2002/723/EC: Commission Decision of 27 September 2001 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objective 2 in the region of Tuscany in Italy (notified under document number C(2001) 2725)
Date: 2001-09-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, Structural Funds, Tuscany, development aid, distribution of aid, farm development plan, integrated development

L 241/116

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.9.2002

COMMISSION DECISION

of 27 September 2001

approving the single programming document

for Community structural assistance under

Objective 2 in the region of Tuscany in Italy

(notified under document number C(2001) 2725)

(Only the Italian text is authentic)

(2002/723/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 consulting the Committee on the Development and
Conversion of Regions,

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
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 Italian Government submitted to the Commission
on 2 October 2000 an acceptable draft
single
the region of Tuscany
programming document
to
fulfilling the conditions for Objective 2 pursuant
Article 4(1) and qualifying for
support
under Objectives 2 and 5b pursuant to Article 6(2) of
Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999. The plan includes the
information listed in Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No

transitional

for

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

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

1260/1999, 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
instruments proposed for
implementing the plan.

financial

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 Regulation (EC) No
1260/1999, 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
programming document
principle of additionality.

satisfied itself

that
the single
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.

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.

(10)

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,

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Official Journal of the European Communities

L 241/117

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The single programming document for Community structural
assistance in the region of Tuscany in Italy eligible under
Objective 2 and qualifying for
transitional support under
Objectives 2 and 5b for the period 1 January 2000 to 31
December 2006 is hereby approved.

monitoring and evaluation,
Monitoring Committee and the arrangements
participation of the partners in that Committee;

including the role of
for

the
the

(e)

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

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 1 133 570 268 for the whole period
and the financial contribution from the Structural Funds at
EUR 322 491 827.

Article 2

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

The resulting requirement
resources of EUR
804 920 000 from the public sector and EUR 6 158 441 from
the private sector can be partly met by Community loans from
the EIB and other lending instruments.

for national

(a)

the
the strategy and priorities for the joint action of
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 Italy.

The priorities are as follows:

(cid:151) development of and support for small firms,

Article 3

1.
The total assistance from the Structural Funds granted
under the single programming document amounts to EUR
financial
322 491 827. 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

(cid:151) improvements to the area,

(cid:151) the environment,

(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, where relevant from the EIB,
including, for
and from the other Financial Instruments,
information, the total amount from the EAGGF Guarantee
Section and indicating separately the funding planned for
the regions receiving transitional support
in respect of
Objectives 2 and 5b and the total amounts of eligible
public or equivalent expenditure and estimated private
funding in the Member State. The total contribution from
the
single
Funds planned
programming document
is consistent with the relevant
financial perspective;

each year

the

for

for

indicative

The
total
Community assistance available between the Structural Funds
is as follows:

estimated breakdown of

initial

the

ERDF

EUR 322 491 827.

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 EUR 30 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.

(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, a description of the systems for

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

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Official Journal of the European Communities

9.9.2002

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 on
the application of Articles 92 and 93 (now 87 and 88) to
certain categories of horizontal State aid (2). 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 Article 38(5) 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.

Article 5

The date from which expenditure shall be eligible is 2 October
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. The closing date
for
receiving
transitional support shall be 31 December 2007.

the eligibility of expenditure in the areas

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Italian Republic.

Done at Brussels, 27 September 2001.

For the Commission

Michel BARNIER

Member of the Commission

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