In order to contribute to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as well as the Fund-specific missions pursuant to their Treaty-based objectives, including economic, social and territorial cohesion, each ESI Fund shall support the following thematic objectives:
strengthening research, technological development and innovation;
enhancing access to, and use and quality of, ICT;
enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs, of the agricultural sector (for the EAFRD) and of the fishery and aquaculture sector (for the EMFF);
supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors;
promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management;
preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency;
promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures;
promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility;
promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination;
investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning;
enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration.
Thematic objectives shall be translated into priorities that are specific to each of the ESI Funds and are set out in the Fund-specific rules.
1.In order to promote the harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of the Union, a Common Strategic Framework ('CSF') is hereby established, as set out in Annex I. The CSF establishes strategic guiding principles to facilitate the programming process and the sectoral and territorial coordination of Union intervention under the ESI Funds and with other relevant Union policies and instruments, in line with the targets and objectives of the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, taking into account the key territorial challenges of the various types of territories.
2.The strategic guiding principles as set out in the CSF shall be established in line with the purpose and within the scope of the support provided by each ESI Fund, and in line with the rules governing the operation of each ESI Fund, as defined in this Regulation and the Fund-specific rules. The CSF shall not impose additional obligations upon Member States beyond those set out within the framework of the relevant sectoral Union policies.
3.The CSF shall facilitate the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and programmes in accordance with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity and taking into account national and regional competences, in order for the specific and appropriate policy and coordination measures to be decided.
The CSF shall establish:
mechanisms for ensuring the contribution of the ESI Funds to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, and the coherence and consistency of the programming of the ESI Funds in relation to the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU, the relevant Council recommendations adopted in accordance with 148(4) TFEU, and where appropriate at national level, to the National Reform Programme;
arrangements to promote an integrated use of the ESI Funds;
arrangements for coordination between the ESI Funds and other relevant Union policies and instruments, including external instruments for cooperation;
horizontal principles referred to in Articles 5, 7 and 8 and cross-cutting policy objectives for the implementation of the ESI Funds;
arrangements to address the key territorial challenges for urban, rural, coastal and fisheries areas, the demographic challenges of regions or specific needs of geographical areas which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps as referred to in Article 174 TFEU, and the specific challenges of outermost regions within the meaning of Article 349 TFEU;
priority areas for cooperation activities under the ESI Funds, where appropriate, taking account of macro-regional and sea basin strategies.
Where there are major changes in the social and economic situation in the Union, or changes are made to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the Commission may submit a proposal to review the CSF, or the European Parliament or the Council, acting in accordance with Articles 225 or 241 TFEU respectively, may request the Commission to submit such a proposal.
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 149 in order to supplement or amend Sections 4 and 7 of Annex I where it is necessary to take account of changes in the Union policies or instruments referred to in Section 4 or changes in the cooperation activities referred to in Section 7 or to take account of the introduction of new Union policies, instruments or cooperation activities.
1.The Commission shall prepare guidance on how to effectively access and use the ESI Funds, and on how to exploit complementarities with other instruments of relevant Union policies.
2.The guidance shall be drawn up by 30 June 2014 and shall provide, for each thematic objective, an overview of the available relevant instruments at Union level with detailed sources of information, examples of good practices for combining available funding instruments within and across policy areas, a description of relevant authorities and bodies involved in the management of each instrument, a checklist for potential beneficiaries to help them to identify the most appropriate funding sources.
3.The guidance shall be made public on the websites of the relevant Directorate Generals of the Commission. The Commission and managing authorities, acting in accordance with the Fund-specific rules, and in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions, shall ensure dissemination of the guidance to potential beneficiaries.
1.Each Member State shall prepare a Partnership Agreement for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.
2.The Partnership Agreement shall be drawn up by Member States in cooperation with the partners referred to in Article 5. The Partnership Agreement shall be prepared in dialogue with the Commission. The Member States shall draw up the Partnership Agreement based on procedures that are transparent for the public, and in accordance with their institutional and legal framework.
3.The Partnership Agreement shall cover all support from the ESI Funds in the Member State concerned.
4.Each Member State shall submit its Partnership Agreement to the Commission by 22 April 2014.
5.Where one or more of the Fund-specific Regulations does not enter into force or is not expected to enter into force by 22 February 2014, the Partnership Agreement submitted by a Member State as referred to in paragraph 4 shall not be required to contain the elements referred to in points (a)(ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi) of Article 15(1) for the ESI Fund affected by such a delay or expected delay in the entry into force of the Fund-specific Regulation.
1.The Partnership Agreement shall set out:
(a)arrangements to ensure alignment with the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as well as the Fund-specific missions pursuant to their Treaty-based objectives, including economic, social and territorial cohesion, including:
an analysis of disparities, development needs and growth potential with reference to the thematic objectives and the territorial challenges, and taking account of the National Reform Programme, where appropriate, and relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and relevant Council recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 148(4) TFEU;
a summary of the ex ante evaluations of the programmes, or key findings of the ex ante evaluation of the Partnership Agreement, where the latter evaluation is undertaken by the Member State at its own initiative;
selected thematic objectives, and for each of the selected thematic objectives a summary of the main results expected for each of the ESI Funds;
the indicative allocation of support by the Union by thematic objective at national level for each of the ESI Funds, as well as the total indicative amount of support envisaged for climate change objectives;
the application of the horizontal principles referred to in Articles 5, 7 and 8 and policy objectives for the implementation of the ESI Funds;
the list of the programmes under the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, except those under the European territorial cooperation goal, and of the programmes of the EAFRD and the EMFF, with the respective indicative allocations by ESI Fund and by year;
information on the allocation related to the performance reserve, broken down by ESI Fund and, where appropriate, by category of region, and on the amounts excluded for the purpose of calculating the performance reserve in accordance with Article 20;
(b)arrangements to ensure effective implementation of the ESI Funds, including:
arrangements, in line with the institutional framework of the Member States, that ensure coordination between the ESI Funds and other Union and national funding instruments and with the EIB;
the information required for ex ante verification of compliance with the rules on additionality as they are defined in Part Three;
a summary of the assessment of the fulfilment of applicable ex ante conditionalities in accordance with Article 19 and Annex XI at national level and, in the event that the applicable ex ante conditionalities are not fulfilled, of the actions to be taken, the bodies responsible and the timetable for implementation of those actions;
the methodology and mechanisms to ensure consistency in the functioning of the performance framework in accordance with Article 21;
an assessment of whether there is a need to reinforce the administrative capacity of the authorities involved in the management and control of the programmes and, where appropriate, of beneficiaries as well as, where necessary, a summary of actions to be taken for that purpose;
a summary of the actions planned in the programmes, including an indicative timetable for achievement of a reduction in the administrative burden on beneficiaries;
(c)arrangements for the partnership principle as referred in Article 5;
(d)an indicative list of the partners referred to in Article 5 and a summary of the actions taken to involve them in accordance with Article 5 and of their role in the preparation of the Partnership Agreement and the progress report as referred to in Article 52.
2.The Partnership Agreement shall also indicate:
(a)an integrated approach to territorial development supported by the ESI Funds or a summary of the integrated approaches to territorial development based on the content of the programmes, setting out:
the arrangements to ensure an integrated approach to the use of the ESI Funds for the territorial development of specific subregional areas, in particular the implementation arrangements for Articles 32, 33 and 36 accompanied by the principles for identifying the urban areas where integrated actions for sustainable urban development are to be implemented;
the main priority areas for cooperation under the ESI Funds, taking account, where appropriate, of macro-regional strategies and sea basin strategies;
where appropriate, an integrated approach to addressing the specific needs of geographical areas most affected by poverty or of target groups at highest risk of discrimination or social exclusion, with special regard to marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, the long term unemployed and young people not in employment, education or training;
where appropriate, an integrated approach to address the demographic challenges of regions or specific needs of geographical areas which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps as referred to in Article 174 TFEU;
(b)arrangements to ensure efficient implementation of the ESI Funds, including an assessment of the existing systems for electronic data exchange, and a summary of the actions planned to gradually permit all exchanges of information between beneficiaries, and authorities responsible for management and control of programmes, to be carried out by electronic data exchange.
1.The Commission shall assess the consistency of the Partnership Agreement with this Regulation taking account of the National Reform Programme, where appropriate, and the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and relevant Council recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 148 (4) TFEU, as well as of the ex ante evaluations of the programmes, and shall make observations within three months of the date of submission by the Member State of its Partnership Agreement. The Member State concerned shall provide all necessary additional information and, where appropriate, shall revise the Partnership Agreement.
2.The Commission shall adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, approving the elements of the Partnership Agreement falling under Article 15(1) and those falling under Article 15(2) in the event that a Member State has made use of the provisions of Article 96(8), for the elements requiring a Commission decision under Article 96(10), no later than four months after the date of submission by the Member State of its Partnership Agreement, provided that any observations made by the Commission have been adequately taken into account. The Partnership Agreement shall not enter into force before 1 January 2014.
3.The Commission shall prepare a report on the outcome of the negotiations concerning the Partnership Agreements and the programmes, including an overview of the key issues, for each Member State, by 31 December 2015. That report shall be submitted to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions simultaneously.
4.Where a Member State proposes an amendment to the elements of the Partnership Agreement covered by the Commission decision as referred to in paragraph 2, the Commission shall carry out an assessment in accordance with paragraph 1 and, where appropriate, shall adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, approving the amendment within three months of the date of submission of the proposal for amendment by the Member State.
5.Where a Member State amends elements of the Partnership Agreement not covered by the Commission decision as referred to in paragraph 2, it shall notify the Commission thereof within one month of the date of the decision to make the amendment.
1.Where Article 14(5) applies, each Member State shall submit to the Commission a revised Partnership Agreement that includes the elements missing from the Partnership Agreement for the ESI Fund concerned, within two months of the date of entry into force of the Fund-specific Regulation that was subject to the delay.
2.The Commission shall assess the consistency of the revised Partnership Agreement with this Regulation in accordance with Article 16(1) and shall adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, approving the revised Partnership Agreement in accordance with Article 16(2).
Member States shall concentrate support, in accordance with the Fund-specific rules, on interventions that bring the greatest added value in relation to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth taking into account the key territorial challenges of the various types of territories in line with the CSF, the challenges identified in the National Reform Programmes, where appropriate, and relevant country-specific recommendations under Article 121(2) TFEU and the relevant Council recommendations adopted under Article 148(4) TFEU. Provisions on thematic concentration under the Fund-specific rules shall not apply to technical assistance.
1.Member States shall assess in accordance with their institutional and legal framework and in the context of the preparation of the programmes and, where appropriate, the Partnership Agreement, whether the ex ante conditionalities laid down in the respective Fund-specific rules and the general ex ante conditionalities set out in Part II of Annex XI are applicable to the specific objectives pursued within the priorities of their programmes and whether the applicable ex ante conditionalities are fulfilled.
Ex ante conditionalities shall apply only to the extent and provided that they comply with the definition laid down in point (33) of Article 2 regarding the specific objectives pursued within the priorities of the programme. The assessment of applicability shall, without prejudice to the definition laid down in point (33) of Article 2, take account of the principle of proportionality in accordance with Article 4(5) having regard to the level of support allocated, where appropriate. The assessment of fulfilment shall be limited to the criteria laid down in the Fund-specific rules and in Part II of Annex XI.
2.The Partnership Agreement shall set out a summary of the assessment of the fulfilment of applicable ex ante conditionalities at national level and for those which, pursuant to the assessment referred to in paragraph 1, are not fulfilled at the date of submission of the Partnership Agreement, the actions to be taken, the bodies responsible and the timetable for the implementation of those actions. Each programme shall identify which of the ex ante conditionalities laid down in the relevant Fund-specific rules and the general ex ante conditionalities set out in Part II of Annex XI are applicable to it and, which of them, pursuant to the assessment referred to in paragraph 1, are fulfilled at the date of submission of the Partnership Agreement and programmes. Where the applicable ex ante conditionalities are not fulfilled, the programme shall contain a description of the actions to be taken, the bodies responsible and the timetable for their implementation. Member States shall fulfil those ex ante conditionalities not later than 31 December 2016 and report on their fulfilment not later than in the annual implementation report in 2017 in accordance with Article 50(4) or the progress report in 2017 in accordance with point (c) of Article 52(2).
3.The Commission shall assess the consistency and the adequacy of the information provided by the Member State on the applicability of ex ante conditionalities and on the fulfilment of applicable ex ante conditionalities in the framework of its assessment of the programmes and, where appropriate, of the Partnership Agreement.
That assessment of applicability by the Commission shall, in accordance with Article 4(5), take account of the principle of proportionality having regard to the level of support allocated, where appropriate. The assessment of fulfilment by the Commission shall be limited to the criteria laid down in the Fund-specific rules and in Part II of Annex XI, and shall respect national and regional competences to decide on the specific and adequate policy measures including the content of strategies.
4.In the event of disagreement between the Commission and a Member State on the applicability of an ex ante conditionality to the specific objective of the priorities of a programme or its fulfilment, both the applicability in accordance with the definition in point (33) of Article 2 and the non-fulfilment shall be proven by the Commission.
5.The Commission may decide, when adopting a programme, to suspend all or part of interim payments to the relevant priority of that programme pending the completion of actions referred to in paragraph 2 where necessary to avoid significant prejudice to the effectiveness and efficiency of the achievement of the specific objectives of the priority concerned. The failure to complete actions to fulfil an applicable ex ante conditionality which has not been fulfilled at the date of submission of the Partnership Agreement and the respective programmes, by the deadline set out in paragraph 2, shall constitute a ground for suspending interim payments by the Commission to the priorities of the programme concerned that are affected. In both cases, the scope of suspension shall be proportionate, taking into account the actions to be taken and the funds at risk.
6.Paragraph 5 shall not apply in the event of agreement between the Commission and the Member State on the non-applicability of an ex ante conditionality or on the fact that an applicable ex ante conditionality has been fulfilled, as indicated by the approval of the programme and the Partnership Agreement, or in the absence of Commission observations within 60 days of the submission of the relevant report referred to in paragraph 2.
7.The Commission shall without delay lift the suspension of interim payments for a priority where a Member State has completed actions relating to the fulfilment of ex ante conditionalities applicable to the programme concerned and which had not been fulfilled at the time of the decision of the Commission on the suspension. It shall also without delay lift the suspension where, following amendment of the programme related to the priority concerned, the ex ante conditionality concerned is no longer applicable.
8.Paragraphs 1 to 7 shall not apply to programmes under the European territorial cooperation goal.
6 % of the resources allocated to the ERDF, ESF and the Cohesion Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs goal referred to in point (a) of Article 89(2) of this Regulation, as well as to the EAFRD and to measures financed under shared management in accordance with the EMFF Regulation shall constitute a performance reserve which shall be established in the Partnership Agreement and programmes and allocated to specific priorities in accordance with Article 22 of this Regulation.
The following resources are excluded for the purpose of calculating the performance reserve:
resources allocated to the YEI as defined in the operational programme in accordance with Article 18 of the ESF Regulation;
resources allocated to technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission;
resources transferred from the first pillar of the CAP to the EAFRD under Articles 7(2) and 14(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013;
transfers to the EAFRD in application of Articles 10b, 136 and 136b of Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 in respect of calendar years 2013 and 2014 respectively;
resources transferred to the CEF from the Cohesion Fund in accordance with Article 92(6) of this Regulation;
resources transferred to the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived in accordance with Article 92(7) of this Regulation;
resources allocated for innovative actions for sustainable urban development in accordance with Article 92(8) of this Regulation.
1.The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, shall undertake a review of the performance of the programmes in each Member State in 2019 (the 'performance review'), with reference to the performance framework set out in the respective programmes. The method for establishing the performance framework is set out in Annex II.
2.The performance review shall examine the achievement of the milestones of the programmes at the level of priorities, on the basis of the information and the assessments presented in the annual implementation report submitted by the Member States in the year 2019.
1.The performance reserve shall constitute between 5 and 7 % of the allocation to each priority within a programme, with the exception of priorities dedicated to technical assistance and programmes dedicated to financial instruments in accordance with Article 39. The total amount of the performance reserve allocated by ESI Fund and category of region shall be 6 %. The amounts corresponding to the performance reserve shall be set out in the programmes broken down by priority and, where appropriate, by ESI Fund and by category of region.
2.On the basis of the performance review, the Commission shall within two months of the receipt of the respective annual implementation reports in the year 2019 adopt a decision, by means of implementing acts, to determine for each ESI Fund and Member State, the programmes and priorities which have achieved their milestones, setting out that information by ESI Fund and by category of region, where a priority covers more than one ESI Fund or category of region.
3.The performance reserve shall be allocated only to programmes and priorities which have achieved their milestones. Where priorities have achieved their milestones the amount of the performance reserve established for the priority shall be considered to be definitively allocated on the basis of the Commission decision referred to in paragraph 2.
4.Where priorities have not achieved their milestones, the Member State shall propose the reallocation of the corresponding amount of the performance reserve to priorities set out in the Commission decision referred to in paragraph 2, and other amendments to the programme which result from the reallocation of the performance reserve, no later than three months after the adoption of the decision referred to in paragraph 2.
The Commission shall approve, in accordance with Article 30(3) and (4), the amendment of the programmes concerned. Where a Member State fails to submit the information in accordance with Article 50(5) and (6), the performance reserve for the programmes or the priorities concerned shall not be allocated to the programmes or the priorities concerned.
5.The Member State's proposal to reallocate the performance reserve shall be consistent with thematic concentration requirements and minimum allocations set out in this Regulation and the Fund-specific rules. By way of derogation, where one or more of the priorities linked to thematic concentration requirements or minimum allocations have not achieved their milestones, the Member State may propose a reallocation of the reserve, which does not comply with the aforementioned requirements and minimum allocations.
6.Where there is evidence, resulting from the performance review for a priority, that there has been a serious failure in achieving that priority's milestones relating only to the financial and output indicators and key implementation steps set out in the performance framework and that that failure is due to clearly identified implementation weaknesses, which the Commission had previously communicated pursuant to Article 50(8) following close consultations with the Member State concerned, and that Member State has failed to take the necessary corrective action to address such weaknesses, the Commission may, not earlier than five months after such communication, suspend all or part of an interim payment of a priority of a programme in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Fund-specific rules.
The Commission shall without delay lift the suspension of interim payments when the Member State has taken the necessary corrective action. Where the corrective action concerns the transfer of financial allocations to other programmes or priorities, which have achieved their milestones, the Commission shall approve, by means of an implementing act, the necessary amendment of the programmes concerned in accordance with Article 30(2). By way of derogation from Article 30(2), in such case the Commission shall decide on the amendment no later than two months after the submission of the Member State request for amendment.
7.Where the Commission, based on the examination of the final implementation report of the programme, establishes a serious failure to achieve the targets relating only to financial indicators, output indicators and key implementation steps set out in the performance framework due to clearly identified implementation weaknesses, which the Commission had previously communicated pursuant to Article 50(8) following close consultations with the Member State concerned, and the Member State has failed to take the necessary corrective action to address such weaknesses, the Commission may notwithstanding Article 85 apply financial corrections in respect of the priorities concerned in accordance with the Fund-specific rules.
When applying financial corrections, the Commission shall take into account, with due regard to the principle of proportionality, the absorption level and external factors contributing to the failure.
Financial corrections shall not be applied where the failure to achieve targets is due to the impact of socio-economic or environmental factors, significant changes in the economic or environmental conditions in the Member State concerned or because of reasons of force majeure seriously affecting implementation of the priorities concerned.
The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 149 to establish detailed rules on criteria for determining the level of financial correction to be applied.
The Commission shall adopt implementing acts, laying down the detailed arrangements to ensure a consistent approach for determining the milestones and targets in the performance framework for each priority and for assessing the achievement of the milestones and targets. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 150(3).
1.The Commission may request a Member State to review and propose amendments to its Partnership Agreement and relevant programmes, where this is necessary to support the implementation of relevant Council Recommendations or to maximise the growth and competitiveness impact of the ESI Funds in Member States receiving financial assistance.
Such a request may be made for the following purposes:
(a)to support the implementation of a relevant country-specific recommendation adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and of a relevant Council recommendation adopted in accordance with Article 148(4) TFEU, addressed to the Member State concerned;
(b)to support the implementation of relevant Council Recommendations addressed to the Member State concerned and adopted in accordance with Articles 7(2) or 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011(1) of the European Parliament and of the Council provided that these amendments are deemed necessary to help correct the macro-economic imbalances; or
(c)to maximise the growth and competitiveness impact of the available ESI Funds, if a Member State meets one of the following conditions:
Union financial assistance is made available to it under Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010(2);
financial assistance is made available to it in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 332/2002(3);
financial assistance is made available to it that triggers a macroeconomic adjustment programme in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(4) or that triggers a decision of the Council in accordance with Article 136(1) TFEU.
For the purposes of point (b) of the second subparagraph, each of those conditions shall be deemed to be satisfied where such assistance has been made available to the Member State before or after 21 December 2013 and remains available to it.
2.A request by the Commission to a Member State in accordance with paragraph 1 shall be justified, with reference to the need to support the implementation of the relevant recommendations or to maximise the growth and competitiveness impact of the ESI Funds as appropriate, and shall indicate the programmes or priorities which it considers are concerned and the nature of the amendments expected. Such a request shall not be made before 2015 or after 2019, nor in relation to the same programmes in two consecutive years.
3.The Member State shall submit its response to the request referred to in paragraph 1 within two months of its receipt, setting out the amendments it considers necessary in the Partnership Agreement and programmes, the reasons for such amendments, identifying the programmes concerned and outlining the nature of the amendments proposed and their expected effects on the implementation of recommendations and on the implementation of the ESI Funds. If necessary, the Commission shall make observations within one month of the receipt of that response.
4.The Member State shall submit a proposal to amend the Partnership Agreement and the relevant programmes within two months of the date of submission of the response referred to in paragraph 3.
5.Where the Commission has not submitted observations or where the Commission is satisfied that any observations submitted have been duly taken into account, the Commission shall adopt a decision approving the amendments to the Partnership Agreement and the relevant programmes without undue delay and in any event not later than three months after their submission by the Member State in accordance with paragraph 3.
6.Where the Member State fails to take effective action in response to a request made in accordance with paragraph 1, within the deadlines set out in paragraphs 3 and 4, the Commission may, within three months following its observations under paragraph 3 or following the submission of the proposal of the Member State under paragraph 4, propose to the Council that it suspend part or all of the payments for the programmes or priorities concerned. In its proposal, the Commission shall set out the grounds for concluding that the Member State has failed to take effective action. In making its proposal, the Commission shall take account of all relevant information, and shall give due consideration to any elements arising from and opinions expressed through the structured dialogue under paragraph 15.
The Council shall decide on that proposal, by means of an implementing act. That implementing act shall only apply with respect to requests for payment submitted after the date of the adoption of that implementing act.
7.The scope and level of the suspension of payments imposed in accordance with paragraph 6, shall be proportionate and effective, and respect equality of treatment between Member States, in particular with regard to the impact of the suspension on the economy of the Member State concerned. The programmes to be suspended shall be determined on the basis of the needs identified in the request referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.
The suspension of payments shall not exceed 50 % of the payments of each of the programmes concerned. The decision may provide for an increase in the level of the suspension up to 100 % of payments if the Member State fails to take effective action in response to a request made in accordance with paragraph 1, within three months of the decision to suspend payments referred to in paragraph 6.
8.Where the Member State has proposed amendments to the Partnership Agreement and the relevant programmes as requested by the Commission, the Council acting on a proposal from the Commission shall decide on the lifting of the suspension of payments.
9.The Commission shall make a proposal to the Council to suspend part or all of the commitments or payments for the programmes of a Member State in the following cases:
(a)where the Council decides in accordance with Article 126(8) or Article 126(11) TFEU that a Member State has not taken effective action to correct its excessive deficit;
(b)where the Council adopts two successive recommendations in the same imbalance procedure, in accordance with Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 on the grounds that a Member State has submitted an insufficient corrective action plan;
(c)where the Council adopts two successive decisions in the same imbalance procedure in accordance with Article 10(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 establishing non-compliance by a Member State on the grounds that it has not taken the recommended corrective action;
(d)where the Commission concludes that a Member State has not taken measures to implement the adjustment programme referred to in Regulation (EU) No 407/2010 or Regulation (EC) No 332/2002 and as a consequence decides not to authorise the disbursement of the financial assistance granted to that Member State;
(e)where the Council decides that a Member State does not comply with the macro-economic adjustment programme referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 472/2013, or with the measures requested by a Council decision adopted in accordance with Article 136(1) TFEU.
In making its proposal, the Commission shall respect the provisions of paragraph 11 and shall take account of all relevant information in that regard, and it shall give due consideration to any elements arising from and opinions expressed through the structured dialogue under paragraph 15.
Priority shall be given to the suspension of commitments: payments shall be suspended only when immediate action is sought and in the case of significant non-compliance. The suspension of payments shall apply to requests for payment submitted for the programmes concerned after the date of the decision to suspend.
10.A proposal by the Commission referred to in paragraph 9 in relation to the suspension of commitments shall be deemed adopted by the Council unless the Council decides, by means of an implementing act, to reject such a proposal by qualified majority within one month of the submission of the Commission proposal. The suspension of commitments shall apply to the commitments from the ESI Funds for the Member State concerned from 1 January of the year following the decision to suspend.
The Council shall adopt a decision, by means of an implementing act, on a proposal by the Commission referred to in paragraph 9 in relation to the suspension of payments.
11.The scope and level of the suspension of commitments or payments to be imposed on the basis of paragraph 10, shall be proportionate, respect the equality of treatment between Member States and take into account the economic and social circumstances of the Member State concerned, in particular the level of unemployment of the Member State concerned in relation to the Union average and the impact of the suspension on the economy of the Member State concerned. The impact of suspensions on programmes of critical importance to address adverse economic or social conditions shall be a specific factor to be taken into account.
Detailed provisions for determining the scope and level of suspensions are set out in Annex III.
The suspension of commitments shall be subject to the lower of the following ceilings:
(a)A maximum of 50 % of the commitments relating to the next financial year for the ESI Funds in the first case of non-compliance with an excessive deficit procedure as referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 and a maximum 25 % of the commitments relating to the next financial year for the ESI Funds in the first case of non-compliance relating to a corrective action plan under an excessive imbalances procedure as referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 or non-compliance with the recommended corrective action pursuant to an excessive imbalances procedure as referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9.
The level of the suspension shall increase gradually up to a maximum of 100 % of the commitments relating to the next financial year for the ESI Funds in the case of an excessive deficit procedure and up to 50 % of the commitments relating to the next financial year for the ESI Funds in the case of an excessive imbalance procedure, in line with the seriousness of the non-compliance;
(b)a maximum of 0,5 % of nominal GDP applying in the first case of non-compliance with an excessive deficit procedure as referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 and a maximum of 0,25 % of nominal GDP applying in the first case of non-compliance relating to a corrective action plan under an excessive imbalances procedure as referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 or non-compliance with recommended corrective action under an excessive imbalances procedure as referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9.
If non-compliance relating to corrective actions referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 persists, the percentage of that GDP cap shall be gradually increased up to:
(b)a maximum of 1 % of nominal GDP applying in the event of persistent non-compliance with an excessive deficit procedure in accordance with point (a) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9; and
a maximum of 0,5 % of nominal GDP applying in the event of persistent non-compliance with an excessive imbalance procedure in accordance with point (b) or (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9, in line with the seriousness of the non-compliance;
(c)a maximum of 50 % of the commitments relating to the next financial year for the ESI Funds or a maximum of 0,5 % of nominal GDP in the first case of non-compliance as referred to in points (d) and (e) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9.
In determining the level of the suspension and whether to suspend commitments or payments, the stage of the programme cycle shall be taken into account having regard in particular to the period remaining for using the funds following the re-budgeting of suspended commitments.
12.Without prejudice to de-commitment rules set out in Articles 86 to 88 the Commission shall lift the suspension of commitments, without delay, in the following cases:
(a)where the excessive deficit procedure is held in abeyance in accordance with Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/97(5) or the Council has decided in accordance with Article 126(12) TFEU to abrogate the decision on the existence of an excessive deficit;
(b)where the Council has endorsed the corrective action plan submitted by the Member State concerned in accordance with Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 or the excessive imbalance procedure is placed in a position of abeyance in accordance with Article 10(5) of that Regulation or the Council has closed the excessive imbalance procedure in accordance with Article 11 of that Regulation;
(c)where the Commission has concluded that the Member State concerned has taken adequate measures to implement the adjustment programme referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 or the measures requested by a decision of the Council in accordance with Article 136(1) TFEU.
When lifting the suspension of commitments, the Commission shall re-budget the suspended commitments in accordance with Article 8 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013.
A decision concerning the lifting of the suspension of payments shall be taken by the Council on a proposal from the Commission where the applicable conditions set out in points (a), (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph are fulfilled.
13.Paragraphs 6 to 12 shall not apply to the United Kingdom in so far as the suspension of commitments or of payments relate to matters covered by points (a), (b) and (c)(iii) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 or points (a), (b) or (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9.
14.This Article shall not apply to programmes under the European territorial cooperation goal.
15.The Commission shall keep the European Parliament informed of the implementation of this Article. In particular the Commission shall, when one of the conditions set out in paragraph 6 or points (a) to (e) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 9 is fulfilled for a Member State, immediately inform the European Parliament and provide details of the ESI Funds and programmes which could be subject to a suspension of commitments or payments.
The European Parliament may invite the Commission for a structured dialogue on the application of this Article, having regard in particular to the transmission of the information referred to in the first sub-paragraph.
The Commission shall transmit the proposal for suspension of commitments or payments or the proposal to lift such a suspension to the European Parliament and the Council immediately after its adoption. The European Parliament may invite the Commission to explain the reasons for its proposal.
16.In 2017, the Commission shall carry out a review of the application of this Article. To this end, the Commission shall prepare a report which it shall transmit to the European Parliament and the Council, accompanied where necessary by a legislative proposal.
17.Where there are major changes in the social and economic situation in the Union, the Commission may submit a proposal to review the application of this Article, or the European Parliament or the Council, acting in accordance with Articles 225 or 241 TFEU respectively, may request the Commission to submit such a proposal.
1.On the request of a Member State, interim payments may be increased by 10 percentage points above the co-financing rate applicable to each priority for the ERDF, ESF and the Cohesion Fund or to each measure for the EAFRD and the EMFF. If a Member State meets one of the following conditions after 21 December 2013, the increased rate, which may not exceed 100 %, shall apply to its requests for payments for the period until 30 June 2016:
(a)where the Member State concerned receives a loan from the Union under Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010;
(b)where the Member State concerned receives medium-term financial assistance in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 332/2002 conditional on the implementation of a macro-economic adjustment programme;
(c)where financial assistance is made available to the Member State concerned conditional on the implementation of a macroeconomic adjustment programme as specified in Regulation (EU) No 472/2013.
This paragraph shall not apply to programmes under the ETC Regulation.
2.Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Union support through interim payments and payments of the final balance shall not be higher than the public support or the maximum amount of support from the ESI Funds for each priority for the ERDF, ESF and the Cohesion Fund, or for each measure for the EAFRD and the EMFF, as laid down in the decision of the Commission approving the programme.
3.The Commission shall examine the application of paragraphs 1 and 2 and shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report with its assessment and, if necessary, a legislative proposal before 30 June 2016.
1.On the request of a Member State with temporary budgetary difficulties which meets the conditions set out in Article 24(1), a part of the resources provided for under Article 59 and programmed in accordance with Fund-specific rules may, in agreement with the Commission, be transferred to technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission for implementation of measures in relation to the Member State concerned in accordance with point (k) of the third subparagraph of Article 58(1) through direct or indirect management.
2.The resources referred to in paragraph 1 shall be additional to the amounts established in accordance with the ceilings set out in the Fund-specific rules for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission. Where a ceiling on technical assistance at the initiative of the Member State is set out in the Fund-specific rules, the amount to be transferred shall be included for the purposes of the calculation of compliance with that ceiling.
3.A Member State shall request the transfer referred to in paragraph 2 for a calendar year in which it meets the conditions set out in Article 24(1) by 31 January of the year in which a transfer is to be made. The request shall be accompanied by a proposal to amend the programme or programmes from which the transfer will be made. Corresponding amendments shall be made to the Partnership Agreement in accordance with Article 30 (2) which shall set out the total amount transferred each year to the Commission.
Where a Member States meets the conditions set out in Article 24(1) on 1 January 2014, it may transmit the request for that year at the same time as the submission of its Partnership Agreement, which shall set out the amount to be transferred to technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.
Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 25).
Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010 of 11 May 2010 establishing a European financial stabilisation mechanism (OJ L 118, 12.5.2010, p. 1).
Council Regulation (EC) No 332/2002 of 18 February 2002 establishing a facility providing medium-term financial assistance for Member States' balances of payments (OJ L 53, 23.2.2002, p. 1).
Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on the strengthening of economic and budgetary surveillance of Member States in the euro area experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability (OJ L 140, 27.05.2013, p. 1).
Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/97 of 7 July 1997 on speeding up and clarifying the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure (OJ L 209, 2.8.1997, p. 6).