years (2000 to
2002) to the amount of EUR 15 million for each of the
years 2000, 2001 and 2002 expressed in current values;

(11) At the said meeting, the European Council decided that
the PEACE programme in Northern Ireland and the
Border Counties of Ireland would be continued for five
years (2000 to 2004), with an amount of EUR 500
million;

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

The Community contribution should be used by the
Fund in accordance with the Agreement under which it
was established and in priority for projects that are
consistent with the activities funded by the PEACE
programme for the period 2000 to 2004;

Such support should take the form of financial contribu-
tions for a period of three more years;

It is vital to ensure proper coordination between the
Fund's activities and those financed under Community
structural policies;

Fund assistance will be effective only in so far as it is
additional to, and not a substitute for, other public or
private expenditure;

(16) An assessment reviewing the Fund's prerformance and
the need for further support will be drawn up before 1
April 2001;

(17)

(18)

This support will contribute to reinforcing the solidartiy
between the Member States and between their peoples;

The Treaty provides no powers other than those in
Article 308 for the adoption of this Regulation,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Subject to the annual budget procedure, and in the framework
of the EUR 45 million for the period 2000 to 2002, an annual
contribution of EUR 15 million shall be made to the fund, for
each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, in accordance with
the second subparagraph of point 34 of the Interinstitutional
agreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament,
the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and
improvement of the budgetary procedure (4).

(4) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

29. 1. 2000

Article 2

The contribution shall be used by the Fund in accordance with
the Agreement under which it was established, in priority for
projects of a cross-border or cross-community nature,
in
particular those consistent with the objectives of the PEACE
programme and other operations supported by the Structural
Funds.

The contributions shall be used in such a way that they have
genunine additional impact on the areas concerned and should
not therefore be used as a substitute for other public and
private expenditure.

The Commission shall be represented by an observer at the
Board meetings of the Fund.

Article 3

The Commission shall ensure coordination between the Fund's
activities and those financed by Community structural policies.
The Commission shall keep the relevant monitoring commit-
tees informed of the activities of the Fund.

Article 4

The Commission shall, in cooperation with the board of the
Fund, determine appropriate publicity and information proced-
ures in order to publicise the Community's participation in the
projects financed by the Fund.

Article 5

continuing contributions beyond 2002. This report will cover,
inter alia, the following matters:
— a survey of the Fund's activities,
— a list of projects which have received aid,
— an assessment of the nature and impact of the interven-
tions, in respect, in particular, of the objectives of the Fund
and the criteria laid down in the first and second subpara-
graphs of Article 2 and in Article 3,

— an annex containing the results of the verifications and
controls carried out by the Commission representative or
its agents, particularly as regards the modalities of
the
coordination of the Fund's activities with those carried out
under Community structural policies.

Article 6

The annual contribution shall be paid in two parts as follows:
— an advance of 80 % will be paid over after the Chairman of
the Board of the Fund has signed the Commission's relevant
undertaking relating to grants and has undertaken to use
the contribution in accordance with the provisions of
Article 2 and after the Commission has received and
accepted the annual activity report of the fund and audited
accounts in respect of the previous year,

— the remaining 20 % will be paid over after the Commission
has received and accepted the annual activity report of the
Fund and audited accounts relating to the year for which
the Community contribution was made.

The Commission shall administer the contributions.

Article 7

The Commission shall submit not later than 1 April 2001 a
to the Budgetary Authority assessing the need for
report

This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 2000 and
shall remain in force until 31 December 2002.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 24 January 2000.

For the Council

The President

J. GAMA