2007/372/EC: Commission Decision of 31 May 2007 amending Decision 2004/20/EC in order to transform the Intelligent Energy Executive Agency into the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation
Date: 2007-05-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU office or agency, EU programme, competitiveness, energy policy, innovation, management, small and medium-sized enterprises

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Official Journal of the European Union

1.6.2007

COMMISSION DECISION

of 31 May 2007
amending Decision 2004/20/EC in order to transform the ‘Intelligent Energy Executive Agency’ into
the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation

(2007/372/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 of 19
December 2002 laying down the statute for executive agencies
to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of
Community programmes (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

In the framework of the Lisbon strategy for growth and
jobs, the Community has taken a number of measures
aimed at promoting and developing competitiveness and
innovation in order to contribute to growth and to make
Europe a more attractive place to invest and work.

the Competitiveness

the competitiveness of enterprises,

small and medium-sized enterprises

Those measures include Decision No 1639/2006/EC of
the European Parliament and of
the Council of 24
October 2006 establishing a Competitiveness and Inno-
vation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013) (2). The
and Innovation
objectives of
Framework Programme (hereinafter referred to as CIP)
in
are to foster
particular
(here-
inafter referred to as SMEs), to promote all forms of
including eco-innovation, to accelerate the
innovation,
development of an information society and to promote
energy efficiency and new and renewable energy sources.
Those objectives are to be pursued through the imple-
the
mentation of
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, the Infor-
mation and Communications Technology policy support
Intelligent Energy — Europe
Programme
Programme.

the following specific programmes:

and the

The measures taken in the framework of
the Lisbon
strategy also include Regulation (EC) No 1692/2006 of
the Council of 24
the European Parliament and of
October 2006 establishing the second Marco Polo
programme for the granting of Community financial
assistance to improve the environmental performance
of
transport system (Marco Polo II) and
repealing Regulation (EC) No 1382/2003 (3). The
objectives of Marco Polo II are to reduce congestion,

the freight

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

improve the environmental performance of the transport
system and to enhance inter-modal transport, thereby
contributing
transport
systems and to competitiveness and innovation, espe-
cially of SMEs, within the Community.

and sustainable

to efficient

The Intelligent Energy Executive Agency (hereinafter
referred to as the IEEA) was set up by Commission
Decision 2004/20/EC (4),
to manage the Community
field of
action in the
in the
energy carried out
Energy — Europe
framework
Intelligent
the
of
Programme 2003-2006 (hereinafter referred to as the
IEE Programme 2003-2006)
adopted by Decision
No 1230/2003 of the European Parliament and of the
Council (5). Decision 2004/20/EC provides for the IEEA
to carry out its functions until 31 December 2008 in
order to execute contracts and grants signed under the
2003-2006 IEE programme.

A cost-benefit analysis carried out by external consultants
has shown that continuing to entrust programme imple-
mentation tasks related to the new IEE programme
2007-2013 to the existing IEEA would be the most
cost-effective option.

analyses

Cost-benefit
also showed that programme
implementation tasks related to the Entrepreneurship
and Innovation Programme within the framework of
the CIP, as well as Marco Polo II, could be carried out
more efficiently by an executive agency, whilst ensuring
the overall management by the Commission of these
programmes.

Since the IEE Programme for 2007-2013 has been inte-
grated into the CIP, and in order to ensure consistency in
the manner in which projects are implemented under the
CIP, the IEEA should be entrusted with certain imple-
mentation tasks related to the Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Programme, which also forms part of the
CIP, in addition to the execution of the IEE Programme
for 2007-2013. Moreover, since Marco Polo II shares
common objectives with the CIP, and in particular with
the IEE programme, namely to improve energy efficiency
in transport and reduce its environmental
impact, and
both
from important
synergies, certain implementation tasks related to Marco
Polo II should also be delegated to the IEEA.

programmes

benefit

could

(1) OJ L 11, 16.1.2003, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 310, 9.11.2006, p. 15.
(3) OJ L 328, 24.11.2006, p. 1.

(4) OJ L 5, 9.1.2004, p. 85.
(5) OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 29. Decision as amended by Decision

787/2004/EC (OJ L 138, 30.4.2004, p. 12).

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(8)

(9)

In order to reflect its additional tasks, the IEEA should be
transformed into the Executive Agency for Competi-
tiveness and Innovation.

Decision 2004/20/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly.

(b) adopting the instruments of budget implementation for
revenue and expenditure and carrying out, where the
Commission has empowered it
the
operations necessary to manage
implementing
in particular, those linked to the award
measures and,
of contracts and grants under the CIP and the second
Marco Polo Programme;

to do so, all

the

(10)

The provisions set out by this Decision are in accordance
with the opinion of
the Committee for Executive
Agencies,

(c) gathering, analysing and passing on to the Commission
all the information needed to guide and evaluate the
implementation of the CIP and the second Marco Polo
Programme.

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Decision 2004/20/EC is amended as follows:

1.

in Article 1, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

The name of

‘2.
Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation.”’;

the Agency shall be the “Executive

2. Article 3 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 3

Duration

The Agency shall carry out its tasks from 1 January 2004
until 31 December 2015.’;

3. Article 4 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 4

Objectives and tasks

The Agency shall be responsible for carrying out the
1.
the management of
following implementation tasks for
Community actions in the fields of energy, entrepreneurship
and innovation,
including eco-innovation, and sustainable
freight transport, under the Competitiveness and Innovation
Framework Programme 2007-2013 established by Decision
No 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council (*)
referred to as the CIP), and the
second Marco Polo Programme 2007-2013 established by
Regulation (EC) No 1692/2006 of the European Parliament
and of the Council (**):

(hereinafter

(a) managing all

the phases in the lifetime of specific
projects in the context of the Entrepreneurship and Inno-
vation Programme and the Intelligent Energy — Europe
Programme established by Decision No 1639/2006/EC
and the second Marco Polo Programme, as well as the
necessary checks to that end, by adopting the relevant
decisions where the Commission has empowered it to do
so;

2.
The Agency shall also manage all the phases in the
lifetime of the implementing measures delegated to it in
the framework of the following programmes:

(a)

Intelligent Energy — Europe (2003 to 2006) established
by Decision No 1230/2003/EC of
the European
Parliament and of the Council (***);

(b) Marco Polo (2003 to 2006) established by Regulation
(EC) No 1382/2003 of the European Parliament and of
the Council (****).

The Commission’s rights and obligations in respect of the
implementing measures referred to in point (b) of the first
subparagraph are assigned to the Agency.

The Agency may be charged by the Commission,
3.
following the opinion of
the committee established by
Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 58/2003, to carry out
tasks of the same type under the CIP or other Community
programmes, within the meaning of Article 2 of that Regu-
lation, in the fields referred to in paragraph 1.

The Commission Decision delegating authority to the
4.
Agency shall set out in detail all the tasks entrusted to it and
shall be adapted in the light of any additional tasks which
may be entrusted to the Agency. The Commission decision
will be transmitted, for information, to the committee estab-
lished by Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 58/2003.
___________

(*) OJ L 310, 9.11.2006, p. 15.
(**) OJ L 328, 24.11.2006, p. 1.
(***) OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 29.
(****) OJ L 196, 2.8.2003, p. 1.’

4. Article 6 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 6

Grants

The Agency shall receive grants which shall be entered in the
general budget of the European Communities from the funds
allocated to the CIP and the second Marco Polo Programme
and, where appropriate, other Community programmes or
actions entrusted to the Agency for implementation pursuant
to Article 4(3).’;

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5. Article 8 is replaced by the following:

Article 2

‘Article 8

Implementation of the administrative budget

The Agency shall
implement its administrative budget in
accordance with the provisions of Commission Regulation
(EC) No 1653/2004 (*).

___________
(*) OJ L 297, 22.9.2004, p. 6.’

All references to the Intelligent Energy Executive Agency shall
be interpreted as references to the Executive Agency for Compe-
titiveness and Innovation with effect from the date of adoption
of this Decision.

Done at Brussels, 31 May 2007.

For the Commission

Günter VERHEUGEN
Vice-President