Article 1 Subject matter
This Regulation establishes the ‘Fiscalis’ programme for cooperation in the field of taxation (the ‘Programme’) for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027. This Regulation lays down the objectives of the Programme, its budget for the period 2021-2027, the forms of Union funding and the rules for providing such funding.
Article 2 Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply: (1) ‘taxation’ means matters, including design, administration, enforcement and compliance, relating to the following taxes and duties: (a) value added tax as provided for in Council Directive 2006/112/EC ( 19 ) ; (b) excise duties on alcohol as provided for in Council Directive 92/83/EEC ( 20 ) ; (c) excise duties on tobacco products as provided for in Council Directive 2011/64/EU ( 21 ) ; (d) taxes on energy products and electricity as provided for in Council Directive 2003/96/EC ( 22 ) ; (e) other taxes and duties referred to in point (a) of Article 2(1) of Council Directive 2010/24/EU ( 23 ) insofar as they are relevant for the internal market and for administrative cooperation between Member States; (2) ‘tax authorities’ means public authorities and other bodies which are responsible for taxation or tax-related activities; (3) ‘European electronic system’ means an electronic system that is necessary for taxation and for the execution of the missions of tax authorities.
Article 3 Programme objectives
1. The general objectives of the Programme are to support tax authorities and taxation in order to enhance the functioning of the internal market, to foster the competitiveness of the Union and fair competition in the Union, to protect the financial and economic interests of the Union and its Member States, including protecting those interests from tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance, and to improve tax collection. 2. The specific objectives of the Programme are to support tax policy and the implementation of Union law relating to taxation, to foster cooperation between tax authorities, including exchange of tax information, and to support administrative capacity building including as regards human competency and the development and operation of European electronic systems.
Article 4 Budget
1. The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period 2021 – 2027 shall be EUR 269 000 000 in current prices. 2. The amount referred to in paragraph 1 may also cover expenses for preparation, monitoring, control, audit, evaluation and other activities for managing the Programme and evaluating the achievement of its objectives. Moreover, it may cover expenses relating to studies, meetings of experts, information and communication actions, in so far as they are related to the objectives of the Programme, as well as expenses linked to information technology networks that focus on information processing and exchange, including corporate information technology tools and other technical and administrative assistance needed in connection with the management of the Programme.
Article 5 Third countries associated with the Programme
The Programme shall be open to the participation of the following third countries: (a) acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council decisions, or similar agreements and in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in agreements between the Union and those countries; (b) European Neighbourhood Policy countries, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective framework agreements and Association Council decisions, or in similar agreements and in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in agreements between the Union and those countries, provided that those countries have reached a sufficient level of approximation of the relevant legislation and administrative methods to those of the Union; (c) other third countries, in accordance with the conditions laid down in a specific agreement covering the participation of the third country in any Union programme, provided that the agreement: (i) ensures a fair balance as regards the contributions of and benefits for the third country participating in the Union programmes; (ii) lays down the conditions of participation in the programmes, including the calculation of financial contributions to individual programmes, and their administrative costs; (iii) does not confer on the third country any decision-making power in respect of the Programme; (iv) guarantees the rights of the Union to ensure sound financial management and to protect its financial interests. The contributions referred to in point (c)(ii) of the first paragraph shall constitute assigned revenues in accordance with Article 21(5) of the Financial Regulation.
Article 6 Implementation and forms of Union funding
1. The Programme shall be implemented in direct management in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 2. The Programme may provide funding in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation, in particular through grants, prizes, procurement and the reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses incurred by external experts.
Article 7 Eligible actions
1. Only actions implemented in order to attain the objectives set out in Article 3 shall be eligible for funding. 2. The actions referred to in paragraph 1 shall include the following: (a) meetings and similar ad hoc events; (b) project-based structured collaboration; (c) IT capacity-building actions, in particular the development and operation of European electronic systems; (d) human competency-building and other capacity-building actions; (e) support actions and other actions, including: (i) the preparation of studies and other relevant written material; (ii) innovation activities, in particular proof-of-concepts, pilot projects and prototyping initiatives; (iii) jointly developed communication actions; (iv) any other relevant actions provided for in the work programmes referred to in Article 13 which are necessary for attaining the objectives set out in Article 3 or are in support of those objectives. Annex I contains a non-exhaustive list of possible forms of relevant actions as referred to in points (a), (b) and (d) of the first subparagraph. Annex III contains a non-exhaustive list of priority topics for actions. 3. Actions consisting in the development and operation of adaptations of or extensions to the common components of the European electronic systems for cooperation with third countries not associated with the Programme or international organisations shall be eligible for funding when they are of interest to the Union or to Member States. The Commission shall put in place the necessary administrative arrangements, which may provide for the third parties concerned to contribute financially to those actions. 4. Where an IT capacity-building action as referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 2 of this Article concerns the development and operation of a European electronic system, only the costs related to the responsibilities conferred on the Commission pursuant to Article 11(2) shall be eligible for funding under the Programme. Member States shall bear the costs related to the responsibilities conferred on them pursuant to Article 11(3).
Article 8 Participation of external experts
1. Where beneficial for the completion of an action implementing the Programme objectives set out in Article 3, representatives of governmental authorities, including those from third countries not associated with the Programme, including from least developed countries, and, where relevant, representatives of international and other relevant organisations, representatives of economic operators, representatives of organisations representing economic operators and representatives of civil society may take part as external experts in such an action. 2. Costs incurred by the external experts referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be eligible for reimbursement under the Programme in accordance with Article 238 of the Financial Regulation. 3. The external experts referred to in paragraph 1 shall be selected by the Commission, including from experts proposed by the Member States, on the basis of their skills, experience and knowledge relevant to the specific action, on an ad hoc basis, based on needs. The Commission shall assess, inter alia, the impartiality of those external experts and the absence of conflict of interests with their professional responsibilities.
Article 9 Award, complementarity and combined funding
1. Grants under the Programme shall be awarded and managed in accordance with Title VIII of the Financial Regulation. 2. An action that has received a contribution from another Union programme may also receive a contribution under the Programme, provided that the different contributions do not cover the same costs. The rules of each contributing Union programme shall apply to its respective contribution to the action. The cumulative funding shall not exceed the total eligible costs of the action, and the support from different Union programmes may be calculated on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the documents setting out the conditions for support. 3. In accordance with point (f) of the first paragraph of Article 195 of the Financial Regulation, grants shall be awarded without a call for proposals where the eligible entities are tax authorities of the Member States and of third countries associated with the Programme as referred to in Article 5 of this Regulation, provided that the conditions set out in Article 5 of this Regulation are met. 4. In accordance with point (a) of the second subparagraph of Article 193(2) of the Financial Regulation, in duly justified cases specified in the financing decision and for a limited period, activities supported under this Regulation and the underlying costs may be considered eligible as of 1 January 2021, even if they were implemented and incurred before the grant application was submitted.
Article 10 Co-financing rate
1. By way of derogation from Article 190 of the Financial Regulation, the Programme may finance up to 100 % of the eligible costs of an action. 2. The applicable co-financing rate where actions require the awarding of grants shall be set out in the multiannual work programmes referred to in Article 13.
Article 11 Responsibilities
1. The Commission and the Member States shall jointly ensure the development and operation of the European electronic systems listed in the Multi-Annual Strategic Plan for Taxation referred to in Article 12 (the ‘MASP-T’), including design, specification, conformance testing, deployment, maintenance, evolution, security, quality assurance and quality control of those systems. 2. The Commission shall, in particular, ensure the following: (a) the development and operation of the common components established under the MASP-T; (b) the overall coordination of the development and operation of European electronic systems with a view to their operability, interconnectivity and continuous improvement and their synchronised implementation; (c) the coordination of European electronic systems at Union level with a view to their promotion and implementation at national level; (d) the coordination of the development and operation of European electronic systems as regards their interaction with third parties, excluding actions designed to meet national requirements; (e) the coordination of European electronic systems with other relevant actions at Union level relating to e-government. 3. Each Member State shall, in particular, ensure the following: (a) the development and operation of national components established under the MASP-T; (b) the coordination of the development and operation of the national components of European electronic systems at national level; (c) the coordination of European electronic systems with other relevant actions at national level relating to e-government; (d) the regular provision to the Commission of information regarding the measures it has taken to enable its authorities and economic operators to make full use of European electronic systems; (e) the implementation of European electronic systems at national level.
Article 12 Multi-Annual Strategic Plan for Taxation
1. The Commission and the Member States shall draw up a Multi-Annual Strategic Plan for Taxation (MASP-T) and keep it up to date. The MASP-T shall be aligned with relevant legal acts of the Union. It shall list all tasks that are relevant for the development and operation of European electronic systems and shall classify each European electronic system, or part of such European electronic system, as: (a) a common component, meaning a component of the European electronic systems developed at Union level, which is available for all Member States or has been identified by the Commission as common for reasons of efficiency, security and rationalisation; (b) a national component, meaning a component of the European electronic systems developed at national level, which is available in the Member State that created it or contributed to its joint creation; or (c) a combination of the components referred to in points (a) and (b). 2. The MASP-T shall also cover innovation and pilot actions, as well as the supporting methodologies and tools related to the European electronic systems. 3. Member States shall notify the Commission of the completion of each task allocated to them under the MASP-T. They shall also report regularly to the Commission on the progress of their tasks. 4. No later than 31 March of each year, Member States shall submit to the Commission annual progress reports on the implementation of the MASP-T in the period from 1 January to 31 December of the preceding year. Those annual reports shall be based on a pre-established format. 5. No later than 31 October of each year, the Commission shall draw up a consolidated report on the basis of the annual reports referred to in paragraph 4, assessing the progress made by the Commission and Member States in the implementation of the MASP-T, and shall make that report public.
Article 13 Work programme
1. The Programme shall be implemented through multiannual work programmes as referred to in Article 110(2) of the Financial Regulation. 2. The multiannual work programmes shall be adopted by the Commission by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18(2).
Article 14 Monitoring and reporting
1. Indicators to report on the progress of the Programme towards the achievement of the specific objectives laid down in Article 3(2) are set out in Annex II. 2. To ensure the effective assessment of the Programme’s progress towards the achievement of its objectives, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 17, to amend Annex II to review or complement the indicators where considered necessary and to supplement this Regulation with provisions on the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation framework. 3. The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring the implementation and the results of the Programme are collected efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner. To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on recipients of Union funds.
Article 15 Evaluation
1. Evaluations of the Programme shall be carried out so that they feed into the decision-making process in a timely manner. The Commission shall make the evaluations publicly available. 2. Once there is sufficient information available about the implementation of the Programme, but no later than four years after the start of its implementation, the Commission shall carry out an interim evaluation of the Programme. 3. At the end of the implementation of the Programme, but no later than four years after the end of the period referred to in Article 1, the Commission shall carry out a final evaluation of the Programme. 4. The Commission shall communicate the conclusions of the interim and final evaluations, including its observations, to the European Parliament, to the Council, to the European Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions.
Article 16 Protection of the financial interests of the Union
Where a third country participates in the Programme by means of a decision adopted pursuant to an international agreement or on the basis of any other legal instrument, the third country shall grant the necessary rights and access required for the authorising officer responsible, OLAF and the Court of Auditors to comprehensively exercise their respective competences. In the case of OLAF, such rights shall include the right to carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, as provided for in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013.
Article 17 Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article. 2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 14(2) shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2028. 3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 14(2) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force. 4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making. 5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council. 6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 14(2) shall enter into force if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.
Article 18 Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee referred to as the ‘Fiscalis Programme Committee’. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 19 Information, communication and publicity
1. The recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin of those funds and ensure the visibility of the Union funding, in particular when promoting the actions and their results, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public. 2. The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the Programme, to actions taken pursuant to the Programme and to the results obtained. Financial resources allocated to the Programme shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, insofar as those priorities are related to the objectives referred to in Article 3.
Article 20 Repeal
Regulation (EU) No 1286/2013 is repealed with effect from 1 January 2021.
Article 21 Transitional provisions
1. This Regulation shall not affect the continuation of or modification of actions initiated pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1286/2013, which shall continue to apply to those actions until their closure. 2. The financial envelope for the Programme may also cover the technical and administrative assistance expenses necessary to ensure the transition between the Programme and the measures adopted pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1286/2013. 3. If necessary, appropriations may be entered in the Union budget beyond 2027 to cover the expenses provided for in Article 4(2), to enable the management of actions not completed by 31 December 2027.
Article 22 Entry into force and application
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 1 January 2021.