Commission Regulation (EC) No 1557/2001 of 30 July 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy
Date: 2001-07-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, action programme, common agricultural policy, information, public awareness campaign

31.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 205/25

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1557/2001

of 30 July 2001

laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 on informa-
tion measures relating to the common agricultural policy

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 of 17
April 2000 on information measures relating to the common
agricultural policy (1), and in particular Article 9 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

In view of experience gained during the 2000 and 2001
marketing years, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1390/
2000 of 29 June 2000 laying down detailed rules for the
application of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 on
information measures relating to the common agricul-
tural policy (2) should be amended in order to make
some clarifications,
improve the arrangements for the
receipt and processing of applications and provide for
greater flexibility in financing arrangements to allow up
to 75 % financing of certain measures of exceptional
interest. In view of the extent of these necessary amend-
ments, and to achieve transparency for all the interested
parties, Regulation (EC) No 1390/2000 should be
redrafted.

Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 defines the type and
content of
relating to the
common agricultural policy.

information measures

A call
for proposals is the most efficient and most
transparent way of ensuring that the grants provided for
in Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 receive the widest
publicity and that the best measures are selected.

The eligibility criteria for applicants,
the exclusion
criteria and the general selection criteria for the meas-
ures referred to in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No
814/2000 should be laid down in detail.

Amongst the recipients of the financing foreseen under
Regulation (EC) No 814/2000, there are organisations
without a well-defined legal status. In order to protect
the Community, when an
interests of
the financial
advance on the grant is to be paid,
it is, therefore,
necessary for a bank guarantee of an equivalent amount
to be provided.

In order to make the financial resources available to the
largest number possible, a financing rate of more than
50 % must be an exception.

Notifying the Committee for the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), established by
Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999

on the financing of the common agricultural policy (3),
of measures financed under this Regulation will facilitate
implemented by the
the coordination of measures
Member States and those supported by the Community.

(8)

(9)

Taking into account the time limits necessary for the call
for proposals to be published, it is advisable to foresee
the entry into force of the Regulation with immediate
effect.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of the EAGGF Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Scope

This Regulation lays down detailed rules for the application of
the information measures relating to the common agricultural
policy in the form of work programmes and specific measures
referred to in Article 2(1)(a) and (b) of Regulation (EC) No
814/2000.

Article 2

Call for proposals

The Commission shall publish in the Official
the
European Communities by 31 July each year a call for proposals
specifying inter alia the priority topics and measures and the
deadlines for the submission of applications and for the
commencement, implementation and conclusion of the meas-
ures concerned.

Journal of

Article 3

Eligibility criteria for applicants

The organisations and associations referred to in Article
the

1.
2(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 must meet
following conditions:

(a) be private;

in the case of organisations or associations
bringing together other organisations or associations, these
last bodies must also be private;

(b) be non-profit-making;

(c) have been established in a Member State for at least two

years.

(1) OJ L 100, 20.4.2000, p. 7.
(2) OJ L 158, 30.6.2000, p. 17.

(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 103.

L 205/26

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.7.2001

The parties referred to in Article 2(1)(b) of Regulation
2.
(EC) No 814/2000 must be legal persons legally constituted in
a Member State for at least two years.

3. Where the agreement referred to in Article 9 provides for
the payment of an advance on the grant, the applicant shall
provide a bank guarantee of an equivalent amount.

This guarantee shall not be required where the applicant is a
public body.

If the call for proposals for the marketing year in ques-
5.
tion provides for a second date for the submission of applica-
tions, an applicant whose work programme has been rejected
may submit a maximum of three grant applications, each for a
specific measure, in compliance with the ceiling laid down in
paragraph 2 of this Article.

Grant applications shall be admissible only where they

6.
are made in accordance with Annex I.

Article 4

Reasons for excluding applicants

Applicants will be excluded in the following cases:

(a) if they are in a state of bankruptcy, liquidation, cessation or
judicial winding-up, composition
suspension of activities,
or similar action, or if are the subject of such proceedings;

(b) if they have been convicted by a final

judgment for an

offence relating to professional good character;

(c) if they are guilty of serious professional misconduct;

(d) if they are in breach of the rules regarding the payment of

social security contributions, taxes or dues;

(e) if they do not have the financial, technical or professional
capacity required to implement the measure in the light of
the information given in point 3(c) and (d) of Annex I.

Article 5

Ineligible measures

Article 7

Selection criteria for measures

1.
The Commission shall select the applications to receive
Community financing on the basis of the quality of the project
and cost-effectiveness, as laid down in Article 3(2) of Regula-
tion (EC) No 814/2000.

The quality of projects shall be appraised inter alia on the

2.
basis of:

(a) their relevance and general

interest;

(b) their european dimension and value-added;

(c) their lasting multiplier effect at european, national and

regional

level;

(d) their contribution to the development of lasting multina-

tional,

inter-regional or inter-sectoral cooperation;

(e) the means contemplated for evaluating the measures.

Cost-effectiveness shall be appraised inter alia on the basis

3.
of:

Apart from the measures listed in Article 2(3) of Regulation
(EC) No 814/2000, the following shall not be eligible:

(a) whether the budget submitted is reasonable;

(b) the contribution requested from the Commission;

(a) profit-making measures;

(b) general assemblies or statutory meetings.

Article 6

Reasons for excluding measures and conditions governing
the admissibility of measures

1. Work programmes shall be excluded where they involve
an application for a grant of less than EUR 25 000 or more
than EUR 500 000.

2.
Specific measures shall be excluded where they involve an
application for a grant of less than EUR 5 000 or more than
EUR 100 000.

3. Work programmes and specific measures
shall be
excluded where the preparation thereof, implementation and
follow-up are carried out outside the period laid down in the
call for proposals under which they have been submitted.

Not more than one work programme or three specific
in one

4.
measures may be received from each applicant
marketing year.

(c) the ability of the applicant to mobilise other sources of

financing.

4.

The selection criteria shall be as set out in Annex II.

Article 8

Rate of financial assistance

The maximum rate of Community financing for the
1.
measures selected shall be 50 % of the eligible cost as defined
in Annex III.

The maximum rate of Community financing may be
2.
increased to 75 % of the eligible cost for a specific measure or
for one or more measures contained in a programme provided
that they are of exceptional interest on the basis of the selec-
tion criteria and that they provide for subsistence expenses per
participant and per day of less than 60 % of the maximum
amount laid down in the scales made available to applicants by
the Commission.

Preference shall be given to measures implemented in rural
areas.

31.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 205/27

Article 9

Agreement

The applications selected shall be the subject of an agreement
between the Commission and the beneficiaries covering the
rights and obligations resulting from the Commission decision
to award a grant.

Article 10

Annual nature of grants

Grants shall be awarded on a strictly annual basis and shall
imply no right in subsequent years, even where the measure
concerned forms part of a multiannual strategy.

Article 11

Publicity

A list of the beneficiaries and activities financed under this
Regulation and the amounts and rates of financial support shall
be published each year in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.

Article 12

Notification of the EAGGF Committee

The EAGGF Committee shall be notified of:

(a) the content of the call for proposals before its publication;

(b) the work programmes received;

(c) the measures selected to receive a grant;

(d) activities implemented on the Commission's initiative.

Article 13

Evaluation

Beneficiaries shall provide everything required for the evalu-
ation of the measures financed as provided for in Article 7 of
Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 and shall in particular, complete
the questionnaires and evaluation forms attached to the
application forms supplied by the Commission.

The Commission shall carry out the evaluation four years at
the latest after the entry into force of this Regulation.

Article 14

Repeal

Regulation (EC) No 1390/2000 is hereby repealed.

Article 15

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force the day of its publication
in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

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

Done at Brussels, 30 July 2001.

For the Commission

Frederik BOLKESTEIN

Member of the Commission

L 205/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.7.2001

ANNEX I

SUBMISSION AND CONTENT OF GRANT APPLICATIONS

1. Grant applications must be:

(a) submitted within the time limit laid down;

(b) fully and correctly completed, and typewritten;

(c) submitted in five copies (1), all signed and dated by the person responsible for the measure, using the original grant
application forms available from the Commission as indicated in the call for proposals; where all or part of the
measure is to be implemented outside the Community, an additional copy must be supplied;

(d) sent by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt;

(e) completed in one of the official languages of the Community; a brief summary of the project in one or more other

Community languages may be attached.

2. The forward budget must:

(a) be presented by measure (including for work programmes);

(b) be drawn up using the original documents provided on the web site or from the Commission services indicated in

the call for proposals;

(c) be balanced, expressed in euro, and free of errors;

(d) be sufficiently detailed to permit identification, monitoring and checking of the proposed measures;

(e) indicate the calculations and specifications used in drawing it up;

(f) include on the revenue side:

— the direct contribution from the applicant,
— details of contributions from any other providers of funds,
— all revenue generated by the project including, where appropriate, the fees required of participants,
— the requested Commission grant, where appropriate broken down into the different applications submitted to

the Commission;

(g) be dated and signed both on the revenue side and on the expenditure side.

3. The following must be attached to the application:

(a) the applicant's articles of association, organisation chart, rules of procedure and most recent general report;

(b) any document proving that the applicant does not fall within the scope of Article 4(a), (b), (c) or (d) of this

Regulation;

(c) balance sheets or annual accounts for the last two financial years;

(d) any document proving the financial, technical and professional capacity of the applicant and, in particular, details
of the academic and vocational qualifications and experience of those responsible for the measure, the average
annual staff complement, the plant and technical equipment available and a description of the measures imple-
mented over the last two years;

(e) the detailed programme of each measure specifying, inter alia, the particular subjects to be dealt with, the structure
of the event or publication, and, where possible, the names, qualifications and vocational experience of those
participants whose travel and subsistence expenses are to be covered and of the contributors and the subjects the
latter are to deal with;

(f) all documents of use in appraising the content of the measure.

Where subcontractors are used, the same information must be supplied to prove the financial, technical and vocational
capacity of the subcontractor(s) concerned.

(1) Applications may be sent on electronic media but must be accompanied by a paper copy signed and dated by the person respon-

sible for the measure.

31.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 205/29

ANNEX II

SELECTION CRITERIA

1. For the criteria referred to in Article 7(2):

(a) the relevance and general

interest of the measure are to be appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the extent to which the content of the measure is in line with the objectives laid down in Article 1 of

Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 and covers the priority topics set out in the call for proposals,

— the relevance of the information requirements identified by the applicant,

— the extent to which the planned budgetary and human resources are adapted to the measures proposed by the

applicant,

— the suitability of the measures proposed by the applicant for the public targeted;

(b) the European dimension and value-added are to be appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the number of countries covered by the measure,

— the number of regions covered by the measure,

— the number of sectors covered by the measure,

— the number of organisations involved in drawing up and implementing the measure,

— the degree of effective and balanced cooperation between the various partners in the planning and implementa-

tion of the measures and in their financial contributions,

— the representativeness of the organisations concerned (in terms of the size of their membership and their areas

of activity),

— the expertise of the contributors and people involved in implementing the measures with regard to the topics

covered;

(c) the lasting multiplier effect at european, national and regional level is to be appraised, in particular, in the light of:

— the number of beneficiaries of the measure,

— the representativeness of the beneficiaries and the type of beneficiaries involved,

— the dissemination policy chosen,

i.e.:

— the communication tools proposed (publications, reports, databases, directories, follow-up seminars, tech-

nical notes, etc.),

— the media used (paper, electronic, audio-visual),

— the information channels used (press, direct mail, direct distribution, etc.),

— the follow-up given to the measure or its multiannual nature;

(d) the contribution to the development of lasting multinational, inter-regional or inter-sectoral cooperation is to be

appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the exchanges carried out,

— the joint use made of experiences,

— the partnerships set up,

— the networks created,

— the establishment of a joint information/dissemination policy;

(e) the evaluation of the measures is to be appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the ex ante evaluation carried out,

— the ex post evaluation carried out,

— the criteria laid down for carrying out the evaluation,

— the techniques used (surveys, questionnaires, statistics, etc).

2. For the criteria referred to in Article 7(3):

(a) whether the budget submitted is reasonable is to be appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the total amount,

— the costs given for each item, with reference to the best market conditions and the rates and scales laid down

by the Commission,

— the balance between the various items,

— the total cost per direct beneficiary of the measure;

L 205/30

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.7.2001

(b) the contribution requested is to be appraised,

in particular,

in the light of:

— the total amount,
— that contribution as a proportion of total revenue;

(c) the ability of the applicant to mobilise other sources of financing is to be appraised, in particular, in the light of:

— the applicant's own resources as a proportion of total revenue,
— committed public (national, regional or local) or private financing as a proportion of total revenue,
— the size of the contribution required of the participants.

31.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 205/31

ANNEX III

ELIGIBLE COSTS

1. To be eligible, costs must:

(a) arise directly from the measure;

(b) be essential for the implementation of the measure and reflect the best terms available on the market.

2. Costs must relate to:

(a) preparation of the measures concerned (design, research, coordination, publicity, ex ante evaluation, etc.);

(b) implementation of the measures (production costs, speakers' fees, hire of facilities and equipment, interpretation,

printing of documents, participation in events, travel expenses, etc.);

(c) follow-up activities (press reviews, distribution of reports, ex post evaluation, etc.).

3. The following are eligible:

(a) personnel costs (unit cost per working day), on presentation of pay slips for the period concerned or invoices

where outside personnel are used;

(b) travel expenses as follows:

— booking fees and the cost of second-class travel by train using the shortest route, on presentation of the ticket,

— the cost of air travel for return journeys of more than 800 km, in economy class, using the lowest available

promotional fare (APEX, PEX, Excursion, etc.), on presentation of the ticket and boarding cards (1),

— the cost of inter-city journeys by coach, using the shortest route, on presentation of the ticket or invoice,

— the cost of coach or car hire, provided that it is included in the forward budget and duly justified, on

presentation of the invoice,

— the cost of travel

in a private car, based on second-class rail or coach travel, using the shortest route,
supplements excluded; such costs are eligible on presentation of a declaration signed by the user specifying the
dates of departure and return and the point of departure and the destination and an attestation from a rail or
coach company indicating the cost of such a journey (2); expenditure incurred by the user of a private car on
petrol, parking, road tolls and meals is not eligible,

— the cost of urban transport (bus, underground, tram) and taxi fares are not eligible;

(c) accommodation and subsistence expenses, on the following conditions:

— up to a maximum amount per person per day (available from the Commission); this amount covers the cost of
accommodation and of group meals taken in connection with implementation of the measure, on presentation
of the invoices,

— up to a maximum amount per person per meal (available from the Commission); where provision is made for

some or all meals not to be taken together,

— joint hotel bills are eligible only where they indicate the number of rooms, the names of the persons concerned
and the number of nights; restaurant bills must specify the number of diners and a list of diners must be
attached;

(d) the cost of interpretation and translation, on the same conditions as personnel costs, up to maximum amounts

(available from the Commission);

(e) the fees of experts or speakers, up to a maximum amount (available from the Commission), on presentation of an
invoice and proof of payment, provided that the persons concerned are not national, Community or international
civil servants or members or employees of the organisation receiving the grant or an associated or affiliated
organisation;

(f) the hire of conference halls and equipment, on presentation of the invoice;

(g) subcontracting, but only in those cases stipulated in the agreement; where the contract is for an amount of more
than EUR 10 000, the beneficiary must obtain three tenders, provide the Commission with proof that the
subcontractor selected represents the best value and justify that choice where the tender selected is not the
cheapest; the subcontractor is subject to the same rules as the beneficiary;

(1) Where another class is used, expenses are eligible only on presentation of an attestation by the transport company indicating the
in which case the eligible expenditure will be limited to that amount.
(2) By derogation, where there is no public transport link and for a return journey of up to 300 kilometres, the eligible cost shall be

cost of second-class travel,

EUR 0,25 per kilometre.

L 205/32

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.7.2001

(h) the cost of publication and distribution and the cost of audio-visual productions, other than personnel costs, on

presentation of the invoices;

(i) other costs arising from the requirements of the grant agreement (audits, specific evaluations of the measure,

reports, translations, securities, etc.), on presentation of the invoices;

(j) a contingency reserve of a maximum of 5 % of the direct eligible costs;

(k) a fixed amount of up to 7 % of the total direct eligible costs, including the contingency reserve, to cover the cost of
consumables, supplies and other costs (including telephone, fax, couriers, Internet, photocopies and all office
supplies), provided that the beneficiary is in receipt of no other operating costs grant from the European
Commission.

4. The following are not eligible:

(a) contributions in kind;

(b) non-specified or one-off expenditure, except in the particular cases referred to in this Regulation;

(c) indirect costs (rent, electricity, water, gas,

insurance, taxes, etc.);

(d) invested capital costs, contingency reserves, interest on debts owed, exchange rate losses, gifts and expenditure on

luxuries.

5. The dates taken into account for the eligibility of costs are the dates when the costs are generated and not the dates

when the accounting documents are drawn up.

No expenditure generated before the date on which the measure commences as specified in the grant agreement may
be taken into consideration.

6. All invoices must be made out in due and proper form in accordance with the legislation or rules of the country
concerned and must specify the amount and percentage of VAT. Poor-quality copies will not be taken into
consideration.

7. No unjustified cost will be taken into account.

8. Costs must have actually been incurred, be recorded in the beneficiary's accounts or tax documents and be identifiable

and verifiable.

9. Where eligible costs are directly covered by another provider of funds, this must be specified in the forward budget
and in the final accounts under ‘Other contributions’ and fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraphs 6, 7 and 8.