2003/911/EC: Council Decision of 22 December 2003 establishing a Community action programme for bodies promoting reciprocal understanding of relations between the European Union and certain regions in the world
Date: 2003-12-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, EU relations, action programme, development aid, research body, third country

30.12.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 342/53

COUNCIL DECISION

of 22 December 2003

establishing a Community action programme for bodies promoting reciprocal understanding of
relations between the European Union and certain regions in the world

(2003/911/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, and in particular Article 308 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

The Community maintains relations with certain coun-
tries and regions, in particular by providing substantial
assistance under the ALA (2), MEDA (3), TACIS (4) and
CARDS (5) Regulations.

The European Council has, on at least two occasions (6),
underlined the importance it attaches
to relations
between the European Union and its partners.

Special attention should be given to the regional dimen-
sion of Community assistance, taking account of the
divergence of needs and priorities among the main
regions covered by the aforementioned Regulations and
stepping up regional cooperation in a balanced and
coordinated manner.

Increased reciprocal
and understanding
knowledge
between the European Union and partners receiving
assistance from it should be promoted.

Strengthening reciprocal knowledge and understanding
between the European Union and its partners will be
assisted by the work of bodies specialising in the analysis
relations between the European Union and the
of
regions concerned.

Several budget lines are designed to support institutes,
bodies or networks with a view to reinforcing relations
between the European Union and other regions in the
world.

(1) Opinion delivered on 20 November 2003 (not yet published in the

Official Journal).

(2) Regulation (EEC) No 443/92 (OJ L 52, 27.2.1992, p. 1).
(3) Regulation (EC) No 1488/96 (OJ L 189, 30.7.1996, p. 1).
(4) Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 99/2000 (OJ L 12, 18.1.2000, p. 1).
(5) Regulation (EC) No 2666/2000 (OJ L 306, 7.12.2000, p. 1).
(6) Cannes European Council, 26-27 June 1995 and Lisbon European

Council, 23-24 March 2000.

(7)

(8)

(9)

Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25
June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the
general budget of the European Communities (7) (herein-
after referred to as the ‘Financial Regulation’) requires a
legal basis to be established for existing support actions.

The geographical scope of the programme which is the
subject of this Decision should be extended to all the
regions covered by the ALA, MEDA, TACIS and CARDS
Regulations and to the candidate countries.

The operations covered by this Decision are not coop-
eration measures falling directly under the policies of
development cooperation or cooperation with other
third countries and yet are necessary to achieve one of
the Community's objectives.

(10) A financial reference amount, within the meaning of
point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and
the Commission on budgetary discipline and improve-
ment of the budgetary procedure (8), is inserted in this
Decision for the entire duration of
the programme,
without the powers of the budgetary authority as defined
by the Treaty being affected thereby.

(11)

For the adoption of this Decision, the Treaty does not
provide powers of action other than those laid down in
Article 308 thereof,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Objective of the programme

1.
A Community action programme is hereby established
for the promotion of centres, institutes and networks specia-
lising in the analysis of relations between the European Union
and certain regions.

(7) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(8) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1. Agreement as amended by Decision
2003/429/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L
147, 14.6.2003, p. 25).

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The general objective of

this programme shall be to
2.
increase understanding and dialogue between the European
Union and the regions covered by the ALA, MEDA, TACIS and
CARDS Regulations and the candidate countries
through
support to the activities of the bodies mentioned in paragraph
1. The activities shall consist of the annual work programme of
a centre,
institute or network and shall be in keeping with
those described in the Annex. The activities supported must
contribute to increasing understanding and dialogue between
the European Union and the regions covered by the ALA,
MEDA, TACIS and CARDS Regulations and the candidate
countries.

Article 2

Access to the programme

1.
To qualify for a grant, an applicant body must comply
with the provisions laid down in the Annex and meet the
following requirements:

— it shall be an independent and non-profit making legal
entity active chiefly in promoting understanding of relations
between the European Union and the regions concerned,
with an objective that serves the public good;

— it shall have been legally established for more than two
years and have had its accounts for the preceding two years
certified by a registered auditor;

— its activities shall be in keeping with the principles under-
lying Community external relations action and take account
of the priority areas identified in point 4 of the Annex.

2.
For a body pursuing an objective in keeping with Euro-
pean Union external relations policy to qualify for an operating
grant under its annual work programme, it shall also be active
at a European level or in the region concerned and its structure
and activities must have potential at the level of the European
Union and/or these regions.

Article 4

Selection of beneficiaries

The Commission shall implement the Community action

1.
programme in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

The award of an operating grant on the basis of the
2.
annual work programme of a body shall comply with the
general criteria laid down in the Annex.

Bodies entitled to receive such operating grants shall be
3.
selected following a call for proposals covering the full duration
of the programme, with a view to establishing a partnership
between these bodies and the European Union.

On the basis of the call for proposals, the Commission shall
adopt
the list of recipients and the amounts approved in
accordance with Article 116 of the Financial Regulation.

Article 5

Award of the grant

The operating grants awarded under this programme may
finance the body's entire eligible expenditure for the

1.
not
calendar year for which the grant is awarded.

2.
The amount of an operating grant awarded may not
exceed 70 % of the organisation's eligible expenditure for the
calendar year for which the grant is awarded.

3.
Pursuant to Article 113(2) of the Financial Regulation,
where such operating grants are renewed, they shall be gradu-
ally decreased. If a grant is awarded to a body which received
an operating grant the preceding year, the percentage of Com-
munity cofinancing represented by the new grant shall be at
least 10 percentage points lower than the Community cofinan-
cing percentage represented by the grant in the preceding year.

Article 3

Participation

Article 6

Financial provisions

Participation in the programme shall be open to bodies, insti-
tutes and networks established in:

(a) the Member States;

This programme shall start on 1 January 2004 and end

1.
on 31 December 2006.

(b) countries whose accession to the European Union in 2004

was approved at the 2002 Copenhagen Summit;

2.
The financial reference amount for the implementation of
the programme for the period referred to in paragraph 1 shall
be EUR 4,1 million.

(c) Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey;

(d) countries or regions covered by the ALA, MEDA, TACIS or

CARDS Regulations.

3.
The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the
budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspec-
tives.

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Article 7

Monitoring and evaluation

this Decision
third year following the entry into force of
provided that these bodies have fully satisfied all requirements
regarding sound management.

achievement of

By 31 December 2005 the Commission shall report to the
Council on the
the
programme. The report shall be based on the results obtained
by the beneficiaries and shall assess, in particular, their rele-
vance, effectiveness and usefulness in achieving the objectives
defined in Article 1 and the Annex.

the objectives of

Article 9

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 8

Transitional provisions

The principle of the gradual decrease of the rate of Community
cofinancing provided for in Article 5 in the case of renewal of
an operating grant to bodies having received such a grant for
the same activities the year before this Decision enters into
force and for the two preceding years shall apply only from the

Done at Brussels, 22 December 2003.

For the Council

The President

A. MATTEOLI

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1. Activities supported

ANNEX

The activities of bodies that may help to reinforce and increase the effectiveness of Community action shall include
the following:

— study and analysis of the policies of the European Union and of the region targeted by the call for proposal,

— production of discussion documents,

— round tables,

— thematic seminars,

— various publications.

2.

Implementation of activities supported

2.1. The activities covered by this programme shall be carried out by a body whose objective is to increase under-
standing and reciprocal knowledge between the European Union and the regions covered by the ALA, MEDA,
TACIS or CARDS Regulations.

2.2. The programme shall apply to all non-profit making bodies, institutes or networks active in the countries and/or
regions covered in Article 2 of the Decision that promote principles and policies forming part of the objectives of
the Treaties.

2.3. An annual operating grant may be awarded to support the implementation of such a body's annual work

programme.

3.

Selection of beneficiaries

Bodies entitled to receive an operating grant shall be selected on the basis of calls for proposals, as provided for in
the Financial Regulation. These calls for proposals will be launched at the beginning of this programme in order to
select the partners with which the European Union will implement it.

4. Characteristics of grant applications on which assessment is based

Grant applications shall be assessed on the basis of:

— their complementarity with the objectives of the programme,

— the quality of the activities,

— prior experience in the field,

— the existence of well established information sources and contacts in the regions concerned and the European

Union,

— the proportionality of the costs and benefits of the activity proposed,

— the geographic scope of the activities.

The exact characteristics and criteria for awarding the grants shall be specified in the calls for proposals.

5.

Eligible expenditure

5.1. The only costs to be taken into account in determining the operating grant shall be those necessary for the proper
conduct of the normal activities of the body selected, in particular personnel costs, overheads (such as rental and
property charges, equipment, office supplies, telecommunications and postal charges), costs of internal meetings,
publication, information and dissemination costs.

5.2. The bodies concerned receive budget cofinancing from sources other than Community sources. Such cofinancing
may be partly contributed in kind, provided the contribution is valued at no more than the cost actually incurred
and evidenced by accounting documents or the cost generally obtaining on the market in question and with the
exception of contributions in kind in the form of real estate.

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6. Checks and Audits

6.1. The beneficiary of an operating grant shall keep available for the Commission all the supporting documents,
including the audited financial statement, regarding expenditure incurred during the grant year, for a period of five
years following the last payment. The beneficiary of a grant shall ensure that, where applicable, supporting docu-
ments in the possession of partners or members are made available to the Commission.

6.2. The Commission may have an audit of the use made of the grant carried out either directly by its own staff or by
any other qualified outside body of its choice. Such audits may be carried out throughout the lifetime of the agree-
ment and for a period of five years from the date of payment of the balance. Where appropriate, the audit findings
may lead to recovery decisions by the Commission.

6.3. Commission staff and outside personnel authorised by the Commission shall have appropriate right of access to
sites and premises where the action is carried out and to all the information, including information in electronic
format, needed in order to conduct such audits.

6.4. The Court of Auditors and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) shall enjoy the same rights, especially of access,

as the Commission.

6.5. In order to protect the European Community's financial interests against fraud and other irregularities, the Commis-
sion may also carry out on-the-spot checks and inspections under this programme in accordance with Council
Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 (1). Where necessary, investigations shall be conducted by the European
Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and shall be governed by European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1073/
1999 (2).

(1) OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 136, 31.5.1999, p. 1.