Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financing of European standardisation {SEC(2005) 1050}
Date: 2005-08-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Cenelec, ETSI, EU financing, European Committee for Standardisation, European standard, standardisation

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 19.8.2005 
COM(2005) 377 final 

2005/0157 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the financing of European standardisation 

{SEC(2005) 1050} 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

Background 

Since  the  mid-1980s  European  standardisation  has  allowed  both  the  free  movement  of 
industrial products in the European Community and a high degree of protection for consumers 
and workers, especially in connection with legislation on the internal market. For this reason, 
the  Commission  has  provided  ongoing  financial  support  for  the  development  of  European 
standardisation, since otherwise this policy could not have developed so quickly and with the 
success  it  has  known  in  20  or  so  industrial  sectors.  The  catalogue  of  the  three  European 
standards  organisations  or  ESOs  (CEN,  CENELEC,  ETSI)1  now  includes  more  than 
15 000 European standards and other specifications, and more than 2 500 of these have been 
drawn up in support of Community legislation and their references have been published in the 
Official Journal of the European Communities. 

As a result of this standardisation work, the Community can avoid drawing up detailed rules, 
or  even  legislating.  For  this  reason,  standardisation  is  part  of  current  efforts  to  improve 
legislation as part of the policy for growth and employment. 

Financial support for European standardisation is currently based on several acts, which, for 
the most part, do not contain provisions that are sufficiently explicit or precise on financing 
conditions.  These  acts  provide  a  basis  which  allows  the  Commission  to  ask  the  European 
standards organisations (CEN, CENELEC, ETSI) to draw up European standards in support 
of its policies. 

They are primarily: 

– 

– 

– 

Directive  98/34/EC2  which  allows  the  Commission  to  submit  requests  for 
standardisation to the European standards organisations; 

a set of regulations on technical harmonisation for the implementation of the internal 
market, including the "New Approach" Directives; 

Council Decision 87/95/EEC of 22 December 1986 on standardisation in the field of 
information technology and telecommunications3. 

In  general,  the  financial  support  for  European  standardisation  falls  into  the  context  of  the 
partnership  relationships  which  are  laid  down  between  the  Commission,  EFTA  and  the 
European  standards  organisations  and  which  are  specified  in  the  General  Guidelines  for 
Cooperation, which these bodies signed on 28 March 20034. 

1 

2 

3 
4 

CEN  -  Comité  Européen  de  Normalisation  (European  Committee  for  Standardisation);  CENELEC  - 
Comité  Européen  de  Normalisation  Electrotechnique  (European  Committee  for  Electrotechnical 
Standardisation); ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute. 
Directive  98/34/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  22  June  1998  laying  down  a 
procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations, OJ L 204 
of 21.7.1998, amended by Directive 96/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, OJ L 217 
of 5.8.1998. 
OJ L 36 of 07.02.1987, p. 31. 
OJ C 91 of 16.04.2003. 

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In its Resolution of 28 May 19995, the European Parliament endorsed the Commission report 
on "Efficiency and accountability in European standardisation under the New Approach". 

In  its  Resolution  of  October  19996  and  its  Conclusions  of  March  20027  on  the  role  of 
European  standardisation,  the  Council  confirmed  its  intention  to  continue  providing 
Community  financing  for  European  standardisation  within  the  limits  set  by  the  budgetary 
authority, as an addition to the contributions from industry and EFTA. 

Currently, the financing of European standardisation work focuses primarily on:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

annual performance contracts with the ESOs to improve the operation of their central 
secretariats with regard to consistency, efficiency, quality and visibility; 

improving the quality  of  European standardisation,  by  means  of  evaluation  of  draft 
harmonised standards by external consultants and of the translation where necessary 
of their final version; 

drawing  up  European  standards  or  other  standardisation  products  drawn  up  in 
support of Community policies and legislation; 

the  promotion  and  visibility  of  the  European  standardisation  system  and  European 
standards. 

Other  activities  may  be  financed,  for  example  in  the  fields  of  technical  assistance  or 
cooperation with regard to non-member countries. 

The  new  Financial  Regulation8  stipulates  that  a  basic  act  must  first  be  adopted  before  the 
appropriations entered in the budget for any Community action may be used. In application of 
the EC Treaty, a basic act is an act of secondary legislation which provides a legal basis for 
the Community action and for the implementation of the corresponding expenditure entered in 
the budget. The existing acts of secondary legislation concerning European standardisation do 
not fully comply with these requirements of the Financial Regulation. 

As a result, the Commission considers that it is necessary to adopt an act which will provide a 
basis and a more explicit, more complete and more detailed legal framework to the financing 
of European standardisation and which will ensure its permanence, the justification of such an 
initiative having already been evaluated (see annex to the proposal). 

5 
6 
7 
8 

OJ C 150 of 28.05.1999. 
OJ C 141 of 19.05.2000. 
OJ C 66 of 15.03.2002. 
Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25.06.2002, OJ L 248 of 16.09.2002. 

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Proposal for a decision 

In order to support its policies and Community legislation, the European Community makes 
widespread  use  of  European  standards  or  other  standardisation  products  drawn  up  by  the 
European  standards  organisations  recognised  in  Annex  I  to  Directive  98/34/EC,  i.e.  CEN, 
CENELEC and ETSI, or where necessary by other technical bodies, especially in the case of 
preliminary work. 

Standardisation  work  is  entrusted  to  the  European  standards  organisations  on  the  basis  of 
requests  for  standardisation 
in 
Directive 98/34/EC in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Directive and those of 
Decision 87/95/EEC in the field of information technology and telecommunications (ICT). 

the  committee  referred 

issued  after  consulting 

to 

This proposal is based on Articles 95 and 157 of the EC Treaty. 

European  standardisation  in  fact  supports  both  the  approximation  of  legislation  for  the 
establishment,  operation  and  consolidation  of  the  internal  market  (technical  harmonisation) 
and improving the competitiveness of firms. 

Technical  harmonisation  measures  can  cover  a  range  of  subjects  such  as  health,  safety, 
environmental  and  consumer  protection  or  interoperability.  Apart  from  the  internal  market 
aspect,  European  standardisation  can  support  a  wide  range  of  Community  policies  aimed  at 
boosting  the  competitiveness  of  European  firms,  especially  in  the  fields  of  common  trade 
policy,  transport,  the  environment,  ITC,  security  of  travel  documents,  services,  innovation, 
research and technological development. 

This  proposal  would  thus  be  a  specific  act  providing  an  explicit,  complete  and  detailed 
framework  allowing  the  Community  to  finance  all  the  standardisation  activities  required  to 
implement Community policies. 

Annual financing decisions established by the Commission indicate in particular the needs to 
be met, the objectives to be attained, the amount of appropriations by type of activity and, if 
necessary, the co-financing rates. These activities are regularly subject to interim or ex-post 
evaluations in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Financial Regulation. 

Article 1 indicates the subject of the Decision, i.e. the European Community contribution to 
the financing of European standardisation in support of Community policies and legislation. 
Support  for  Community  legislation  focuses  on  the  internal  market  in  goods  and  services, 
including  the  fields  of  health,  safety,  consumer  and  worker  protection,  interoperability  and 
commercial  transactions.  European  standardisation  can  also  provide  added  value  and  boost 
the  competitiveness  of  European  industry,  especially  in  the  fields  of  transport,  new 
technologies, ICT and defence and aerospace industries. 

Article 2 states that the ESOs indicated in Annex I to Directive 98/34/EC - CEN, CENELEC 
and  ETSI  -  are  the  main  beneficiaries  of  the  financing  of  European  standardisation.  For 
preliminary  or  ancillary  work  in  connection  with  standardisation  -  such  as  pre-  or  para-
regulatory  research,  inter-comparison  tests,  analyses,  evaluations  and  validations  -  other 
bodies are also eligible for Community financing. 

Article  3  specifies  the  various  types  of  standardisation  activity  eligible  for  Community 
the  ESOs.  Eligible 
financing:  production  and  revision  of  European  standards  by 

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standardisation  activities  may  also  include  the  development  of  any  other  standardisation 
product,  such  as  pre-standards,  technical  specifications,  technical  reports,  guides  or  other 
specifications adopted by workshops, as well as the provision of services in connection with 
standardisation.  In  addition,  Community  financing  can  cover  the  activities  of  the  central 
secretariats  of  the  ESOs,  verification  of  the  quality  of  European  standards,  translation  of 
standards  and  the  promotion  of  the  European  standards  system.  Technical  assistance  or 
cooperation  projects  on  standardisation  involving  non-member  countries  with  a  view  to 
encouraging market access are also eligible for Community financing. 

Article 4 specifies that the appropriations allocated to activities financed under the Decision 
are authorised each year by the budgetary authority. 

Article 5 sets out the financing arrangements. ESO activities are generally financed by means 
of  grants  without  calls  for  proposals  in  accordance  with  the  second  subparagraph  of 
Article 110(1)  of  the  Financial  Regulation  in  conjunction  with  Article  168(1)(d)  of 
Commission  Regulation  (CE,  Euratom)  No  2342/2002  laying  down  detailed  rules  for  the 
implementation of the Financial Regulation9. This is justified by the fact that they are bodies 
recognised  by  Directive  98/34/EC  whose  activities  are  of  general  European  interest  and 
which, at European  level,  are  not  competing with other bodies. For  preliminary  or  ancillary 
activities  in  connection  with  standardisation  carried  out  by  other  bodies,  on  the  other  hand, 
financing  is  provided  by  means  of  grants  with  calls  for  proposals  or  public  procurement 
procedures.  For  the  financing  of  central  secretariat  activities,  the  award  of  both  grants  for 
actions and operating grants is also a possibility. In the case of the operating grants referred to 
in Article 113(2) of the Financial Regulation, gradual reductions are not to be applied. In view 
of  the  contributions  by  interested  parties  concerning  standardisation  which  make  their 
expertise available to the latter, the more or less automatic use of contributions in kind must 
be authorised. In order to simplify financial management, the establishment of scales of unit 
costs  or  lump-sum  amounts  for  the  financing  of  standards  or  other  standardisation  products 
may prove necessary. 

In  order  to  ensure  sound  and  sustainable  management  of  financial  activities,  common 
cooperation  objectives  and  the  administrative  and  financial  conditions  for  awarding  grants 
will need to be laid down in the framework partnership agreements between the ESOs and the 
Commission.  Article  6  sets  out  the  arrangements  concerning  management,  implementation 
and  monitoring  by  the  Commission.  In  order  to  ensure  sound  and  sustainable  management, 
the  Commission  may  make  use  of  necessary  support  measures,  such  as  audits,  evaluations, 
studies, meetings and information and publication activities. In addition, the effectiveness and 
impact of the measures which are financed should be assessed on a regular basis. 

Article  7  states  the  means  which  will  be  necessary  to  ensure  the  adequate  protection  of  the 
Community’s financial interests when the Decision is implemented. 

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OJ L 357 of 31.12.2002. 

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2005/0157 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the financing of European standardisation 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, in particular Articles 95 
and 157(3) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission10, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee11, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty12, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

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11 
12 
13 
14 

European standardisation is a voluntary activity performed by and on behalf of parties 
interested  in  establishing  standards  and  other  standardisation  products  in  response  to 
their needs. These standardisation products are drawn up by CEN - Comité Européen 
de  Normalisation  (European  Committee  for  Standardisation),  CENELEC  -  Comité 
Européen  de  Normalisation  Electrotechnique  (European  Committee  for  Electro-
technical  Standardisation)  and  ETSI  -  European  Telecommunications  Standards 
Institute,  bodies listed  in  Annex I to Directive 98/34/EC of the  European  Parliament 
and  of  the  Council  of  22  June  1998  laying  down  a  procedure  for  the  provision  of 
information  in  the  field  of  technical  standards  and  regulations  and  of  rules  on 
Information Society services13, hereinafter called European standards organisations. 

Directive 98/34/EC allows the Commission, after consulting the committee set up by 
the  Directive,  to  submit  requests  for  standardisation  to  the  European  standards 
organisations. General guidelines on cooperation14 set out the partnership relationships 
between  these  bodies  and  the  Community  and  the  European  Free  Trade  Association 
(EFTA) which also provides support for European standardisation. 

It  is  necessary  for  the  Community  to  contribute  to  the  financing  of  European 
standardisation in view of the latter’s important role in supporting its legislation and 
policies. On the one hand, European standardisation contributes to the functioning and 
strengthening  of  the  internal  market,  thanks  especially  to  the  "New  Approach" 

OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ L 204 of 21.7.1998, p. 37. Directive last amended by the Act of Accession of 2003. 
OJ C 91 of 16.4.2003, p.7. 

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Directives in the fields of health, safety, environmental and consumer protection or to 
ensure  interoperability  in  fields  such  as  transport.  On  the  other  hand,  European 
standardisation makes it possible to boost the competitiveness of firms by facilitating 
in  particular  the  free  movement  of  products  and  services,  network  interoperability, 
means of communication, technological development and innovation in activities such 
as information technology. It is therefore a good idea to include in this Decision the 
financing  of  European  standardisation  activities 
information 
technologies and telecommunications which is also governed, in particular, by Council 
Decision  87/95/EEC  of  22  December  1986  on  standardisation  in  the  field  of 
information technology and telecommunications15. 

the  field  of 

in 

This  Decision  must  provide  an  explicit,  complete  and  detailed  legal  basis  for  the 
Community’s  financing  of  all  the  European  standardisation  activities  required  to 
implement its policies and legislation. 

Community  financing  must  seek  to  establish  standards  or  other  standardisation 
products, to facilitate their use by firms, especially by means of their translation into 
the  various  Community  languages,  to  strengthen  the  cohesion  of  the  European 
standardisation system and, lastly, to ensure the promotion of the whole system. 

The  appropriations  allocated  to  European  standardisation  activities  must  be  fixed 
every  year  by  the  budgetary  authority  within  the  limits  of  the  financial  perspectives 
and must be the subject of an annual Commission Decision fixing amounts and, where 
necessary, the maximum co-financing rates by type of activity. 

In view of the very broad field of involvement of European standardisation in support 
of  Community  policies  and  legislation  and  the  various  types  of  standardisation 
activity,  there  should  be  provision  for  various  financing  arrangements.  In  the  main, 
this  concerns  grants  without  calls  for  proposals  to  the  European  standards 
organisations  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  second  subparagraph  of 
Article 110(1)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  1605/2002  of  25  June  2002 
on  the  Financial  Regulation  applicable  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Communities16,  hereinafter 
the  “Financial  Regulation”  and 
Article 168(1)(d)  of  Commission  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2342/2002  of 
23 December 2002  laying  down  detailed  rules  for  the  implementation  of  Council 
Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the 
general budget of the European Communities17. 

referred 

to  as 

In  addition,  inasmuch  as  the  European  standards  organisations  provide  ongoing 
support  for  Community  activities,  they  should  have  effective  and  efficient  central 
secretariats. The Commission must therefore be in a position to provide grants to these 
bodies  pursuing  a  goal  of  general  European  interest  without  applying,  in  the  case  of 
operating grants, the principle of annual reductions referred to in Article 113(2) of the 
Financial Regulation. The effective operation of the European standards organisations 
also requires the national members of these organisations to fulfil their obligations of 
contributing financially to the European standardisation system. 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

15 

16 
17 

OJ  L  36  of  7.2.1987,  p.  31.  Decision  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  807/2003  (OJ  L  122  of 
16.5.2003, p.36). 
OJ L 248 of 16.9.2002, p.1. 
OJ L 357 of 31.12.2002, p.1. 

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(9) 

The  financing  of  standardisation  activities  must  also  be  able  to  cover  preliminary  or 
ancillary  activities  in  connection  with  the  establishment  of  standards  or  other 
standardisation  products.  This  refers  primarily  to  work  involving  research,  the 
preparation  of  preliminary  documents  for  legislation,  inter-laboratory  tests  and  the 
validation or evaluation of standards. In addition, the promotion of standardisation at 
European and international level should include carrying out programmes of technical 
assistance  and  cooperation  with  non-member  countries.  With  a  view  to  improving 
market access and boosting the competitiveness of firms, there should consequently be 
provision  for  giving  grants  to  other  bodies  through  calls  for  proposals  or,  where 
necessary, by awarding contracts. 

(10)  Partnership  agreements  are  regularly  signed  between  the  Commission  and  the 
European standards organisations in order to fix the administrative and financial rules 
on  financing  standardisation  activities  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
Financial Regulation. 

(11) 

(12) 

In view of the specific nature of standardisation work and especially the involvement 
in  the  standardisation  process  of  various  interested  parties,  particularly  firms,  by 
making  experts  available,  it  should  be  acknowledged  that  the  co-financing  of  the 
activities  of  producing  European  standards  or  other  standardisation  products  covered 
by  a  Community  grant  could  be  provided  on  a  more  or  less  automatic  basis  by 
contributions in kind. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  effective  implementation  of  this  Decision,  there  should  be  the 
possibility  of  using  the  requisite  expertise,  particularly  with  regard  to  auditing  and 
financial  management,  as  well  as  administrative  support  resources  capable  of 
facilitating implementation, and of evaluating on a regular basis the relevance of the 
activities receiving Community financing to ensure their usefulness and impact. 

(13)  Appropriate  and  necessary  measures  should  also  be  taken  to  avoid  fraud  and 
irregularities and to recover funds which have been lost, unduly paid or poorly used in 
accordance  with  Council  Regulations  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2988/95  of  18  Decem-
ber 1995  on  the  protection  of  the  European  Communities’  financial  interests18, 
(Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and 
inspections  carried  out  by  the  Commission  in  order  to  protect  the  European 
irregularities19  and 
Communities'  financial 
(EC) No 1073/1999  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  25  May  1999 
concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)20. 

interests  against  fraud  and  other 

18 
19 
20 

OJ L 312 of 23.12.1995, p.1. 
OJ L 292 of 15.11.1996, p.2. 
OJ L 136 of 31.5.1999, p.1. 

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HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 
Subject 

This Decision establishes the rules concerning the Community’s contribution to the financing 
of  European  standardisation  in  order  to  support  the  implementation  of  its  policies  and 
Community legislation. 

Article 2  
Bodies eligible for Community financing 

Community  financing  may  be  granted  to  the  recognised  European  standards  organisations 
indicated 
to  Directive  98/34/EC,  hereinafter  "the  European  standards 
organisations", for the implementation of the activities indicated in Article 3 of this Decision. 

in  Annex  I 

However, Community financing may also be granted to other bodies for the implementation 
of the preliminary and ancillary work in connection with European standardisation referred to 
in Article 3(1)(b), as well as for the programmes referred to in Article 3(2). 

Article 3 
Standardisation activities eligible for Community financing 

1. 

The Community may finance the following European standardisation activities: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

the production and revision of European standards or any other standardisation 
product which is necessary and suitable for the implementation of Community 
policies and legislation; 

the performance of preliminary or ancillary work in connection with European 
standardisation,  such  as  studies,  programmes,  evaluations,  comparative 
analyses, research work, laboratory work, inter-laboratory tests and conformity 
evaluation work; 

the activities of the central secretariats of the European standards organisations; 

the  verification  of  the  quality  and  conformity  of  European  standards  or  any 
other standardisation product; 

the 
translation,  where  required,  of  European  standards  or  any  other 
standardisation product used in support of Community policies and legislation 
into Community languages other than the working languages of the European 
standards organisations; 

the promotion and enhancement of the European standardisation system and of 
European  standards  among  interested  parties  in  the  Community  and  at 
international level. 

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2. 

3. 

The activities referred to in paragraph 1(f) may include carrying out programmes of 
technical assistance and cooperation with non-member countries. 

The activities referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall be eligible only if the committee set 
up  by  Article  5  of  Directive  98/34/EC  has  been  consulted  on  the  requests  to  be 
submitted to the European standards organisations. 

Article 4 
Financing 

The appropriations allocated to the activities referred to in Article 3 shall be authorised each 
year by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspectives. 

Article 5 
Financing arrangements 

1. 

Community  financing  shall  be  provided  in  the  form  of  grants  without  calls  for 
proposals to the following organisations or bodies: 

a) 

b) 

to the European standards organisations, to carry out the activities referred to in 
Article 3, 

to the bodies mentioned in a basic act pursuant to Article 49 of the Financial 
Regulation  to  carry  out,  in  collaboration  with  the  European  standards 
organisations, the work referred to in Article 3(1)(b) of this Decision. 

Financing  shall  be  provided  by  awarding  grants,  after  a  call  for  proposals,  or  by 
public  procurement  procedures  for  the  standardisation  work  referred  to  in 
Article 3(1)(b) or the programmes referred to in Article 3(2). 

The  activities  of  the  central  secretariats  of  the  European  standards  organisations 
referred to in Article 3(1)(c) may be financed on the basis either of grants for actions 
or  of  operating  grants.  In  the  event  of  renewal,  the  operating  grants  will  not  be 
reduced annually. 

The  Commission  shall  decide  on  the  financing  arrangements  referred  to  in 
paragraphs  1  and  2,  on  the  amounts  and,  where  necessary,  on  the  maximum 
percentage of financing by type of activity. 

Co-financing in the form of contributions in kind shall be acceptable. The evaluation 
of contributions in kind shall be performed in the conditions laid down by Regulation 
(EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002. 

The common cooperation objectives and the administrative and financial conditions 
relating  to  the  grants  awarded  to  the  European  standards  organisations  shall  be 
defined in the framework partnership agreements signed by the Commission and the 
organisations  respectively,  in  accordance  with  the  Financial  Regulation  and 
Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

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1. 

2. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Article 6 
Management, implementation and monitoring 

The  appropriations  authorised  by  the  budgetary  authority  for  the  financing  of 
standardisation  activities  may  also  cover  the  administrative  expenses  relating  to 
actions involving preparation, monitoring, inspection, auditing and evaluation, which 
are directly necessary for achieving the objectives of this Decision, and particularly 
studies,  meetings,  information  and  publication  activities,  expenses  relating  to 
informatics networks for the exchange of information and any other expenditure on 
administrative  and  technical  assistance  which  the  Commission  may  use  for 
standardisation activities. 

the 
The  Commission  shall  evaluate  on  a  regular  basis 
standardisation  activities  receiving  Community  financing  in  the  light  of  the 
requirements of Community policies and legislation. 

the  relevance  of 

Article 7 
Protection of the Community’s financial interests 

The Commission shall ensure that, when the activities financed under this Decision 
are  implemented,  the  Community’s  financial  interests  are  protected  by  the 
application  of  preventive  measures  against  fraud,  corruption  and  other  illegal 
activities,  by  effective  checks  and  by  the  recovery  of  amounts  unduly  paid  and,  if 
irregularities  are  detected,  by  effective,  proportional  and  dissuasive  penalties,  in 
accordance with Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95, (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 
and (EC) No 1073/1999. 

For the Community activities financed under this Decision, the notion of irregularity 
referred to in Article 1(2) of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 shall mean any 
infringement  of  a  provision  of  Community  law  or  any  breach  of  a  contractual 
obligation resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or 
would  have,  the  effect  of  prejudicing  the  general  budget  of  the  European 
Communities or budgets managed by them by an unjustified item of expenditure. 

Any  agreements  and  contracts  resulting  from  this  Decision  shall  provide  for 
monitoring and financial control by the Commission, or any representative which it 
authorises,  and  for  audits  by  the  Court  of  Auditors,  which  if  necessary  may  be 
conducted on the spot. 

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

Article 8 

Done at Brussels, […] 

For the European Parliament 
The President 
[…] 

For the Council 
The President 
[…] 

EN 

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FICHE FINANCIÈRE LÉGISLATIVE 

Domaine(s) politique(s): Marché intérieur et compétitivité des entreprises 

Activité(s): Normalisation européenne 

DÉNOMINATION DE L’ACTION: FINANCEMENT DE LA NORMALISATION EUROPÉENNE 

1. 

LIGNE(S) BUDGÉTAIRE(S) + INTITULÉ(S) 

020304 – Normalisation et rapprochement des législations – ainsi que le cas échéant 
d’autres lignes budgétaires pertinentes pour d’autres politiques. 

2. 

2.1 

2.2 

DONNÉES CHIFFRÉES GLOBALES  

Enveloppe totale de l’action (partie B): 134 millions d'euros en CE 

Période d’application: 

2006-2010 

2.3 

Estimation globale pluriannuelle des dépenses: 

a) 

Échéancier  crédits  d'engagement/crédits  de  paiement  (intervention  financière) 
(cf. point 6.1.1) 

Millions d'euros (à la 3e décimale) 

Année 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

19 

25 

30 

30 

30 

Crédits 
d'engagement 

Crédits de paiement 

18.6 

25 

30 

30 

30 

Total 

134 

133,6 

b)  Assistance  technique  et  administrative  (ATA)  et  dépenses  d’appui  (DDA) 

(cf. point 6.1.2) (inclus dans les budgets annuels en tant que de besoin) 

CE 

CP 

EN 

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Sous-total a+b 

CE 

CP 

19 

18.6 

25 

25 

30 

30 

30 

30 

30 

30 

- 

- 

134 

133,6 

c) 

Incidence  financière  globale  des  ressources  humaines  et  autres  dépenses  de 
fonctionnement : maintien du statu-quo (2A+3B+2C). (cf. points 7.2 et 7.3) 

CE/CP 

TOTAL a+b+c 

CE 

CP 

19 

18.6 

25 

25 

30 

30 

30 

30 

30 

30 

- 

- 

134 

133,6 

2.4 

Compatibilité avec la programmation financière et les perspectives financières 

X 

La proposition est compatible avec la programmation financière existante 
pour 2006. 

Pour  les  années  2007  à  2010,  la  proposition  est  compatible  au  nouveau 
cadre  des  perspectives  financières  2007-2013,  voir  la  Communication 
[COM(2004) 101] de la Commission de février 2004. 

[…]  Cette  proposition  nécessite  une  re-programmation  de  la  rubrique 

concernée des perspectives financières, 

[…]  y  compris,  le  cas  échéant,  un  recours  aux  dispositions  de  l’accord 

interinstitutionnel. 

2.5 

Incidence financière sur les recettes 

X  Aucune implication financière (concerne des aspects techniques relatifs à 

la mise en œuvre d'une mesure). 

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3. 

CARACTÉRISTIQUES BUDGÉTAIRES 

Nature de la dépense 

Nouvelle 

Participation 
AELE 

Participation 
pays candidats 

Rubrique PF 

DO 

CND 

NON 

OUI 

NON 

N° 3 
(en 2006) 

N° 1a 
(à partir de 
2007)  

4. 

BASE JURIDIQUE  

Article 95 et 157 du traité instituant la Communauté européenne 

5. 

DESCRIPTION ET JUSTIFICATION 

5.1 

Nécessité d'une intervention communautaire 

5.1.1 Objectifs poursuivis 

La présente proposition a pour objectif de rationaliser, consolider et sécuriser dans la 
durée et dans le contexte du nouveau règlement financier les dépenses existantes en 
matière  d’activités  de  normalisation  européenne  réalisées  en  soutien  des  politiques 
communautaires,  notamment  pour  l’amélioration  du  marché  intérieur  et  de  la 
compétitivité des entreprises dans le cadre d’un développement durable. 

5.1.2 Dispositions prises relevant de l’évaluation ex ante  

Une évaluation d’impact préliminaire a été réalisée qui a conclu à un impact neutre 
de  cette  mesure  qui  consiste  à  renforcer,  consolider,  sécuriser  et  éventuellement 
simplifier une situation existante dans le cadre d’une nouvelle législation financière 
et  de  l’élargissement  de  la  Communauté  européenne  (voir  point  2  de  la  présente 
annexe). Comme prévu, une consultation a été menée auprès des parties intéressées 
(normalisateurs,  industrie,  Etats  membres  et  AELE).  L’ensemble  des  parties 
consultées  a  reconnu  le  bien  fondé  d’une  telle  proposition  et  la  continuation  des 
actions existantes telles que décrites au point 5.2. 

5.2 

Actions envisagées et modalités de l'intervention budgétaire 

Actuellement,  le  financement  des  activités  de  la  normalisation  européenne  vise 
essentiellement: 

– 

des contrats de performance annuels avec CEN, CENELEC et ETSI pour 
améliorer  le  fonctionnement  de  leurs  secrétariats  centraux  en  terme  de 
cohérence, d’efficacité, de qualité et de visibilité, 

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– 

– 

– 

l’amélioration  de  la  qualité  de  la  normalisation  européenne,  via 
l’évaluation  par  des  consultants  externes  des  projets  de  normes 
harmonisées et la traduction en tant que de besoin de leur version finale, 

l’élaboration de normes européennes ou autres produits de normalisation 
élaborés en soutien des politiques communautaires, 

la promotion et la visibilité du système européen de normalisation et des 
normes européennes. 

D’autres  activités  peuvent  être  financées  par  exemple  dans  les  domaines  de 
l’assistance ou de la coopération technique vis-à-vis des pays tiers. 

L’intervention budgétaire se fait essentiellement sur base de subventions sans appel à 
proposition  pour  les  organismes  européens  de  normalisation  reconnus  dans  la 
directive 98/34/CE ou encore via l’appel au marché ou par le biais des subventions 
avec appel à proposition vis-à-vis d’autres entités. 

5.3 

Modalités de mise en œuvre 

La gestion du budget de normalisation est de la responsabilité de la Commission. Ce 
budget  est  essentiellement  exécuté  sur  la  base  des  activités  telles  que  décrites  dans 
l’article 3 de la proposition. 

Une assistance technique et administrative n’est pas exclue ; elle est partie intégrante 
des budgets annuels. 

6. 

6.1 

INCIDENCE FINANCIÈRE  

Incidence  financière  totale  sur  la  partie  B  (pour  toute  la  période  de 
programmation) 

La  ventilation  par  type  d’actions  se  fait  chaque  année  sur  la  base  des  estimations 
indiquées au point 2.3 et dans le cadre des Décisions annuelles de financement de la 
Commission qui fixe les montants, les taux de co-financement par type d’activité. 

7. 

SUR 
INCIDENCE 
ADMINISTRATIVES  

LES 

EFFECTIFS 

ET 

LES 

DÉPENSES 

Aucune  incidence  car  maintien  de  la  situation  existante  en  matière  de  ressources 
humaines et de dépenses administratives (2A+3B+2C). 

8. 

SUIVI ET ÉVALUATION 

8.1 

Système de suivi 

Des  évaluations  récurrentes  sont  réalisées  régulièrement  par  la  Commission  sur  les 
différents types d’activités faisant l’objet d’un soutien financier communautaire (voir 
point 6.2 relatif à l’évaluation ex-ante). 

EN 

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8.2 

Modalités et périodicité de l’évaluation prévue 

Des  évaluations  ex-post  sont  prévues  pour  chaque  type  de  financement  chaque 
année. A titre d’exemple, le programme esap a fait l’objet d’une évaluation en 2003 ; 
en 2005, les contrats consultants seront évalués par des évaluateurs externes. 

9. 

MESURES ANTIFRAUDE 

Les dispositions de la réglementation financière relatives à l’exécution du budget, et 
plus  particulièrement  celles  concernant  les  mesures  de  contrôle  sont  d’ores  et  déjà 
mises en œuvre. 

Des  mesures  de  contrôles  systématiques  des  subventions  sont  prévues  dans  les 
conventions  cadre  de  partenariat  signées  entre  la  Commission  et  les  organismes 
européens  de  normalisation telles  que  des  obligations  de  rapports,  de  décomptes 
financiers  avec  la  possibilité  d’exiger  toutes  pièces  justificatives  pour  les  dépenses 
pendant  5  ans  après  paiement  de  la  facture  finale  relative  à  toute  convention 
spécifique. 

Des  rapports  d’audit  sont  requis  de  la  part  des  bénéficiaires  conformément  aux 
dispositions du règlement financier. 

Des contrôles sur pièces et sur place sont réalisés régulièrement par la Commission 
notamment  pour  s’assurer  que 
le  système  d’enregistrement  du  nombre 
d’hommes/jours utilisés pour les activités de normalisation est fiable. 

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