14.12.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 474/1
II (Information)
INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
EUROPEAN COMMISSION COMMISSION NOTICE Guidelines on the closure of operational programmes adopted for assistance from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and cross-border cooperation programmes under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) (2014-2020) (2022/C 474/01)
This Commission notice replaces the Commission notice previously published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 417 of 14 October 2021.
Taking into account the importance of timely and efficient closure of the operational programmes approved for assistance from the European Regional Development Fund (including the cooperation programmes under the European territorial cooperation goal), the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the programming period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020, including those benefiting from the REACT-EU resources, it is necessary to provide proper guidance on the closing of those programmes in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) and the legal acts of general application adopted on its basis.
These guidelines cover also the cross-border cooperation programmes under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II).
The IPA Implementing Regulation refers generally to the CPR or specifically to certain provisions thereof.
These guidelines therefore also apply to IPA II cross-border cooperation programmes, unless specified otherwise.
In view of the experience of closing the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 programming periods, the guidelines propose simplified procedures aiming to build on the best practices identified during the closure of these previous periods.
The guidelines take into account the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis in 2020 and 2021 and the military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 as well as the associated impact on programme implementation.
The purpose of the guidelines is to facilitate the closure process by providing the methodological framework under which the closure exercise should take place for the financial settlement of the Union’s outstanding budgetary commitments through payment of any final balance to the Member State in respect of a programme and/or decommitment or recovery of the sums unduly paid by the Commission to the Member State.
(1) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320) (‘CPR’).