Article 1 Subject-matter and duration
This Decision establishes a Community action programme to be called the ‘ARGO programme’ to support and complement the actions undertaken by the Community and the Member States in the implementation of Community legislation founded on Articles 62, 63 and 66 of the Treaty. The ARGO programme shall cover the period from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2006.
Article 2 Definition
For the purposes of this Decision ‘national agencies’ means the administrative and judicial authorities of the Member States or other bodies delegated by those authorities to implement Community legislation founded on Articles 62 and 63 of the Treaty and on Article 66 of the Treaty in so far as it concerns cooperation between national agencies in the areas covered by the said Articles 62 and 63.
Article 3 General objectives
The ARGO programme shall contribute to the following objectives: (a) to promote cooperation between national agencies in implementing Community rules with special attention to the pooling of resources and coordinated and homogeneous practices; (b) to promote uniform application of Community law in order to harmonise decisions taken by the national agencies of Member States, thereby avoiding malfunctioning likely to prejudice the progressive establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice; (c) to improve the overall efficiency of national agencies in the carrying out of their tasks when implementing Community rules; (d) to ensure that proper account is taken of the Community dimension in the organisation of national agencies contributing to the implementation of Community rules; (e) to encourage transparency of actions taken by national agencies by strengthening their relations with the relevant national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Article 4 Activities in the area of external borders
In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3, the ARGO programme shall support the activities of the Member States in the area of external borders intended: (a) to ensure that Member States carry out border controls in compliance with the common principles and implementing rules laid down by Community legislation; (b) to provide an equivalent level of effective protection and surveillance at external borders; (c) to reinforce the effectiveness of controls at border crossing points and surveillance between crossing points.
Article 5 Activities in the area of visas
In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3, the ARGO programme shall support the activities of the Member States in the area of visas intended: (a) to ensure that Member States issue visas in compliance with the common principles and implementing rules laid down by Community legislation; (b) to promote an equivalent level of control and security when issuing visas; (c) to promote harmonisation in the examination of visa applications and in particular supporting documents regarding purpose of journey, means of subsistence and accommodation; (d) to promote harmonisation of exceptions applied by Member States to certain categories of applicants for visas to facilitate controls at the external borders and freedom of movement between Member States; (e) generally to enhance consular cooperation between Member States.
Article 6 Activities in the area of asylum
In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3, the ARGO programme shall support the activities of the Member States in the area of asylum intended: (a) to promote the establishment and operation of the common European asylum system by supporting measures and standards leading to a common asylum procedure and a uniform status for those granted asylum valid throughout the Community; (b) to facilitate the determination of the State responsible for examining an asylum application; (c) to support the approximation of rules on the recognition and content of refugee status, complemented with measures on subsidiary forms of protection offering an appropriate status to any person in need of such protection; (d) to reinforce the efficiency and fairness of asylum procedure and to increase convergence in decisions dealing with asylum applications; (e) to develop resettlement and entry facilities, and legal means for admission into Member States on humanitarian grounds.
Article 7 Activities in the area of immigration
In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3, the ARGO programme shall support the activities of the Member States in the area of immigration intended: (a) to ensure that Member States issue residence and work permits in compliance with the common principles and implementing rules laid down by Community legislation; (b) to promote the knowledge of the rules of residence and work permits for third-country nationals; (c) to encourage verification of the effects and the perception of Community immigration policy in migrants' countries of origin; (d) to ensure effective, efficient and homogeneous application of the relevant common rules and policies in relation to irregular migratory flows and illegal immigration while safeguarding a sufficient level of access to international protection; (e) to enhance cooperation in the field of the return of nationals of third countries and stateless persons without residence permits and refused asylum applicants, including transit through other Member States and third countries; (f) to strengthen the fight against illegal immigration networks and prevention of illegal flows of immigrants.
Article 8 Types of actions
With a view to pursuing the objectives set out in Article 3 and the activities laid down in Articles 4, 5, 6 or 7, the ARGO programme may support the following types of actions: (a) training actions including, in particular, the elaboration of harmonised curricula and common core-training programmes to be organised by national agencies and complementary actions aimed at making national agencies receptive to the best working methods and techniques developed in other Member States; (b) staff exchange ensuring that seconded staff participate effectively in the work of the host national agencies; (c) actions promoting, on the one hand, the use of computerised handling of files and procedures, including use of the most up-to-date techniques for electronic data exchange and, on the other hand, the collection, analysis, distribution and exploitation of information making the fullest use of information technology, in particular, the establishment of information points and websites; (d) evaluation of the impact of common rules and procedures based on Articles 62 and 63 of the Treaty; (e) actions intended to promote the development of best practices with a view to improving working methods and equipment, simplifying procedures and shortening deadlines; (f) operational activities which might include the setting up of common operative centres and of teams composed of staff drawn from two or more Member States; (g) studies, research, conferences and seminars involving staff of the Member States and the Commission and, where appropriate, staff of the relevant national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations; (h) mechanisms for consulting and associating the relevant national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations; (i) Member States' activities in third countries, in particular fact-finding missions in countries of origin and transit; (j) the fight against document fraud.
Article 9 Specific actions
Other modalities of cooperation between national agencies in the policy areas covered by Articles 62 and 63 of the Treaty, in particular urgent joint operations and actions with a limited scope and duration arising from situations which require an immediate reaction, may be included in the framework of the ARGO programme. The annual work programme referred to in Article 12 shall set out a framework for the financing of these specific actions including objectives and evaluation criteria.
Article 10 Eligibility
1. To be eligible for co-financing under the ARGO programme, actions referred to in Article 8 and proposed by a national agency of one Member State must: (a) involve: — at least two other Member States, or — another Member State and a candidate country, where the aim is to prepare for its accession, or — another Member State and a third country, where this would be beneficial for the purpose of the action proposed; (a) involve: — at least two other Member States, or — another Member State and a candidate country, where the aim is to prepare for its accession, or — another Member State and a third country, where this would be beneficial for the purpose of the action proposed; (b) pursue one of the general objectives referred to in Article 3; (c) implement one of the activities in the respective policy area referred to in Articles 4, 5, 6 or 7. 1a. Actions referred to in Article 8 and proposed by a national agency of one Member State which implement one of the activities in the policy area referred to in Article 4, shall be eligible for co-financing under the ARGO programme, provided they: (a) pursue one of the general objectives referred to in Article 3; and (b) contribute to integrated border management by addressing specific structural weaknesses at strategic border points, identified on the basis of objective criteria. 2. Actions referred to in Article 8 may associate participants of the national agencies of any Member State not bound by this decision. 3. Actions proposed by the Commission will promote and facilitate administrative cooperation pursuing the general objectives referred to in Article 3 and support activities in the respective policy areas referred to in Articles 4, 5, 6 or 7.
Article 11 Financing
1. The financial reference amount for implementing the ARGO programme shall be EUR 25 million. 2. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective. 3. Actions referred to in Article 10(1) and (1a) on the one hand and actions referred to in Article 10(3) on the other shall receive an equitable share of the annual amount. 4. The co-financing of an action referred to in Article 10(1) and (1a) by the ARGO programme shall be exclusive of any other financing by another programme financed by the budget of the European Communities. 5. The decisions to award community grants to the actions referred to in Article 10(1) and (1a) shall be subject to grant agreements between the Commission and the national agencies proposing the actions. The implementation of these award decisions and agreements shall be subject to financial control of the Commission and to audits by the Court of Auditors. 6. The proportion of financial support from the budget of the European Communities for actions referred to in Article 10(1) and (1a) shall generally not exceed 60 % of the cost of the action. However, in exceptional circumstances this proportion may be raised up to 80 %.
Article 12 Implementation
1. The Commission shall be responsible for the management and implementation of the ARGO programme, in partnership with the Member States. 2. The Commission shall manage the ARGO programme in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 3. To implement the ARGO programme, the Commission shall, within the scope of the general objectives set out in Article 3: (a) prepare an annual work programme comprising specific objectives, thematic priorities, the objective criteria referred to in Article 10(1a)(b), definition of the indicative maximum share of the annual budget available for the actions referred to in Article 10(1a), a description of the actions referred to in Article 10(3) which the Commission intends to undertake and, if necessary, a list of other actions; (b) evaluate and select the actions proposed by national agencies. 4. The annual work programme including the actions proposed by the Commission and the specific actions provided for in Article 9 shall be adopted according to the procedure referred to in Article 13(2). As regards the actions referred to in Article 10(1) and (1a), the list of selected actions shall be adopted according to the procedure referred to in Article 13(3). 5. The Commission shall evaluate and select actions proposed by the national agencies on the basis of the following criteria: (a) conformity with the annual work programme, the general objectives set out in Article 3 and the activities in the respective policy area set out in Articles 4, 5, 6 or 7; (b) the European dimension of the proposed action and/or scope for participation by the candidate countries; (c) compatibility with the work undertaken or planned within the framework of the Community's political priorities in the areas covered by Articles 62 and 63; (d) complementarity to other past, present or future administrative cooperation actions; (e) the ability of national agencies to implement the proposed action; (f) the inherent quality of the proposed action in terms of its conception, organisation, presentation and expected results; (g) amount of the support requested under the ARGO programme and proportionality with the expected results; (h) impact of the expected results on the general objectives set out in Article 3 and on the activities in the respective policy area set out in Articles 4, 5, 6 or 7.
Article 13 Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee, hereinafter referred to as ‘the ARGO Committee’. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply. The period provided for in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months. 3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply. 4. The ARGO Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure. 5. The Commission may invite representatives from the candidate countries to information meetings after the ARGO Committee's meetings.
Article 14 Monitoring and evaluation
1. The Commission and the Member States shall monitor and evaluate the implementation of the ARGO programme on a continuous basis. 2. Each year the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the ARGO programme. The report shall analyse all the progress achieved and shall be accompanied where necessary by any proposals for ensuring homogeneous application in the Member States of Community legislation based on Articles 62 and 63 of the Treaty. The Commission shall submit the first report by 31 December 2003 at the latest and the final report by 31 December 2007 at the latest.
Article 15 Applicability
This Decision shall apply from the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
Article 16 Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Member States