2002/424/EC: Commission Decision of 29 December 2000 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objective 1 in the region of French Guiana in France (notified under document number C(2000) 3438)
Date: 2000-12-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, European Investment Bank, French Guiana, Structural Funds, aid system, development aid, development plan, financing plan, less-favoured region, regional aid

14.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 156/19

COMMISSION DECISION

of 29 December 2000

approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under
Objective 1 in the region of French Guiana in France

(notified under document number C(2000) 3438)

(Only the French text is authentic)

(2000/424/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity,

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 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)

(4)

Articles 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 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
laid down in Articles 48 to 51.

The French Government submitted to the Commission
on 10 January 2000 an acceptable draft single program-
ming document for French Guiana fulfilling the con-
ditions for 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 description of the priorities selected and
an indication of the financial contribution from the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Euro-
pean Social Fund (ESF), the European Guidance and
Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guidance Section, and the
Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG).

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The date of submission 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 the Regulation, it is necessary to lay down
the final date for the eligibility of expenditure.

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 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee
Fund (EAGGF) (2).

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

The Commission has satisfied itself
programming document
principle of additionality.

the single
that
is in accordance with the

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 156/20

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Official Journal of the European Communities

14.6.2002

(10) The EIB has been involved in drawing up the single
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 to
its implementation in conformity with its statutory
provisions.

(11) The financial contribution from the Community avail-
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-
tive. 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 should 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,

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

promoting regional cooperation as a factor of
growth;

supporting population dynamics through training
facilities;

employability,
promoting
through vocational training;

skills

and mobility

expanding advanced training and research by estab-
lishing a university centre responsive to its surround-
ings;

developing a model of social integration;

promoting employment and combating exclusion;

promoting culture and restoring assets;

10. developing basic infrastructure to improve access;

11. promoting planning policy and environmental

improvement;

12.

spatial rebalancing of public measures and local
development;

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

13.

technical assistance;

Article 1

The single programming document for Community structural
assistance under Objective 1 in the region of French Guiana in
France for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2006 is
hereby approved.

Article 2

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

(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
the consistency of the priorities with the economic, social
and regional policies and the employment strategy of
France. The priorities are as follows:

1.

creating wealth and employment;

2.

providing the instruments required to finance the
economy and stimulate economic projects;

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

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

the indicative financing plan specifying for each priority
and each year the financial allocation envisaged for the
contribution from each Fund and indicating separately
the funding planned for the regions receiving transitional
support and the total amounts of eligible public or
equivalent expenditure and estimated private funding in
the Member State. The total contribution from the
Funds planned for each year for the ingle programming
document is consistent with the relevant financial per-
spective;

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
of global grants, a description of the systems for monitor-
ing and evaluation, including the role of the Monitoring
Committee and the arrangements for the participation of
the partners in that Committee;

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

information on the resources required for preparing,
monitoring and evaluating the assistance.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 156/21

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 730 448 887 for the whole period
and the financial contribution from the Structural Funds at
EUR 370 582 000.

resulting

requirement

273 648 582

resources of
The
and
sector
from the
EUR
EUR 86 218 305 from the private sector can be partly met by
Community loans from the European Investment Bank and
other lending instruments.

for national
public

Article 3

the

The total assistance from the Structural Funds granted
1.
to
under
EUR 370 582 000, after deduction of EUR 180 000 for
technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

single programming document amounts

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 among the
2.
Structural Funds of the total Community assistance available
is as follows:

ERDF

ESF

EAGGF Guidance Section

FIFG

EUR 224 230 943

EUR 75 919 611

EUR 62 808 995

EUR 7 622 451

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 document throughout the programme period,
up to a maximum of EUR 60 million, 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 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 92 and 93 (now
87 and 88) to certain categories of horizontal State aid (3). In
the absence of such exemption or approval, aid is illegal and
subject 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.

Notwithstanding the above subparagraphs, assistance for rural
development part-financed by the EAGGF will be governed by
Articles 51 and 52 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999.

Article 5

The date from which expenditure shall be eligible is 1 January
2000. 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 French Republic.

Done at Brussels, 29 December 2000.

For the Commission

Michel BARNIER

Member of the Commission

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