1.The Agency shall be responsible, in the framework of Community action in the field of the trans-European transport network, for the implementation of tasks concerning the granting of Community financial aid pursuant to Regulation No 2236/95 of the Council(1), excluding programming, the establishment of priorities, programme evaluation, the adoption of financing decisions and legislative monitoring. It shall be responsible in particular for the following tasks:
(a)management of the preparatory, funding and monitoring phases of the financial assistance granted to projects of common interest under the budget for the trans-European transport network, as well as the supervision required for this purpose, by taking relevant decisions where the Commission has delegated responsibility for it to do so;
(b)coordination with other Community instruments by ensuring better coordination of assistance, over the entire route, for priority projects which also receive funding under the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and from the European Investment Bank;
(c)technical assistance to project promoters regarding the financial engineering for projects and the development of common evaluation methods;
(d)adoption of the budget implementation instruments for income and expenditure and implementation, where the Commission has delegated responsibility to it, of all operations required for the management of Community actions in the field of the trans-European transport network, as provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 2236/95, in particular those relating to the award of contracts and grants(2);
(e)the collection, analysis and transmission to the Commission of all information required for the implementation of the trans-European transport network;
(f)any technical and administrative support requested by the Commission.
2.Implementation of the tasks provided for in paragraph 1(b) shall not affect the responsibilities of the authorities managing operational programmes co-financed by the Structural Funds or the Cohesion Fund as regards the selection or implementation of projects which are part of the trans-European transport network or the financial responsibility of the Member States in the framework of shared management of these programmes.
3.In addition to the tasks referred to in paragraph 1 above, the Agency may be instructed by the Commission, after the Committee for Executive Agencies has delivered an opinion, to carry out tasks of the same kind in the framework of other Community programmes or actions, within the meaning of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 58/2003, provided that such programmes or actions remain within the limits of Community action in the field of the trans-European transport network.
4.The Commission's decision delegating responsibility shall define the details of all the tasks entrusted to the Agency, and shall be adjusted in line with additional tasks which may be entrusted to the Agency. It shall be transmitted, for information, to the Committee for Executive Agencies.
OJ L 228, 9.9.1996, p. 1. Decision last amended by Decision No 884/2004/EC (OJ L 167, 30.4.2004, p. 1).