Commission Regulation (EC) No 718/2007Dangos y teitl llawn

Section 1 U.K. Regional development component

Article 147 U.K. Areas and forms of assistance

1. The regional development component may support operations under the following priorities:

(a) transport infrastructure, in particular interconnection and interoperability between national networks, and between national and trans-European networks;

(b) environment measures related to waste management, water supply, urban waste water and air quality; rehabilitation of contaminated sites and land; areas related to sustainable development which present environmental benefits, namely energy efficiency and renewable energy;

(c) operations which enhance regional competitiveness and a productive environment, and encourage creation and safeguarding of sustainable employment, involving in particular:

(i)

provision of business and technology services for enterprises, particularly in the fields of management, market research and development and networking;

(ii)

access and use of information and communication technologies;

(iii)

promotion of technological development, research and innovation including through cooperation with tertiary education and research institutions and research and technology centres;

(iv)

development of business networks and clusters;

(v)

creation and development of financing instruments which facilitate access to revolving financing through venture capital, loan and guarantee funds;

(vi)

provision of local infrastructure and services which contribute to facilitate establishment, development and expansion of new and existing business;

(vii)

education and training infrastructures, where necessary for regional development and in close coordination with the human resources development component.

2. Under this component, technical assistance may be granted for preliminary studies and technical support related to eligible activities, including those necessary for their implementation.

Technical assistance may also finance preparatory, management, monitoring, evaluation, information and control activities and activities to reinforce the administrative capacity for implementing the assistance under the IPA Regulation provided through this component.

Article 148 U.K. Eligibility of expenditure

1. Expenditure under this component shall be eligible if it has actually been paid after the signature of the financing agreement following the adoption of the relevant programme. In the case of major projects as referred to in Article 157, expenditure shall not be eligible before the Commission Decision approving the major project has been adopted, as referred to in Article 157(3).

2. In addition to rules set out in Article 34(3), the following expenditure shall not be eligible:

(a) maintenance and rental costs;

(b) depreciation costs for the infrastructures.

Article 149 U.K. Aid intensities and rate of Community contribution

1. For the purposes of this component, the eligible expenditure as referred to in Article 38(1) shall be based on the public expenditure.

2. The Community contribution shall not exceed the ceiling of 75 % of the eligible expenditure at the level at the priority axis. In exceptional and duly justified cases, with regard to the scope of the priority axis, this ceiling may reach 85 %.

3. No operation shall benefit from a higher co-financing rate than the one relating to the priority axis concerned.

Article 150 U.K. Revenue-generating projects

1. For the purposes of this component, a revenue-generating project means any operation proposed for pre-accession assistance involving an investment in infrastructure, the use of which is subject to charges borne directly by users and which generates revenues, or any operation involving the sale or rent of land or buildings.

2. Public expenditure for revenue-generating projects, used for calculating the Community contribution in accordance with Article 149, shall be equal to the discounted value of the investment cost of the proposed project less the discounted value of the net revenue, calculated by deducting the operating costs from the global revenues from the investment over the appropriate reference period, depending on the project's financial features.

3. Where not all the investment cost is eligible for co-financing the net revenue shall be allocated pro rata to the eligible and non-eligible parts of the investment cost.

4. In the calculation, the operating structure shall take account of the reference period appropriate to the category of investment concerned, the category of project, the profitability normally expected of the category of investment concerned and of the application of the polluter-pays principle, and, if appropriate, of considerations of affordability, in particular in the environment sector.