Article 1 Subject matter and objectives
1. This Regulation establishes a Partnership Instrument for cooperation with third countries (the ‘Partnership Instrument’) to advance and promote Union and mutual interests. The Partnership Instrument shall support measures that respond in an effective and flexible manner to objectives arising from the Union's bilateral, regional or multilateral relationships with third countries and shall address challenges of global concern and ensure an adequate follow-up to decisions taken at a multilateral level. 2. The measures to be financed under the Partnership Instrument shall reflect the following specific Union objectives: (a) supporting the Union's bilateral, regional and inter-regional cooperation partnership strategies by promoting policy dialogue and by developing collective approaches and responses to challenges of global concern. The attainment of that objective shall be measured, inter alia, by the progress made by key partner countries in the fight against climate change or in promoting the environmental standards of the Union; (b) implementing the international dimension of ‘Europe 2020’. The attainment of that objective shall be measured by the uptake of the ‘Europe 2020’ policies and objectives by key partner countries; (c) improving access to partner country markets and boosting trade, investment and business opportunities for companies from the Union, while eliminating barriers to market access and investment, by means of economic partnerships, business and regulatory cooperation. The attainment of that objective shall be measured by the Union's share in foreign trade with key partner countries and by trade and investment flows to partner countries specifically targeted by actions, programmes and measures under this Regulation; (d) enhancing widespread understanding and visibility of the Union and of its role on the world scene by means of public diplomacy, people-to-people contacts, cooperation in educational and academic matters, think tank cooperation and outreach activities to promote the Union's values and interests. The attainment of that objective may be measured, inter alia, by opinion surveys or evaluations.
Article 2 Scope
1. This Regulation primarily supports cooperation measures with countries with which the Union has a strategic interest in promoting links, especially developed and developing countries which play an increasingly prominent role in global affairs, including in foreign policy, the international economy and trade, multilateral fora and global governance, and in addressing challenges of global concern, or in which the Union has other significant interests. 2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, all third countries, regions and territories may be eligible for cooperation under this Regulation.
Article 3 General principles
1. The Union seeks to promote, develop and consolidate the principles of democracy, equality, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which it is founded, by means of dialogue and cooperation with third countries. 2. To enhance the impact of the Union's assistance, a differentiated and flexible approach shall, where appropriate, be pursued in designing cooperation with third countries, taking into account their economic, social and political contexts, as well as the Union's specific interests, policy priorities and strategies. 3. The Union shall promote a coherent multilateral approach to global challenges and shall foster cooperation with international or regional organisations and bodies, including international financial institutions, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and other bilateral donors. 4. In implementing this Regulation and in formulating policy, strategic planning and programming and implementing measures, the Union shall aim to ensure coherence and consistency with other areas of its external action, in particular the Development Cooperation Instrument, and with other relevant Union policies. 5. Measures financed under this Regulation shall, where appropriate, be based on cooperation policies set out in instruments, such as agreements, declarations and action plans, agreed between the Union and the international organisations concerned or between the Union and the third countries and regions concerned. Measures financed under this Regulation shall also cover areas linked to the promotion of the Union's specific interests, policy priorities and strategies. 6. Union support under this Regulation shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 236/2014.
Article 4 Programming and indicative allocation of funds
1. Multi-annual indicative programmes (MIPs) shall be adopted by the Commission in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 16(3) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2014. 2. MIPs shall set out the Union's strategic and/or mutual interests and priorities, the specific objectives and expected results. For countries or regions for which a joint framework document, laying down a comprehensive Union strategy, has been established, the MIPs shall be based on that document. 3. MIPs shall also set out the priority areas selected for financing by the Union and shall outline the indicative allocation of funds, in overall terms, per priority area and per partner country or group of partner countries, for the period concerned, including the participation in global initiatives. Those amounts may, where appropriate, be expressed in the form of a range. 4. MIPs may provide for an amount of funds, not exceeding 5 % of the total amount, that is not allocated to a priority area or partner country or group of countries. Those funds shall be committed in accordance with Article 2(2), (3) and (5) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2014. 5. The procedure referred to in Article 16(4) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 may be applied for the purpose of modifying MIPs on duly justified imperative grounds of urgency. 6. With regard to attaining the objectives set out in Article 1, the Commission may take into account the geographic proximity of the Union's outermost regions and overseas countries and territories in the Union's cooperation with third countries. 7. Any programming or review of programmes taking place after the publication of the mid-term review report referred to in Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 (the ‘mid-term review report’) shall take into account the results, findings and conclusions of that report.
Article 5 Thematic priorities
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 6 to amend the thematic priorities to be pursued by the Union's assistance under this Regulation, as laid down in the Annex to this Regulation. In particular, following the publication of the mid-term review report, and based upon the recommendations contained in that report, the Commission shall adopt a delegated act amending the Annex to this Regulation by 31 March 2018.
Article 6 Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 5 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 5 shall be conferred on the Commission for the period of validity of this Regulation. 3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 5 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. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and the Council. 5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 5 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or 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 the Council.
Article 7 Committee
The Commission shall be assisted by the Partnership Instrument Committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
Article 8 Financial envelope
1. The financial envelope for the implementation of this Regulation for the period 2014-2020 shall be EUR 954 765 000. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework. 2. In accordance with Article 18(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 11 ) , in order to promote the international dimension of higher education, an indicative amount of EUR 1 680 000 000 from the different instruments for financing external action (the Development Cooperation Instrument, the European Neighbourhood Instrument established by Regulation (EU) No 232/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 12 ) , the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) established by Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 13 ) and the Partnership Instrument), shall be allocated to actions in respect of learning mobility to or from partner countries within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013, and to cooperation and policy dialogue with authorities, institutions and organisations from those countries. Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 shall apply to the use of those funds. The funding shall be made available through two multiannual allocations covering the first four years and the remaining three years respectively. The allocation of that funding shall be reflected in the multiannual indicative programming provided for in this Regulation, in line with the identified needs and priorities of the countries concerned. The allocations may be revised in case of major unforeseen circumstances or important political changes in line with the priorities of the Union's external action. 3. Actions within the scope of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 shall be funded by the Partnership Instrument only in so far as they are not eligible for funding under other instruments for financing external action and they complement or reinforce other initiatives under this Regulation.
Article 9 European External Action Service
This Regulation shall apply in accordance with Decision 2010/427/EU.
Article 10 Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 1 January 2014 until 31 December 2020.