2002/434/EC: Commission Decision of 22 March 2001 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objectives 1 and 2 to the National Computerisation Programme in France (notified under document number C(2001) 652)
Date: 2001-03-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financial instrument, European Investment Bank, France, 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 156/51

COMMISSION DECISION

of 22 March 2001

approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under
Objectives 1 and 2 to the National Computerisation Programme in France

(notified under document number C(2001) 652)

(Only the French text is authentic)

(2002/434/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 and the Committee on Agricultural Structures
and Rural Development,

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 28 April 2000 an acceptable draft single program-
ming document for the National Computerisation Pro-
gramme, fulfilling the conditions for Objectives 1 and 2
pursuant to Articles 3(1) and 4(1) of Regulation (EC)

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

No 1260/1999 and qualifying for transitional support
under Objectives 1 and 2 pursuant to Article 6(1) and (2)
of that Regulation. 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) and the other financial
instruments to be used to implement the plan.

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 52(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, as an
acceptable plan was submitted between 1 January and
30 April 2000, the date from which expenditure under
the plan is eligible is 1 January 2000. Under Article 30
of the Regulation, it is necessary to lay down the final
date for the eligibility of expenditure.

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.

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.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

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Official Journal of the European Communities

14.6.2002

(10) 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.

(11)

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,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The single programming document for the National Com-
puterisation Programme in France for the period 1 January
2000 to 31 December 2006 is hereby approved.

Article 2

(c)

(d)

he 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 under Objective 1 and the total amounts of
eligible public or equivalent expenditure and estimated
private funding in the Member State. The total contri-
bution from the Funds planned for each year for the
single programming document is consistent with the
relevant financial perspective;

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;

(e)

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

The indicative financing plan puts the total cost of the
2.
priorities selected for the joint action by the Community and
the Member State at EUR 34 666 666 for the whole period
and the financial contribution from the Structural Funds at
EUR 19 333 333.

resulting

requirement

The
resources of
EUR 15 333 333 from the public sector can be partly met by
Community loans from the European Investment Bank and
other lending instruments.

for national

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

Article 3

(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.

non-material investments in computerisation;

2. material
project;

investments required to carry out

the

3.

technical assistance;

(b)

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

single programming document amounts

The total assistance from the Structural Funds granted
1.
to
under
EUR 19 333 333. 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.

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

ERDF Objective 1

EUR 4 000 000

ERDF Objective 1 transitional support

EUR 2 000 000

ERDF Objective 2

EUR 13 333 333

Total

EUR 19 333 333

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 156/53

In the case of the Objective 1 appropriations, during
3.
implementation of
the total cost or
the financing plan,
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
the programme period, up to a
maximum of EUR 60 million, without altering the total
Community contribution referred to in paragraph 1.

throughout

maximum of EUR 30 million, without altering the total
Community contribution referred to in paragraph 1.

Article 4

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.

the Objective 2 appropriations, during
In the case of
implementation of
the total cost or
the financing plan,
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

throughout

Article 5

This Decision is addressed to the French Republic.

Done at Brussels, 22 March 2001.

For the Commission
Michel BARNIER

Member of the Commission