Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 1904/2006/EC establishing for the period 2007 to 2013 the programme ‘Europe for Citizens’ to promote active European citizenship
Date: 2008-02-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European citizenship, European identity, action programme, economic support, promotion of the European idea

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 7.2.2008 
COM(2008) 59 final 

2008/0029 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

amending Decision No 1904/2006/EC establishing for the period 2007 to 2013 the 
programme ‘Europe for Citizens’ to promote active European citizenship  

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

On  12  December  2006  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  adopted  Decision 
No 1904/2006/EC  establishing  the  programme  'Europe  for  Citizens'  for  the  period 
2007  to  2013.  This  programme  aims  to  support  a  wide  range  of  activities  and 
organisations promoting 'active European citizenship', i.e. the involvement of citizens 
and civil society organisations in the process of European integration. 

To  achieve  its  objectives,  the  programme  proposes  four  actions,  subdivided  into 
different  measures.  Project  promoters  wishing  to  receive  grants  are  required  to 
follow a procedure for calls for proposals which results in the Commission making 
selection  decisions  concerning  proposals  for  the  award  of  grants;  as  measures  to 
implement the programme, these must follow a specific interinstitutional procedure. 

Under Article 202 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, the Council, 
in the acts which it adopts, confers on the Commission powers to implement the rules 
which the Council lays down and may impose certain requirements in respect of the 
exercise of these powers.  

These  requirements  come  under  the  heading  of  'comitology'.  This  means  that  it  is 
compulsory  to  consult  a  committee  on  the  implementing  measures  which  are 
determined by the basic instrument, and this must be done prior to their adoption by 
the  Commission.  This  committee  is  composed  exclusively  of  representatives  of  the 
Member States. It is chaired by the Commission.  

There  are  various  types  of  committee  procedure,  as  set  out  in  Council  Decision 
No 1999/468/EC  laying  down  the  procedures  for  the  exercise  of  implementing 
powers  conferred  on 
the  Commission,  as  amended  by  Council  Decision 
No 2006/512/EC. The basic instrument establishing the Commission's implementing 
powers may provide for the application of these various procedures in order to carry 
out the implementing measures.  

The 
'comitology'  Decision  also  gives  Parliament  the  right  to  monitor  the 
implementation  of  legislative  instruments  adopted  under  the  codecision  procedure. 
This  right  of  scrutiny  allows  Parliament  to  contest  any  measures  envisaged  by  the 
Commission which it thinks would exceed the implementing powers provided for in 
the basic instrument, as this could impinge on its powers of codecision. 

The European Parliament has one month in which to examine a draft measure before 
the  Commission  makes  the  formal  decision.  This  period  begins  to  run  when  the 
definitive  proposed  implementing  measure  is  transmitted  to  Parliament  after  the 
committee has delivered its formal opinion. 

Decision  No 1904/2006/EC  establishing  the  programme  'Europe  for  Citizens' 
provides  that  a  set  of  measures  necessary  to  implement  the  programme  shall  be 
adopted  by  the  Commission  in  accordance  with  the  procedures  provided  for  in  the 
'comitology' Decision.  

When  the  programme  was  being  negotiated,  the  legislator  had  clearly  defined  the 
selection  decisions  to  be  submitted  to  the  committee.  The  management  procedure 
referred  to  under  Articles  4  and  7  of  the  comitology  Decision  was  intended  to  be 

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used  for  the  award  of  grants  involving  large  sums,  i.e.  all  operating  grants,  multi-
annual twinning agreements and high-visibility events. The other selection decisions 
were  not  intended  to  be  subject  to  a  committee  procedure.  In  such  a  case  the 
Commission had undertaken to inform the programme committee and the European 
Parliament immediately of any selection decisions which would not be subject to the 
management  procedure.  This  agreement  was  set  out  in  a  declaration  by  the 
Commission to the Council and the European Parliament. 

The agreement was based on the nature of the programme's actions, which generally 
award small grants to a large number of beneficiaries, as in such cases the committee 
procedure can provide little added value and it places a disproportionate burden on 
the  programme's  administration.  This  agreement  was 
thus  based  on  an 
interinstitutional consensus with a view to simplifying procedures and reducing the 
time required for making decisions concerning potential beneficiaries. 

While  the  wording  of  Decision  No 1904/2006/EC  correctly  incorporates  the 
legislator's  wishes  concerning  the  selection  decisions  to  be  submitted  to  the 
management  committee,  the  legislator's  intentions  were  not  properly  transposed  in 
that Decision insofar as all other measures, including selection decisions, were made 
subject  to  the  consultative  procedure  provided  for  in  Articles  3  and  7  of  the 
comitology  Decision  rather  than  requiring  the  Commission  to  provide  immediate 
information to the programme committee and the European Parliament.  

The  programme  committee  is  thus  consulted  in  accordance  with  the  management 
procedure for selection proposals which are expressly provided for in Article 8(2) of 
Decision No 1904/2006/EC, namely in relation to all operating grants, multi-annual 
twinning agreements and high-visibility events. A contrario, Article 8(3) of the same 
Decision stipulates that all other selection decisions are made in accordance with the 
consultative procedure. 

This  wording  of  Decision  No 1904/2006/EC  causes  serious  problems  in  the 
implementation of the actions and measures provided for by the programme.  

Making selection decisions subject to the consultative procedure actually delays their 
adoption by two to three months. Applicants must therefore wait longer before being 
informed  of  a  decision  concerning  their  proposals.  Yet  the  projects  concerned  are 
generally planned to begin within a short timeframe in order to increase the number 
of  calls  for  proposals  issued  each  year.  As  a  result,  these  extended  timeframes  risk 
causing delays  in awarding grants, thus jeopardising the viability of many  projects. 
Moreover,  these  time  constraints  run  counter  to  the  principles  of  simplicity  and 
proximity in implementing the programme and therefore have a direct impact on its 
effectiveness. 

Temporary  solutions  have  been  devised  in  order  to  reduce  the  time  required  for 
systematic  committee  consultation  and 
to  monitor 
implementation.  The  programme  committee  has  agreed  to  amend  its  rules  of 
procedure in order to reduce the time required for consultations concerning selection 
decisions which are subject to the consultative procedure. The committee now uses 
the  written  procedure  and  has  a  period  of  five  days  in  which  to  comment  on  the 
selection  decisions  submitted  for  its  opinion.  The  European  Parliament  has  also 

the  consequent 

right 

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16. 

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accepted  a  temporary  arrangement  which  reduced  the  time  required  for  its  right  of 
scrutiny from one month to five days during the previous summer period. 

While these ad hoc arrangements and temporary solutions have helped to solve the 
more immediate problems, experience has shown that it is important to put in place a 
long-term solution in order to be able to offer programme beneficiaries an assurance 
concerning the time required to award their grants. 

A definitive solution to the problem posed by making selection decisions subject to 
the  consultation  procedure  will  require  a  technical  amendment  to  Decision 
No 1904/2006/EC.  The  current  consultative  procedure  will  disappear  and  will  be 
replaced,  on  the  basis  of  a  Commission  declaration,  by  a  procedure  whereby  the 
Commission provides the programme committee and the European Parliament with 
immediate information on the selection decisions which it adopts. 

By returning once again to the legislator's primary intention during the negotiation of 
the  'Europe  for  Citizens'  programme,  the  proposal  for  the  amendment  of  the  basic 
instrument  will  thus  make  it  possible  to  reduce  by  two  to  three  months  the  time 
required  for  grants  to  be  awarded  and  to  ensure  effective  implementation  of  the 
activities and measures covered by the programme. The programme committee and 
the  European  Parliament  will  be  immediately  informed  of  the  selection  decisions. 
This  amendment  will  also  help  to  strengthen  the  principles  of  simplification  and 
proportionality  of  the  procedures  by  making  them  faster  and  more  efficient  in  the 
interests of grant recipients.  

Three  other  decisions  adopted  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council,  which 
establish  programmes  in  the  areas  of  education,  youth  and  culture,  include  similar 
the 
provisions  concerning 
management procedure and the consultative procedure and cause the same problems 
regarding the implementation of selection decisions. A similar revision of these basic 
instruments is planned in parallel with this proposal for an amendment. 

the  breakdown  of  selection  decisions  between 

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2008/0029 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

amending Decision No 1904/2006/EC establishing for the period 2007 to 2013 the 
programme ‘Europe for Citizens’ to promote active European citizenship  

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 
151 and 308 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee2, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions3, 

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty4, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

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Decision  No 1904/2006/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council5 
established the 'Europe for Citizens' programme for the period 2007 to 2013. 

Article 8(3) of Decision No 1904/2006/EC stipulates that other measures necessary for 
the  implementation  of  the  programme  which  are  not  listed  in  paragraph  2  shall  be 
adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 9(3) of that Decision, 
namely in accordance with the consultative procedure established by Council Decision 
No 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers 
conferred on the Commission6. 

This wording of Decision No 1904/2006/EC results in particular in selection decisions 
other  than  those  referred  to  in  Article  8(2)  of  the  Decision  being  subject  to  the 
consultative procedure and to the European Parliament's right of scrutiny.  

Yet  these  selection  decisions  mainly  concern  small  grants  and  do  not  involve  any 
politically sensitive decision-making.  

OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ C , , p. . 
OJ L 378, 27.12.2006, p.32. Corrected version in OJ L 160, 21.6.2007, p. 36. 
OJ  L  184,  17.07.1999,  p.23.  Decision  as  amended  by  Decision  2006/512/EC  (OJ  L  200,  22.07.2006, 
p. 11). 

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(5) 

These  procedural  requirements  add  two  to  three  months  to  the  process  of  awarding 
grants to applicants. They cause many delays  for  recipients,  place a  disproportionate 
burden  on  the  programme's  administration  and  provide  no  added  value  given  the 
nature of the grants awarded.  

(6) 

It  is  therefore  necessary  to  amend  Decision  No 1904/2006/EC  in  order  to  allow 
selection decisions to be implemented more quickly and efficiently. 

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

following  paragraph  2a  shall  be 

The 
No 1904/2006/EC: 

incorporated 

into  Article  8  of  Decision 

“2a. Where the Commission adopts decisions, in accordance with the present Decision, on the 
award of grants other than those listed in paragraph 2, it shall adopt these decisions without 
the assistance of a committee.” 

Article 2 

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

Done at Brussels, [… 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

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