Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 3 U.K. Geographical coverage

1. For cross-border cooperation, the regions to be supported shall be the NUTS level 3 regions of the Union along all internal and external land borders other than those covered by programmes under the external financial instruments of the Union, and all NUTS level 3 regions of the Union along maritime borders separated by a maximum of 150 km, without prejudice to potential adjustments needed to ensure the coherence and continuity of cooperation programme areas established for the 2007-2013 programming period.

The Commission shall adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, setting out the list of cross-border areas to receive support, broken down by cooperation programme. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 150(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

That list shall also specify those NUTS level 3 regions of the Union taken into account for the ERDF allocation for cross-border cooperation at all internal borders, and those external borders covered by the external financial instruments of the Union, such as the ENI pursuant to the ENI legislative act and the IPA II pursuant to the IPA II legislative act.

When submitting draft cross-border cooperation programmes, Member States, in duly justified cases, and, in order to ensure the coherence of cross-border areas, may request that NUTS level 3 regions other than those listed in the decision referred to in the second subparagraph, are added to a given cross-border cooperation area.

At the request of the Member State or Member States concerned, in order to facilitate cross border cooperation on maritime borders for outermost regions, and without prejudice to the provisions of the first subparagraph, the Commission may include, in the decision referred to in the second subparagraph, NUTS level 3 regions in outermost regions along maritime borders separated by more than 150 km as cross-border areas which may receive support from the corresponding allocation of those Member States.

2. Without prejudice to Article 20(2) and (3), cross-border cooperation programmes may cover regions in Norway and Switzerland and also cover Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and third countries or territories neighbouring outermost regions, all of which shall be equivalent to NUTS level 3 regions.

3. For transnational cooperation, the Commission shall adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, setting out the list of transnational areas to receive support, broken down by cooperation programme and covering NUTS level 2 regions, while ensuring the continuity of such cooperation in larger coherent areas based on previous programmes, taking account, where appropriate, of macro-regional and sea-basin strategies. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 150(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.

When submitting draft transnational cooperation programmes, Member States may request that additional NUTS level 2 regions located adjacent to the regions listed in the decision referred to in the first subparagraph are added to a given transnational cooperation area. Member States shall give reasons for such a request.

4. Without prejudice to Article 20(2) and (3), transnational cooperation programmes may cover regions in both of the following third countries or territories:

(a) the third countries or territories listed or referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article;

(b) the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Without prejudice to Article 20(2) and (3), transnational cooperation programmes may also cover regions in third countries covered by the external financial instruments of the Union, such as the ENI pursuant to the ENI legislative act, including the relevant regions of the Russian Federation, and the IPA II pursuant to the IPA II legislative act. Annual appropriations corresponding to the support of the ENI and IPA II to those programmes shall be made available, provided that the programmes adequately address the relevant external cooperation objectives.

Such regions shall be equivalent to NUTS level 2 regions.

5. For interregional cooperation, support from the ERDF shall cover the entire territory of the Union.

Without prejudice to Article 20(2) and (3), interregional cooperation programmes may cover the whole or part of the third countries or territories referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 4 of this Article.

6. For information purposes, regions of third countries or territories referred to in paragraphs 2 and 4 shall be mentioned in the lists referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3.

7. In duly justified cases, in order to increase the efficiency of programme implementation, the outermost regions may, in a single programme for territorial cooperation, combine the amounts of the ERDF allocated for cross-border and transnational cooperation, including the additional allocation provided for under Article 4(2), while complying with the applicable rules for each of those allocations.