2002/696/EC: Commission Decision of 8 August 2000 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objective 1 in the region of Highlands and Islands in the United Kingdom (notified under document number C(2000)2348)
Date: 2000-08-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Structural Funds, United Kingdom, distribution of aid, farm development plan, regional aid, regional planning

9.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 241/37

COMMISSION DECISION

of 8 August 2000

approving the single programming document

for Community structural assistance under

Objective 1 in the region of Highlands and Islands in the United Kingdom

(notified under document number C(2000)2348)

(Only the English text is authentic)

(2002/696/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

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,

After consultation of 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)

(4)

Article 13 et seq. 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
provides
that, after consultation with the partners
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
the
Regulation, the Commission shall take a decision on the
single programming document, in agreement with the
Member State concerned and in accordance with the
procedures laid down in Articles 48 to 51.

The United Kingdom Government submitted to the
Commission on 3 November 1999 an acceptable draft
single programming document for the Highlands and
Islands
under
Objective 1, pursuant to Article 6(1) of Regulation (EC)
No 1260/1999. The draft contains the information
listed in Article 16 of the Regulation, and in particular a

transitional

qualifying

support

for

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

the

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), the
European Investment Bank (EIB) and the other financial
instruments proposed for implementing the plan.

European Agricultural Guidance

submission of

The date of
the draft which was
considered acceptable by the Commission constitutes
the date from which expenditure under the plan is
is
eligible. Under Article 30 of
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
1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support
for rural
development
from the EAGGF and amending and
repealing certain regulations (2).

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

The Commission has
programming document
principle of additionality.

satisfied itself

the single
that
in accordance with the

is

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.

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

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

L 241/38

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.9.2002

(10)

(11)

document

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

itself prepared

declared

in

are

financial

expressed

euro. The
consistent with the

The
contribution from the Community
available over the entire period and its year-by-year
annual
breakdown
breakdown must be
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.

(12)

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The single programming document for Community structural
assistance qualifying for transitional support under Objective 1
in Highlands and Islands in the United Kingdom for the period
1 January 2000 to 31 December 2006 is hereby approved.

Article 2

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

(a)

the
the strategy and priorities for the joint action of
Community Structural Funds and the Member State; their
specific 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 the United Kingdom.

The priorities are as follows:

(cid:151) increasing business competitiveness,

(cid:151) improving the conditions for regional competitiveness,

(cid:151) developing the region’s human resources,

(cid:151) assisting rural communities,

(cid:151) 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;

(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 perspectives;

the Member

State. The

funding

in

(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;

(f)

information on the resources
monitoring and evaluating the assistance.

required for preparing,

2.
The indicative financing plan puts the total cost of the
priorities selected for the joint action by the Community and
the Member State at EUR 853 114 million for the whole
period and the financial contribution from the Structural Funds
at EUR 308 502 000 million.

The resulting requirement
resources of EUR
367 335 million from the public sector and EUR 177 277
million from the private sector can be partly met by
Community loans from the EIB and other lending instruments.

for national

Article 3

1.
The total assistance from the Structural Funds granted
under the single programming document amounts to EUR
308 502 million.

9.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 241/39

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
out in the financing plan annexed to this Decision.

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

ERDF

ESF

EAGGF Guidance Section

FIFG

EUR 181 405 million,

EUR 59 540 million,

EUR 39 794 million,

EUR 27 763 million.

3.
During implementation of the financing plan, the total
cost or Community financing of a given priority can be
adjusted in agreement with the Member State by up to 25 % of
the total Community contribution to the single programming
document throughout the programme period or by up to EUR
60 million, whichever is the greater, without altering the total
Community contribution referred to in paragraph 1.

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 have not
yet been approved by the Commission. Submission of
the
application for assistance, the programming 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 within 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

illegal and subject

In the absence of

categories of horizontal aid (3).
such
to the
exemption or approval, aid is
consequences set out in the procedural regulation for State aid,
and its cofinancing would be treated as an irregularity within
the meaning of Articles 38 and 39 of Regulation (EC) No
the Commission will not accept
1260/1999. Consequently,
requests for interim and final payments under Article 32 of the
Regulation for measures being cofinanced 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 cofinanced by the EAGGF.

Article 5

The date from which expenditure shall be eligible is 3
November 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 United Kingdom.

Done at Brussels, 8 August 2000.

For the Commission

Pedro SOLBES MIRA

Member of the Commission

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