Regulation (EU) No 331/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CHAPTER II U.K. FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK

Article 9 U.K. Financial envelope

1. The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 shall be EUR 7 344 000 (in current prices).

2. Within the financial envelope for the Programme, amounts shall be allocated to eligible actions listed in Article 8(2) in accordance with the indicative allocation of funds laid down in the Annex.

The Commission shall not depart from that indicative allocation of funds by more than 10 %. Should it prove necessary to exceed that limit, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 14 to modify the indicative allocation of funds laid down in the Annex.

3. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework.

Article 10 U.K. Types of financial support and co-financing

1. The Commission shall implement the Programme in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.

2. Financial support under the Programme for eligible actions listed in Article 8(2) shall take the form of either:

(a) grants; or

(b) public procurement.

3. The purchase of equipment shall not be the sole component of the grant agreement.

4. The co-financing rate for grants awarded under the Programme shall not exceed 75 % of the eligible costs. In exceptional and duly justified cases, defined in the annual work programmes referred to in Article 11, the co-financing rate shall not exceed 90 % of the eligible costs.

5. Where eligible actions listed in Article 8(2) are organised jointly by the Commission and the ECB, Eurojust, Europol or Interpol, the ensuing expenses shall be divided among them. In any event, each of them shall bear the travel and accommodation costs of its own guest speakers.

Article 11 U.K. Annual work programmes

In order to implement the Programme, the Commission shall adopt annual work programmes.

Each annual work programme shall implement the general and specific objectives provided for in Articles 3 and 4 respectively by setting out the following:

(a)

the actions to be undertaken in accordance with such general and specific objectives, including the indicative allocation of funds and the method of implementation;

(b)

for grants: the essential selection criteria and the maximum possible rate of co-financing.

Funds allocated to communication actions under the Programme shall also contribute to covering the corporate communication of the Union’s political priorities, as far as they relate to the general objective set out in Article 3.

Article 12 U.K. Protection of the financial interests of the Union

1. The Commission shall take appropriate measures ensuring that, when actions financed under this Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are protected by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities by effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, by the recovery of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, by effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative and financial penalties.

2. The Commission or its representatives and the Court of Auditors shall have the power of audit, on the basis of documents and on the spot, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors and subcontractors who have received Union funds under the Programme.

3. The European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1) and Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96(2) with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in connection with a grant agreement or grant decision or a contract funded under the Programme.

4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, cooperation agreements with third countries and with international organisations, contracts, grant agreements and grant decisions resulting from the implementation of this Regulation shall contain provisions expressly empowering the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits and investigations, according to their respective competences.

(1)

Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1).

(2)

Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities’ financial interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2).