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PART TWO U.K. COMMON PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO THE ESI FUNDS

TITLE VIIIU.K. MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

CHAPTER I U.K. Management and control systems

Article 72U.K.General principles of management and control systems

Management and control systems shall, in accordance with Article 4(8), provide for:

(a)

a description of the functions of each body involved in management and control, and the allocation of functions within each body;

(b)

compliance with the principle of separation of functions between and within such bodies;

(c)

procedures for ensuring the correctness and regularity of expenditure declared;

(d)

computerised systems for accounting, for the storage and transmission of financial data and data on indicators, for monitoring and for reporting;

(e)

systems for reporting and monitoring where the body responsible entrusts execution of tasks to another body;

(f)

arrangements for auditing the functioning of the management and control systems;

(g)

systems and procedures to ensure an adequate audit trail;

(h)

the prevention, detection and correction of irregularities, including fraud, and the recovery of amounts unduly paid, together with any interest on late payments.

Article 73U.K.Responsibilities under shared management

In accordance with the principle of shared management, Member States and the Commission shall be responsible for the management and control of programmes in accordance with their respective responsibilities laid down in this Regulation and in the Fund-specific rules.

Article 74U.K.Responsibilities of Member States

1.Member States shall fulfil the management, control and audit obligations, and assume the resulting responsibilities, which are laid down in the rules on shared management set out in the Financial Regulation and the Fund-specific rules.

2.Member States shall ensure that their management and control systems for programmes are set up in accordance with the Fund-specific rules and that those systems function effectively.

3.Member States shall ensure that effective arrangements for the examination of complaints concerning the ESI Funds are in place. The scope, rules and procedures concerning such arrangements shall be the responsibility of Member States in accordance with their institutional and legal framework. Member States shall, upon request by the Commission, examine complaints submitted to the Commission falling within the scope of their arrangements. Member States shall inform the Commission, upon request, of the results of those examinations.

4.All official exchanges of information between the Member State and the Commission shall be carried out using an electronic data exchange system. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing the terms and conditions with which that electronic data exchange system is to comply. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 150(3).

CHAPTER II U.K. Commission powers and responsibilities

Article 75U.K.Commission powers and responsibilities

1.The Commission shall satisfy itself, on the basis of available information, including information on the designation of bodies responsible for the management and control, the documents provided each year, in accordance with [F1Article 63(5), (6) and (7) of the Financial Regulation], by those designated bodies, control reports, annual implementation reports and audits carried out by national and Union bodies, that the Member States have set up management and control systems that comply with this Regulation and the Fund-specific rules and that those systems function effectively during the implementation of programmes.

2.Commission officials or authorised Commission representatives may carry out on-the-spot audits or checks subject to giving at least 12 working days notice to the competent national authority, except in urgent cases. The Commission shall respect the principle of proportionality by taking into account the need to avoid unjustified duplication of audits or checks carried out by Member States, the level of risk to the budget of the Union and the need to minimise the administrative burden on beneficiaries in accordance with the Fund-specific rules. The scope of such audits or checks may include, in particular, verification of the effective functioning of management and control systems in a programme or a part thereof, in operations and assessment of the sound financial management of operations or programmes. Officials or authorised representatives of the Member State may take part in such audits or checks.

Commission officials or authorised Commission representatives, duly empowered to carry out on-the-spot audits or checks, shall have access to all necessary records, documents and metadata, irrespective of the medium in which they are stored, relating to operations supported by the ESI Funds or to management and control systems. Member States shall provide copies of such records, documents and metadata to the Commission upon request.

The powers set out in this paragraph shall not affect the application of national provisions which reserve certain acts for agents specifically designated by national legislation. Commission officials and authorised representatives shall not take part, inter alia, in home visits or the formal questioning of persons within the framework of national legislation. However, such officials and representatives shall have access to the information thus obtained without prejudice to the competences of national courts and in full respect of the fundamental rights of the legal subjects concerned.

[F22a. The Commission shall provide the competent national authority with:

(a) the draft audit report from the on-the-spot audit or check within three months of the end of that audit or check;

(b) the final audit report within three months of the receipt of a complete reply from the competent national authority to the draft audit report from the on-the-spot audit or check concerned.

The reports referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall be made available within the time limits set out in those points in at least one of the official languages of the institutions of the Union.

The time limit set out in point (a) of the first subparagraph shall not include the period which starts on the date following the date on which the Commission sends its request for additional information to the Member State and lasts until the Member State responds to that request.

This paragraph shall not be applicable to the EAFRD.]

3.The Commission may require a Member State to take the actions necessary to ensure the effective functioning of their management and control systems or the correctness of expenditure in accordance with the Fund-specific rules.

Textual Amendments