2002/320/EC: Commission Decision of 15 May 2000 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objective 1 in the region of Hainaut in Belgium (notified under document number C(2000) 1222)
Date: 2000-05-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Belgium, Province of Hainault, Structural Funds, regional aid

8.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 122/1

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 15 May 2000

approving the single programming document

for Community structural assistance under

Objective 1 in the region of Hainaut in Belgium

(notified under document number C(2000) 1222)

(Only the French and Dutch texts are authentic)

(2002/320/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

single programming document,
in agreement with the
Member State concerned and in accordance with the
procedures laid down in Articles 48 to 51.

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of
21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the
Structural Funds (1), and in particular Article 15(5) thereof,

(4)

After consulting the Committee on the Development and
Conversion of Regions, the Committee pursuant to Article 147
of the Treaty, the Committee on Agricultural Structures and
Rural Development and the Committee on Structures for
Fisheries and Aquaculture,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Articles 13 and following of Title II of Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999 lay down the procedure for preparing
and implementing single programming documents.

Article 15(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999
that, after consultation with the partners
provides
referred to in Article 8 of the Regulation, the Member
State may submit to the Commission a development
plan which is treated as a draft Single Programming
Document, and which contains the information referred
to in Article 16 of the Regulation

Under Article 15(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999,
on the basis of the regional development plan submitted
by the Member State and within the partnership
established in accordance with Article 8 of
that
Regulation, the Commission is to take a decision on the

(5)

(6)

The Belgian Government submitted to the Commission
on 7 December 1999 an acceptable draft Single
Programming Document for the province of Hainaut
qualifying for transitional support under Objective 1
pursuant
to Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC) No
1260/1999. The draft contains the information listed in
the Regulation, and in particular a
Article 16 of
description of the priorities selected and an indication of
the financial contribution from the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund
(ESF),
and
Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guidance Section, and the
Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG).

European Agricultural Guidance

the

submission of

The date of
the draft which was
considered acceptable by the Commission constitutes
the date from which expenditure under the plan is
eligible. Under Article 30 of
is
necessary to lay down the final date for the eligibility of
expenditure.

the Regulation,

it

The rural development measures to be financed by the
EAGGF are governed,
in particular as regards their
compatibility and consistency with common agricultural
policy measures, by Council Regulation (EC) No
for rural
1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support
development from the European Agricultural Guidance
and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (2).

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.

L 122/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

8.5.2002

The single programming document has been drawn up
in agreement with the Member State concerned and
within the partnership.

(a)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

The Commission has satisfied itself
Programming Document
principle of additionality.

is

the Single
in accordance with the

that

Under Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, the
Commission and the Member State are required to
ensure,
in a manner consistent with the principle of
partnership, coordination between assistance from the
Funds and from the EIB and other existing Financial
Instruments.

document

The EIB has been involved in drawing up the single
programming
in accordance with the
provisions of Article 15(5) of Regulation (EC) No
1260/1999 and has
to
contribute to its implementation with the estimated loan
amounts indicated in this Decision and in conformity
with its statutory provisions.

itself prepared

declared

in

are

financial

expressed

euro. The

The
contribution from the Community
available over the entire period and its year-by-year
breakdown
annual
breakdown should be consistent with the relevant
financial perspective. Under Article 7(7) of Regulation
(EC) No 1260/1999, the Community contribution has
already been indexed at a rate of 2 % per year. Under
Article 7(7) and Article 44(2) of the Regulation, the
Community contribution may be reviewed at mid-term,
and not later than 31 March 2004, to take account of
the effective level of inflation and the allocation of the
performance reserve.

the strategy and priorities for the joint action of
the
their specific
Structural Funds and the Member State;
quantified targets; the ex ante evaluation of the expected
impact, including on the environmental situation, and the
consistency of the priorities with the economic, social and
regional policies and the employment strategy of Belgium.
The priorities are as follows:

1. creating growth centres by developing the productive

base;

2. creating

growth centres

through the

knowledge

economy;

3. developing

the potential of
aquaculture and the countryside;

agriculture,

forestry,

4.

increasing the attractiveness of
restoration and image-promotion;

the area through

5. a preventative approach to the labour market;

6.

improving reintegration into working life and social
inclusion;

7.

technical assistance;

(b) a summary description of

the measures planned to
implement the priorities, including the information needed
to check compliance with the State aid rules under Article
87 of the Treaty;

(12)

Provision should be made for adapting the financial
allocations of the priorities of this single programming
document within certain limits to actual requirements
implementation on the
reflected by the pattern of
ground, in agreement with the Member State concerned,

(c)

the indicative financing plan specifying for each priority
and each year the financial allocation envisaged for the
contribution from each Fund and the total amounts of
eligible public or equivalent expenditure and estimated
private
total
contribution from the Funds planned for each year for the
single programming document
is consistent with the
relevant financial perspective;

the Member

State. The

funding

in

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The single programming document for Community structural
assistance under Objective 1 in the region of Hainaut
qualifying for
support under Objective 1 in
Belgium for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2006
is hereby approved.

transitional

(d) the provisions for implementing the single programming
document including designation of the managing authority,
a description of the arrangements for managing the single
programming document and the use to be made of global
grants, a description of the systems for monitoring and
evaluation, including the role of the Monitoring Committee
and the arrangements for the participation of the partners
in that Committee;

(e)

the ex ante verification of compliance with additionality
and information on the transparency of financial flows;

Article 2

(f)

information on the resources
monitoring and evaluating the assistance.

required for preparing,

1.
In accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No
1260/1999, the single programming document includes the
following elements:

2.
The indicative financing plan puts the total cost of the
priorities selected for the joint action by the Community and

8.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 122/3

the Member State at EUR 2 221 740 000 for the whole period
and the financial contribution from the Structural Funds at
EUR 645 000 000.

for national

The resulting requirement
resources of EUR
657 300 000 from the public sector and EUR 919 440 000
from the private sector can be partly met by Community loans
from the European Investment Bank and other
lending
instruments.

Article 3

1.
The total assistance from the Structural Funds granted
under the single programming document amounts to EUR
financial
645 000 000. The procedure
assistance, including the financial contribution from the Funds
for the various priorities included in the Single Programming
Document,
is set out in the financing plan annexed to this
Decision.

for granting the

2.
The indicative initial estimated breakdown among the
Structural Funds of the total Community assistance available is
as follows:

ERDF

ESF

EUR 409 790 000

EUR 191 900 000

EAGGF Guidance Section

EUR 41 570 000

FIFG

EUR 1 740 000

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 to 25 % of
the total Community contribution to the single programming
the programme period, up to a
document
maximum of EUR 60 million, without altering the total
Community contribution referred to in paragraph 1.

throughout

Article 4

This Decision is without prejudice to the Commission’s
position on aid schemes falling within Article 87(1) of the
Treaty that are included in this assistance and which it has not
yet approved. Submission of the application for assistance, the
programme complement or a request
for payment by the
Member State does not replace the notification required by
Article 88(3) of the Treaty.

Community financing of state aid falling within Article 87(1)
of the Treaty, granted under aid schemes or in individual cases,
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 of 7
May 1998 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 to certain
categories of horizontal State aid (3). In the absence of such
exemption or approval, aid is
to the
consequences set out in the procedural regulation for State aid,
and its part-financing would be treated as an irregularity
within the meaning of Articles 38 and 39 of Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999. Consequently, the Commission will not accept
requests for interim and final payments under Article 32 of the
Regulation for measures being part-financed with new or
altered aid, as defined in the procedural regulation for State
aid, granted under aid schemes or in individual cases, until
such aid has been notified to and formally approved by the
Commission.

illegal and subject

Consequently,
the Commission will not accept requests for
interim and final payments under Article 32 of the Regulation
for measures being part-financed with new or altered aid, as
defined in the procedural regulation for State aid, granted
under aid schemes or in individual cases, until such aid has
been notified to and formally approved by the Commission.

By way of derogation from the preceding paragraphs, Articles
51 and 52 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 shall apply in
the context of rural development part-financed by the EAGGF.

Article 5

The date from which expenditure shall be eligible is 7
December 1999. The closing date for
the eligibility of
expenditure shall be 31 December 2008. This date is extended
to 30 April 2009 for expenditure incurred by bodies granting
assistance under Article 9(l) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999.

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium.

Done at Brussels, 15 May 2000.

For the Commission

Michel BARNIER

Member of the Commission

(3) OJ L 142, 14.5.1998, p. 1.