Commission Regulation (EC) No 621/2004 of 1 April 2004 laying down rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 as regards information and publicity measures concerning the activities of the Cohesion Fund
Date: 2004-04-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Cohesion Fund, access to EU information, dissemination of EU information

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 621/2004

of 1 April 2004

laying down rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 as regards information
and publicity measures concerning the activities of the Cohesion Fund

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 of 16
May 1994 establishing a Cohesion Fund (1), and in particular
Article 14(3) thereof,

The measures shall be directed at the public in the beneficiary
Member States and seek to project a uniform image of the role
of the Community.

Where appropriate, they may include activities concerning the
programmes and projects part-financed by the Structural Funds
under Regulation (EC) No 1159/2000.

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Implementation of Commission Decision 96/455/EC of
25 June 1996 concerning information and publicity
measures to be carried out by the Member States and
the Commission concerning the activities of the Cohe-
sion Fund under Council Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 (2)
requires simplification because certain measures have
proved too complex to implement.

It is essential to facilitate the implementation of informa-
tion and publicity measures and improve their effective-
ness in order to increase the visibility of projects and
raise public awareness of the role which the European
Union is playing through cohesion policy.

Information measures concerning the Cohesion Fund
should be harmonised with those concerning the Struc-
tural Funds as laid down by Commission Regulation (EC)
No 1159/2000 of 30 May 2000 on information and
publicity measures to be carried out by the Member
States
Structural
Funds (3).

concerning

from the

assistance

Article 2

The Member States shall ensure that the authorities responsible
for implementing Cohesion Fund projects (hereinafter referred
to as the responsible authorities) take all administrative steps to
in
ensure information and publicity about
accordance with this Regulation.

those projects

They shall draw up a coherent set of measures for the lifetime
of projects, once a decision on part-financing from the Cohe-
sion Fund is taken.

Article 3

shall notify the Commission,
The responsible authorities
including its office in the relevant Member State, of
the
measures referred to in the second paragraph of Article 2.
Where appropriate, they may ask for technical assistance to
carry them out.

The messages to be propagated should be clarified and
the instruments best adapted to the goal of raising
public awareness identified,

Article 4

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

CHAPTER I

PRINCIPLES AND CONTENT OF THE MEASURES

Article 1

The information and publicity measures concerning the work
of the Cohesion Fund shall aim to raise public awareness of
projects part-financed by the Fund and demonstrate the role
which the Community is playing through that Fund.

In addition to a description of the project, both the measures
and the information and publicity instruments shall include:

(a) an explanation in the following words or some equivalent
expression of the role the Union is playing through the
Cohesion Fund:

‘This project
disparities among the citizens of the European Union’;

is helping to reduce economic and social

(b) the European flag, in accordance with the graphic rules set
in the Annex, with the following words or some

out
equivalent expression:

‘This project is being part-financed by the European Union.’

Article 5

(1) OJ L 130, 25.5.1994, p.1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 1265/1999 (OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 62).

(2) OJ L 188, 27.7.1996, p. 47.
(3) OJ L 130, 31.5.2000, p. 30.

The responsible authorities shall send the Commission all the
report
information needed for preparation of
provided for in Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1164/94.

the annual

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CHAPTER II

INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY MEASURES

SECTION 1

Compulsory measures

Article 6

The measures set out in Articles 7 and 8 shall be taken when
projects are implemented.

Article 7

1.
Once the Commission has taken a decision to part-
finance a project, the media (press, radio, television) shall be
informed of its launch, the main stages of its implementation
and its conclusion in the most appropriate fashion, principally
through meetings with the press, but also through press
releases and other means.

Where the total cost of a project is less than EUR 50 million,
the press conferences referred to in the first paragraph shall not
be compulsory.

The responsible authority shall decide, as appropriate, on the
holding of such conferences, depending on the importance and
impact of the project.

Documentation on the project shall be provided to the

2.
media and any other interested party.

Article 8

1.

Billboards shall be erected on project sites during works.

Commemorative plaques shall replace billboards on infrastruc-
ture accessible to the general public within not more than six
months after completion of the works.

2.
If a project receives finance from the Cohesion Fund, a
billboard shall be erected or a plaque affixed describing the
project and giving the information listed in Article 4.

That information should occupy at least 25 % of the billboard.

SECTION 2

Other measures

Article 9

In addition to the measures listed in Articles 7 and 8, the
responsible authorities and the project promoters may carry
out other measures to achieve the public awareness objective
referred to in Article 1, in particular:

(a) displaying posters at high visibility locations;

(b) producing publications (brochures, leaflets, newsletters, etc.)

and video material;

(c) creating pages on the Internet.

CHAPTER III

ROLE OF THE MONITORING COMMITTEES

Article 10

At meetings of the Monitoring Committee concerned, the chair
shall report on progress on publicity measures and provide
members with copies of the materials produced or proof of the
publicity measures undertaken and instruments used such as
photographs of billboards and events.

Article 11

the Monitoring
In accordance with Article 7,
Committee, assisted by the Commission, shall inform the media
about the Committee's work and the progress of the projects
for which it is responsible.

the chair of

CHAPTER IV

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 12

Decision 96/455/EC is hereby repealed.

References to the repealed Decision shall be construed as refer-
ences to this Regulation.

Article 13

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

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

Done at Brussels, 1 April 2004.

For the Commission

Michel BARNIER

Member of the Commission

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The detailed graphic rules concerning the European flag may be found at:

http://europa.eu.int/abc/symbols/emblem/index_en.htm

ANNEX

Example of the basic elements to be incorporated in the information and publicity instruments and measures: