1.Operational programmes relating to the Convergence and Regional competitiveness and employment objectives shall contain:
(a)an analysis of the situation of the eligible area or sector in terms of strengths and weaknesses and the strategy chosen in response;
(b)a justification of the priorities chosen having regard to the Community strategic guidelines on cohesion, the national strategic reference framework, as well as the results of the ex ante evaluation referred to in Article 48;
(c)information on the priority axes and their specific targets. Those targets shall be quantified using a limited number of indicators for output and results, taking into account the proportionality principle. The indicators shall make it possible to measure the progress in relation to the baseline situation and the achievement of the targets of the priority axis;
(d)for information purposes, an indicative breakdown by category of the programmed use of the contribution from the Funds to the operational programme in accordance with the implementing rules of this Regulation adopted by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(3);
(e)a financing plan containing two tables:
a table breaking down for each year, in accordance with Articles 52, 53 and 54, the amount of the total financial appropriation envisaged for the contribution from each Fund. The financing plan shall show separately within the total annual contribution from the Structural Funds the appropriations provided for regions receiving transitional support. The total contribution from the Funds provided for annually shall be compatible with the applicable financial framework taking into account the phased reduction laid down in paragraph 6 of Annex II;
a table specifying, for the whole programming period, for the operational programme and for each priority axis, the amount of the total financial appropriation of the Community contribution and the national counterparts and the rate of contribution from the Funds. Where in accordance with Article 53, the national counterpart is made up of public and private expenditure, the table shall give the indicative breakdown between the public and the private components. Where in accordance with Article 53, the national counterpart is made up of public expenditure, the table shall indicate the amount of the national public contribution. It shall show, for information, the contribution from the EIB and the other existing financial instruments;
(f)information on complementarity with measures financed by the EAFRD and those financed by the EFF, where relevant;
(g)the implementing provisions for the operational programme, including:
designation by the Member State of all the entities referred to in Article 59 or, if the Member State exercises the option provided for in Article 74, the designation of other bodies and procedures in accordance with the rules laid down in Article 74;
a description of the monitoring and evaluation systems;
information about the competent body for receiving the payments made by the Commission and the body or bodies responsible for making payments to the beneficiaries;
a definition of the procedures for the mobilisation and circulation of financial flows in order to ensure their transparency;
the elements aiming at ensuring the publicity and the information of the operational programme as referred to in Article 69;
a description of the procedures agreed between the Commission and the Member State for the exchange of computerised data to meet the payment, monitoring and evaluation requirements laid down by this Regulation;
(h)an indicative list of major projects within the meaning of Article 39, which are expected to be submitted within the programming period for Commission approval.
2.Operational programmes financed jointly by the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund with respect to transport and the environment shall contain priority axis specific to each Fund and a specific commitment by Fund.
3.Without prejudice to the second subparagraph of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006, each operational programme under the Regional competitiveness and employment objective shall include a justification for the thematic, geographical and financial concentration on the priorities as laid down respectively in Article 5 of that Regulation and in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006.
4.Operational programmes financed by the ERDF shall contain in addition for the Convergence and Regional competitiveness and employment objectives:
(a)information on the approach to the sustainable urban development where appropriate;
(b)Specific priority axis for the measures financed under the additional allocation referred to in paragraph 20 of Annex II in operational programmes providing assistance in outermost regions;
5.Operational programmes affected by one or more specific allocations referred to in the additional provisions in Annex II shall contain information on the procedures foreseen to allocate and ensure the monitoring of these specific allocations.
6.At the initiative of the Member State, the operational programmes financed by the ERDF may also contain for the Convergence and Regional competitiveness and employment objectives:
(a)the list of cities chosen for addressing urban issues and the procedures for sub-delegation to urban authorities, possibly by means of a global grant;
(b)actions for interregional cooperation with, at least, one regional or local authority of another Member State.
7.At the initiative of the Member State concerned, the operational programmes for the ESF may also contain for the Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment objectives a horizontal approach or a dedicated priority axis for interregional and transnational actions involving the national, regional or local authorities of at least one other Member State.
Specific rules on operational programmes are laid down in the Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 as regards operational programmes under the European territorial cooperation objective.
As part of an operational programme, the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund may finance expenditure in respect of an operation comprising a series of works, activities or services intended in itself to accomplish an indivisible task of a precise economic or technical nature, which has clearly identified goals and whose total cost exceeds EUR 25 million in the case of the environment and EUR 50 million in other fields (hereinafter referred to as major projects).
The Member State or the managing authority shall provide the Commission with the following information on major projects:
information on the body to be responsible for implementation;
information on the nature of the investment and a description of it, its financial volume and location;
the results of the feasibility studies;
a timetable for implementing the project and, where the implementation period for the operation concerned is expected to be longer than the programming period, the phases for which Community co-financing is requested during the 2007 to 2013 programming period;
a cost-benefit analysis, including a risk assessment and the foreseeable impact on the sector concerned and on the socio-economic situation of the Member State and/or the region and, when possible and where appropriate, of other regions of the Community;
an analysis of the environmental impact;
a justification for the public contribution;
the financing plan showing the total planned financial resources and the planned contribution from the Funds, the EIB, the EIF and all other sources of Community financing, including the indicative annual plan of the financial contribution from the ERDF or the Cohesion Fund for the major project.
The Commission shall provide indicative guidance on the methodology to be used in carrying out the cost-benefit analysis in (e) above in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(2).
1.The Commission shall appraise the major project, if necessary consulting outside experts, including the EIB, in the light of the factors referred to in Article 40, its consistency with the priorities of the operational programme, its contribution to achieving the goals of those priorities and its consistency with other Community policies.
2.The Commission shall adopt a decision as soon as possible but no later than three months after the submission by the Member State or the managing authority of a major project, provided that the submission is in accordance with Article 40. That decision shall define the physical object, the amount to which the co-financing rate for the priority axis applies, and the annual plan of financial contribution from the ERDF or the Cohesion Fund.
3.Where the Commission refuses to make a financial contribution from the Funds to a major project, it shall notify the Member State of its reasons within the period and the related conditions laid down in paragraph 2.
1.The Member State or the managing authority may entrust the management and implementation of a part of an operational programme to one or more intermediate bodies, designated by the Member State or the managing authority, including local authorities, regional development bodies or non-governmental organisations, in accordance with the provisions of an agreement concluded between the Member State or the managing authority and that body.
Such delegation shall be without prejudice to the financial responsibility of the managing authority and of the Member States.
2.The intermediate body responsible for managing the global grant shall provide guarantees of its solvency and competence in the domain concerned as well as in administrative and financial management. It shall as a general rule be established or represented in the region or regions covered by the operational programme at the moment of its designation.
The agreement referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 42(1) shall detail in particular:
the types of operation to be covered by the global grant;
the criteria for selecting beneficiaries;
the rates of assistance from the Funds and the rules governing that assistance, including as regards the use of any interest accruing;
the arrangements for monitoring, evaluating and ensuring the financial control of the global grant referred to in Article 59(1) vis-à-vis the managing authority, including the arrangements for recovering amounts unduly paid and the presentation of accounts;
where applicable, any use of a financial guarantee or equivalent facility, unless the Member State or the managing authority provides such guarantee according to the institutional arrangements of each Member State.
As part of an operational programme, the Structural Funds may finance expenditure in respect of an operation comprising contributions to support financial engineering instruments for enterprises, primarily small and medium-sized ones, such as venture capital funds, guarantee funds and loan funds, and for urban development funds, that is, funds investing in public-private partnerships and other projects included in an integrated plan for sustainable urban development.
When such operations are organised through holding funds, that is, funds set up to invest in several venture capital funds, guarantee funds, loan funds and urban development funds, the Member State or the managing authority shall implement them through one or more of the following forms:
the award of a public contract in accordance with applicable public procurement law;
in other cases, where the agreement is not a public service contract within the meaning of public procurement law, the award of a grant, defined for this purpose as a direct financial contribution by way of a donation:
to the EIB or to the EIF; or
to a financial institution without a call for proposal, if this is pursuant to a national law compatible with the Treaty.
The implementing rules of this Article shall be adopted by the Commission in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(3).
1.At the initiative of and/or on behalf of the Commission, subject to a ceiling of 0,25 % of their respective annual allocation, the Funds may finance the preparatory, monitoring, administrative and technical support, evaluation, audit and inspection measures necessary for implementing this Regulation.
Those actions shall include, in particular:
(a)assistance for project preparation and appraisal, including with the EIB through a grant or other forms of cooperation, as appropriate;
(b)studies linked to the drawing up of the Community strategic guidelines on cohesion, the Commission's reporting on cohesion policy and the three-yearly cohesion report;
(c)evaluations, expert reports, statistics and studies, including those of a general nature concerning the operation of the Funds, which may be carried out where appropriate by the EIB or the EIF through a grant or other forms of cooperation;
(d)measures aimed at the partners, the beneficiaries of assistance from the Funds and the general public, including information measures;
(e)measures to disseminate information, networking, raise awareness, promote cooperation and exchange experiences throughout the Community;
(f)the installation, operation and interconnection of computerised systems for management, monitoring, inspection and evaluation;
(g)improvements in evaluation methods and the exchange of information on practices in this field.
2.The Commission shall adopt a decision concerning the types of action listed under paragraph 1 of this Article, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(2), when a contribution from the ERDF or the Cohesion Fund is foreseen.
3.The Commission shall adopt a decision concerning the types of action listed under paragraph 1 of this Article, after consulting the committee referred to in Article 104, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 103(2), when a contribution from the ESF is foreseen.
1.At the initiative of the Member State, the Funds may finance the preparatory, management, monitoring, evaluation, information and control activities of operational programmes together with activities to reinforce the administrative capacity for implementing the Funds within the following limits:
(a)4 % of the total amount allocated under the Convergence and Regional competitiveness and employment objectives;
(b)6 % of the total amount allocated under the European territorial cooperation objective.
2.For each of the three objectives, technical assistance actions, within the limits set in paragraph 1, shall, in principle, be undertaken within the framework of each operational programme. On a complementary basis, however, such actions may be undertaken partially and subject to the overall limits for technical assistance set in paragraph 1, in the form of a specific operational programme.
3.If the Member State decides to undertake technical assistance actions in the framework of each operational programme, the proportion of the total amount of expenditure for technical assistance in respect of each operational programme shall not exceed the limits set in paragraph 1.
In this case, where technical assistance actions are also undertaken in the form of a specific operational programme, the total amount of expenditure for technical assistance in such a specific programme shall not cause the total proportion of Funds allocated to technical assistance to exceed the limits set in paragraph 1.