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Regulation (EU) No 223/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived

Type Regulation
Publication 2014-03-12
Last updated 2024-03-01
State In force
Department Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Source EUR-Lex
articles 70
Reform history JSON API

TITLE I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Subject matter and purpose

This Regulation establishes the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived ('the Fund') for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 and determines the objectives of the Fund, the scope of its support, the financial resources available and their allocation for each Member State, and lays down the rules necessary to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fund.

Article 2

Definitions

The following definitions apply:

  • (1) 'basic material assistance' means basic consumer goods of a limited value and for the personal use of the most deprived persons for example clothing, footwear, hygiene goods, school material and sleeping bags;
  • (2) 'most deprived persons' means natural persons, whether individuals, families, households or groups composed of such persons, whose need for assistance has been established according to the objective criteria set by the national competent authorities in consultation with relevant stakeholders, while avoiding conflicts of interest, or defined by the partner organisations and which are approved by those national competent authorities and which may include elements that allow the targeting of the most deprived persons in certain geographical areas;
  • (3) 'partner organisations' means public bodies and/or non- profit organisations that deliver food and/or basic material assistance, where applicable, combined with accompanying measures directly or through other partner organisations, or that undertake activities aiming directly at the social inclusion of the most deprived persons, and whose operations have been selected by the managing authority in accordance with point (b) of Article 32(3);
  • (4) 'national schemes' means any scheme having, at least partly, the same objectives as the Fund and which is being implemented at national, regional or local level by public bodies or non-profit organisations;
  • (5) 'food and/or basic material assistance operational programme' (also referred to as 'OP I') means an operational programme supporting the distribution of food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived persons, combined where applicable with accompanying measures, aimed at alleviating the social exclusion of most deprived persons;
  • (6) 'social inclusion of the most deprived persons operational programme' (also referred to as 'OP II') means an operational programme supporting the activities outside active labour market measures, consisting in non-financial, non-material assistance, aimed at the social inclusion of the most deprived persons;
  • (7) 'operation' means a project, contract or action selected by the managing authority of the operational programme concerned, or under its responsibility, contributing to the objectives of the operational programme to which it relates;
  • (8) 'completed operation' means an operation that has been physically completed or fully implemented and in respect of which all related payments have been made by beneficiaries and the support from the corresponding operational programme has been paid to the beneficiaries;
  • (9) 'beneficiary' means a public or private body responsible for initiating or initiating and implementing operations;
  • (10) 'end recipient' means the most deprived person or persons receiving support as defined in Article 4 of this Regulation;
  • (11) 'accompanying measures' means activities provided in addition to the distribution of food and/or basic material assistance with the aim of alleviating social exclusion and/or tackling social emergencies in a more empowering and sustainable way, for example guidance on a balanced diet and budget management advice;
  • (12) 'public expenditure' means a public contribution to the financing of operations the source of which is the budget of national, regional or local public authorities, the budget of the Union related to the Fund, the budget of public law bodies or the budget of associations of public authorities or any body governed by public law within the meaning of Article 1(9) of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0001]);
  • (13) 'intermediate body' means any public or private body which acts under the responsibility of a managing or certifying authority, or which carries out duties on behalf of such an authority in relation to beneficiaries' implementing operations;
  • (14) 'accounting year', means the period from 1 July to 30 June, except for the first accounting year of the programming period, in respect of which it means the period from the start date for eligibility of expenditure until 30 June 2015. The final accounting year shall be from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024;
  • (15) 'financial year' means the period from 1 January to 31 December;
  • (16) 'irregularity' means any breach of Union law or of national law relating to its application, resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator involved in the implementation of the Fund, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the budget of the Union by charging an unjustified item of expenditure to the budget of the Union;
  • (17) 'economic operator' means any natural or legal person or other entity taking part in the implementation of assistance from the Fund, with the exception of a Member State exercising its prerogatives as a public authority;
  • (18) 'systemic irregularity' means any irregularity, that may be of a recurring nature, with a high probability of occurrence in similar types of operations, which results from a serious deficiency in the effective functioning of a management and control system, including a failure to establish appropriate procedures in accordance with this Regulation;
  • (19) 'serious deficiency in the effective functioning of a management and control system' means a deficiency for which substantial improvements in the system are required, which exposes the Fund to significant risk of irregularities, and the existence of which is incompatible with an unqualified audit opinion on the functioning of the management and control system.

Article 3

Objectives
1.

The Fund shall promote social cohesion, enhance social inclusion and therefore ultimately contribute to the objective of eradicating poverty in the Union by contributing to achieving the poverty reduction target of at least 20 million of the number of persons at risk of poverty and social exclusion in accordance with the Europe 2020 strategy, whilst complementing the Structural Funds. The Fund shall contribute to achieving the specific objective of alleviating the worst forms of poverty, by providing non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons by food and/or basic material assistance, and social inclusion activities aiming at the social integration of the most deprived persons.

This objective and the results of the implementation of the Fund shall be qualitatively and quantitatively assessed.

2.

The Fund shall complement sustainable national poverty eradication and social inclusion policies, which remain the responsibility of Member States.

Article 4

Scope of support
1.

The Fund shall support national schemes whereby food and/or basic material assistance, are distributed to the most deprived persons through partner organisations selected by Member States.

With the view to augmenting and diversifying the supply of food for the most deprived persons, as well as reducing and preventing food wastage, the Fund may support activities related to the collection, transport, storage and distribution of food donations.

The Fund may also support accompanying measures, complementing the provision of food and/or basic material assistance.

2.

The Fund shall support activities contributing to the social inclusion of the most deprived persons.

3.

The Fund shall promote, at Union level, mutual learning, networking and dissemination of good practices in the area of non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons.

Article 5

Principles
1.

The part of the budget of the Union allocated to the Fund shall be implemented within the framework of shared management between the Member States and the Commission, in accordance with point (b) of Article 58(1) of the Financial Regulation, with the exception of technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission, which shall be implemented in the framework of direct management in accordance with point (a) of Article 58(1) of the Financial Regulation.

2.

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure, taking account of the specific context of each Member State, that support from the Fund is consistent with the relevant policies and priorities of the Union and complementary to other instruments of the Union.

3.

Support from the Fund shall be implemented in close co-operation between the Commission and the Member States in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

4.

Member States and the bodies designated by them for that purpose, shall be responsible for implementing the operational programmes and carrying out their tasks under this Regulation in accordance with the institutional, legal and financial framework of the Member State and subject to compliance with this Regulation.

5.

Arrangements for the implementation and use of the Fund, and in particular the financial and administrative resources required in relation to reporting, evaluation, management and control shall take into account the principle of proportionality having regard to the level of support allocated and the limited administrative capacity of the organisations that function thanks mainly to volunteers.

6.

In accordance with their respective responsibilities, and to prevent double funding, the Commission and the Member States shall ensure coordination with the ESF, and with other relevant Union policies, strategies and instruments, in particular Union initiatives in the field of public health and against food waste.

7.

The Commission and the Member States and the beneficiaries shall apply the principle of sound financial management in accordance with Article 30 of the Financial Regulation.

8.

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure the effectiveness of the Fund, in particular through monitoring, reporting and evaluation.

9.

The Member States and the Commission shall ensure that the operational programmes are prepared, programmed, implemented, monitored and evaluated, respecting the partnership principle, when carrying out the consultations of relevant stakeholders as set out in this Regulation.

10.

The Commission and the Member States shall take action to ensure the effectiveness of the Fund, and shall carry out their respective roles in relation to the Fund with the aim of reducing the administrative burden for beneficiaries.

11.

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that equality between men and women and the integration of the gender perspective are taken into account and promoted during the various stages of the preparation, programming, management and implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Fund, as well as in information and awareness raising campaigns and exchanges of best practices. The Commission and the Member States shall use data broken down by gender, where available.

The Commission and the Member States shall take appropriate steps to prevent any discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in obtaining access to the Fund, and to programmes and operations supported by the Fund.

12.

Operations supported by the Fund shall comply with applicable Union law and national law relating to its application ('applicable law'). In particular, the Fund may only be used to support the distribution of food or goods that are in conformity with the Union law on consumer product safety.

13.

Member States and beneficiaries shall choose the food and/or the basic material assistance on the basis of objective criteria related to the needs of the most deprived persons. The selection criteria for the food products, and where appropriate for goods, shall also take into consideration climatic and environmental aspects, in particular with a view to reduction of food waste. Where appropriate, the choice of the type of food products to be distributed shall be made having considered their contribution to the balanced diet of the most deprived persons.

14.

The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that aid provided in the framework of this Fund respects the dignity of the most deprived persons.

TITLE II RESOURCES AND PROGRAMMING

Article 6

Global resources
1.

The resources for the Fund available for budgetary commitment for the period 2014 - 2020 shall be EUR 3 395 684 880 in 2011 prices, in accordance with the annual breakdown set out in Annex II.

2.

With the exception of additional resources allocated in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, as referred to in Article 6a, the allocation of the Fund for the period 2014–2020 for every Member State is set out in Annex III. The minimum amount for each Member State shall be EUR 3 500 000 for the whole period.

3.

For the purpose of programming and subsequent inclusion in the general budget of the Union, the amount of resources shall be indexed at 2 % per year.

4.

0,35 % of the global resources shall be allocated to technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission.

Article 6a

Additional resources in response to the crisis associated with the outbreak of COVID-19
1.

Where the Member State considers it to be appropriate, the resources referred to in Article 6(1) of this Regulation shall be increased in response to the crisis associated with the outbreak of COVID-19, in accordance with the seventh subparagraph of Article 92b(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ([^E0002]) and under the relevant conditions laid down in that paragraph. The additional resources shall constitute external assigned revenue as referred to in Article 3(1) of Council Regulation (EU) 2020/2094 ([^E0003]) and shall be subject to Article 3(3), (4), (7) and (9) thereof. The additional resources may affect the budget commitments for 2021 and 2022.

2.

By way of derogation from Article 7(1), the period for operational programmes benefitting from additional resources in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article shall be until 31 December 2022.

3.

By way of derogation from the first paragraph of Article 38 of this Regulation, the budget commitments for the additional resources in respect of each programme shall be made in the years 2021 and 2022.

By way of derogation from Article 59(1) of this Regulation, the budget commitments for the additional resources shall be decommitted in accordance with the rules to be followed for the closure of the programmes.

4.

In addition to the pre-financing referred to in Article 44(1), the Commission shall pay a pre-financing amount of 11 % of the additional resources allocated for the year 2021 following the Commission decision approving the amendment to a programme for the allocation of the additional resources.

In addition to the initial pre-financing set out in the first subparagraph, the Commission shall pay 4 % of the REACT-EU resources allocated to programmes for the year 2021 as additional initial pre-financing in 2022. For programmes in Member States which have had a level of arrivals of persons from Ukraine greater than 1 % of their national population between 24 February 2022 and 23 March 2022, that percentage shall be increased to 34 %.

The amount paid as initial pre-financing referred to in the first and second subparagraphs shall be totally cleared from the Commission accounts not later than when the operational programme is closed.

5.

By way of derogation from Article 20, a co-financing rate of up to 100 % may be applied to the additional resources under paragraph 1 of this Article.

Article 7

Operational programmes
1.

Each Member State shall submit to the Commission, within six months of the entry into force of this Regulation, an OP I and/or an OP II, covering the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.

2.

An OP I shall set out:

  • (a) an identification of and a justification for selecting the type or types of material deprivation to be addressed under the operational programme and, for each type of material deprivation addressed, a description of the main characteristics of the distribution of food and/or basic material assistance and, where appropriate, of the accompanying measures to be provided, having regard to the results of the ex ante evaluation carried out in accordance with Article 16;
  • (b) a description of the corresponding national scheme or schemes for each type of material deprivation addressed;
  • (c) a description of the mechanism setting the eligibility criteria for the most deprived persons, differentiated where necessary by type of material deprivation addressed;
  • (d) the criteria for the selection of operations and a description of the selection mechanism differentiated where necessary by type of material deprivation addressed;
  • (e) the criteria for the selection of the partner organisations differentiated where necessary by type of material deprivation addressed;
  • (f) a description of the mechanism used to ensure complementarity with the ESF;
  • (g) a financing plan containing a table specifying, for the whole programming period, the amount of the total financial appropriation in respect of support from the operational programme, indicatively broken down by type of material deprivation addressed as well as the corresponding accompanying measures.
3.

An OP II shall set out:

  • (a) a strategy for the programme contribution to the promotion of social cohesion and poverty reduction in accordance with the Europe 2020 strategy, including a justification for the choice of assistance priority;
  • (b) the specific objectives of the operational programme based on an identification of national needs, having regard to the results of the ex ante evaluation carried out in accordance with Article 16. The ex ante evaluation shall be submitted to the Commission at the same time as the operational programme;
  • (c) a financing plan containing a table specifying, for the whole programming period, the amount of the total financial appropriation in respect of support from the operational programme, indicatively broken down by type of action;
  • (d) the identification of the most deprived persons to be targetted;
  • (e) the financial indicators relating to the corresponding expenditure allocated;
  • (f) the expected results for the specific objectives and the corresponding programme specific output and result indicators with a base line and target values;
  • (g) a description of the type and examples of actions to be supported and their expected contribution to the specific objectives referred to in point (b) including the guiding principles for the selection of operations and, where appropriate, the identification of the types of beneficiaries;
  • (h) a description of the mechanism to ensure complementarity with the ESF, as well as to prevent overlap and double-financing of operations.
4.

In addition, each operational programme shall set out:

  • (a) the identification of the managing authority, the certifying authority where applicable, the audit authority and the body to which payments are to be made by the Commission and a description of the monitoring procedure;
  • (b) a description of the measures taken to involve all relevant stakeholders as well as, where appropriate, the competent regional, local and other public authorities in the preparation of the operational programme;
  • (c) a description of the planned use of technical assistance in accordance with Article 27(4), including actions to reinforce the administrative capacity of the beneficiaries in relation to the implementation of the operational programme;
  • (d) a financing plan containing a table specifying for each year in accordance with Article 20 the amount of the financial appropriation envisaged for support from the Fund and the co-financing in accordance with Article 20.

The partner organisations referred to in point (e) of Article 7(2) that deliver directly the food and/or basic material assistance shall themselves or in cooperation with other organisations undertake activities, where appropriate consisting of a re-orientation towards competent services, that complement the provision of material assistance, aiming at the social inclusion of the most deprived persons, whether or not these activities are supported by the Fund. However, such accompanying measures shall not be compulsory in cases where the food and/or basic material assistance is provided solely to most deprived children in childcare or comparable facilities.

5.

Member States or any authority designated by them shall draw up operational programmes. They shall cooperate with all relevant stakeholders as well as, where appropriate, the competent regional, local and other public authorities. Member States shall ensure that the operational programmes are closely linked to national social inclusion policies.

6.

Member States shall draft their operational programmes in accordance with the templates set out in Annex I as appropriate.

Article 8

Adoption of operational programmes
1.

The Commission shall assess the consistency of each operational programme with this Regulation and its contribution to the objectives of the Fund, taking into account the ex ante evaluation carried out in accordance with Article 16. The Commission shall ensure that there is no overlap with any operational programme financed by the ESF in the Member State.

2.

The Commission may make observations within three months of the date of submission of the operational programme. The Member State shall provide to the Commission all necessary additional information and, where appropriate, revise the proposed operational programme.

3.

Provided that any observations made by the Commission in accordance with paragraph 2 have been adequately taken into account, the Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, approve each operational programme no later than six months after its submission by the Member State.

Article 9

Amendment of operational programmes
1.

A Member State may submit a request for amendment of an operational programme. The request shall be accompanied by the revised operational programme and the justification for the amendment.

2.

The Commission shall assess the information provided in accordance with paragraph 1, taking account of the justification provided by the Member State. The Commission may make observations and the Member State shall provide to the Commission all necessary additional information.

3.

The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts, approve the amendment of an operational programme no later than four months after its submission by the Member State provided that any observations made by the Commission have been adequately taken into account.

4.

Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 do not apply for the purposes of modifying elements of an operational programme falling under sub-sections 3.5 and 3.6 and section 4, respectively, of the operational programme templates set out in Annex I, or the elements set out in points (a) to (e) and (g) of Article 7(2) in the event that they are modified as a result of the crisis response to the outbreak of COVID-19.

A Member State shall notify the Commission of any decision to modify the elements referred to in the first subparagraph within one month of the date of that decision. The decision shall specify the date of its entry into force, which shall not be earlier than the date of its adoption.

The first and second subparagraphs shall also apply for the purposes of modifying elements of an operational programme addressing migratory challenges as a result of the military aggression by the Russian Federation.

Article 10

Exchange of good practices

The Commission shall facilitate, including by means of a website, the exchange of experience, capacity building and networking, as well as dissemination of relevant outcomes in the area of non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons.

Relevant organisations that do not make use of the Fund may also be included.

In addition, the Commission shall consult, at least once a year, the organisations which represent the partner organisations at Union level on the implementation of support from the Fund and, following such consultation, shall report back to the European Parliament and to the Council in due course.

The Commission shall also facilitate the online dissemination of relevant outcomes, reports and information in relation to the Fund.

TITLE III MONITORING AND EVALUATION, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

Article 11

Monitoring committee for an OP II
1.

Within three months of the date of notification to the Member State of the decision adopting an OP II, the Member State shall set up or appoint a committee, in accordance with the institutional, legal and financial framework of the Member State concerned to monitor the implementation of the programme, in agreement with the managing authority.

2.

Each monitoring committee shall draw up and adopt its rules of procedure in accordance with the institutional, legal and financial framework of the Member State concerned.

3.

The composition of the monitoring committee shall be decided by the Member State, provided that the monitoring committee is composed of representatives of the relevant Member State authorities and intermediate bodies and of all relevant stakeholders as well as where appropriate of representatives of the competent regional, local and other public authorities. Representatives of the competent regional, local and other public authorities as well as of relevant stakeholders shall be delegated to be part of the monitoring committee by the respective organisation through transparent processes. Each member of the monitoring committee may have a voting right. The list of members of the monitoring committee shall be published.

4.

The Commission shall participate in the work of the monitoring committee in an advisory capacity.

5.

The monitoring committee shall be chaired by a representative of the Member State or of the managing authority.

Article 12

Functions of the monitoring committee for an OP II
1.

The monitoring committee shall meet at least once a year and shall review implementation of the programme and progress made towards achieving its specific objectives. In doing so, it shall have regard to the financial data, common and programme -specific indicators, including changes in the value of result indicators and progress towards quantified target values, and, where relevant, the results of qualitative analyses.

2.

The monitoring committee shall examine all issues that affect the performance of the programme. It shall examine in particular:

  • (a) progress made towards achieving the specific targets of the operational programme on the basis of the documents submitted by the managing authority, including evaluation findings;
  • (b) implementation of the information and communication actions;
  • (c) actions, which take into account and promote equality between men and women, equal opportunities and non-discrimination.
3.

The monitoring committee shall examine and approve:

  • (a) the methodology and criteria for selection of operations in line with the guiding principles as set out in point (f) of Article 7(3);
  • (b) the annual and final implementation reports;
  • (c) any proposal by the managing authority for an amendment to the operational programme.
4.

The monitoring committee may make observations to the managing authority regarding implementation of the programme and its evaluation.

It shall monitor actions taken as a result of its observations.

Article 13

Implementation reports and indicators
1.

From 2015 to 2023, the Member States shall submit to the Commission, by 30 June of each year, an annual implementation report for the operational programme implemented in the previous financial year.

By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, the deadline for the submission of the annual implementation report for the year 2019 shall be 30 September 2020.

2.

The Member States shall draft the annual implementation report in accordance with the delegated act referred to in paragraph 6, including the list of common indicators, and for the social inclusion operational programmes, of the programme specific indicators.

The Member States shall consult the relevant stakeholders, while avoiding conflicts of interest, on the implementation reports of OP I. A summary of the comments of those relevant stakeholders shall be annexed to the report.

3.

The annual implementation reports shall be admissible where they contain all the information required in accordance with the delegated act referred to in paragraph 6. The Commission shall inform the Member State concerned within 15 working days from the date of receipt of the annual implementation report if it is not admissible. Where the Commission has not informed the Member State within the time limit, the report shall be deemed admissible.

4.

The Commission shall examine the annual implementation report and inform the Member State of its observations within two months of the receipt of the annual implementation report.

Where the Commission does not provide observations to the Member State within this time limit, the reports shall be deemed to be accepted.

5.

The Member State shall submit a final report on implementation of the operational programme together with the closure documents as set out in Article 52 by 15 February 2026 at the latest.

6.

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 62, laying down the content of the annual and final implementation reports, including the list of common indicators, by 17 July 2014.

7.

The Commission may address observations to a Member State concerning the implementation of the operational programme. The managing authority shall within three months inform the Commission of the corrective measures taken.

8.

The managing authority shall make public a summary of the contents of each annual and final implementation report.

9.

The Commission shall present a summary of the annual implementation reports and the final implementation reports to the European Parliament and to the Council in due course.

10.

The procedure concerning implementation reports shall not be excessive in comparison to the resources allocated and to the nature of the support and shall not cause unnecessary administrative burdens.

Article 14

Review meetings
1.

The Commission and the Member States shall meet every year from 2014 to 2023, unless otherwise agreed, to review the progress made in implementing the operational programme, taking account of the annual implementation report and the Commission's observations referred to in Article 13(7), where applicable.

2.

The review meeting shall be chaired by the Commission. The relevant stakeholders shall be invited to participate in review meetings of OP I except for the parts of that meeting when their participation would lead to conflicts of interest or breach of confidentiality related to audit matters.

3.

The Member State shall ensure that appropriate follow-up is given to any comments of the Commission following the review meeting and shall refer to that follow-up in the implementation report of the following financial year or, as appropriate, years.

Article 15

General provisions on evaluation
1.

Member States shall provide the resources necessary for carrying out evaluations, and shall ensure that procedures are in place to produce and collect the data necessary for evaluations, including data related to the common indicators referred to in Article 13.

2.

Evaluations shall be carried out by experts that are functionally independent of the authorities responsible for operational programme implementation. All evaluations shall be made public in their entirety but shall under no circumstances include information regarding the identity of end recipients.

3.

The evaluations shall not be excessive in comparison to the resources allocated or to the nature of the support and shall not cause unnecessary administrative burdens.

Article 16

Ex ante evaluation
1.

Member States shall carry out an ex ante evaluation of each operational programme.

2.

Ex ante evaluation shall be carried out under the responsibility of the authority responsible for preparing the operational programme. It shall be submitted to the Commission at the same time as the operational programme, together with an executive summary.

3.

Ex ante evaluations of OP I shall appraise the following elements:

  • (a) the contribution to the Union objective of at least 20 million fewer people living in poverty or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020, having regard to the selected type of material deprivation to be addressed and taking into account national circumstances in terms of poverty and social exclusion and material deprivation;
  • (b) the internal coherence of the proposed operational programme and its relation with other relevant financial instruments;
  • (c) the consistency of the allocation of budgetary resources with the objectives of the operational programme;
  • (d) the contribution of the expected outputs to the results and thus to the objectives of the Fund;
  • (e) the involvement of relevant stakeholders;
  • (f) the suitability of the procedures for monitoring the operational programme and for collecting the data necessary to carry out evaluations.
4.

Ex ante evaluations of OP II shall appraise the following elements:

  • (a) the contribution to the promotion of social cohesion and poverty reduction in accordance with the Europe 2020 strategy, taking into account national needs;
  • (b) the internal coherence of the proposed programme and its relation with other relevant instruments, in particular the ESF;
  • (c) the consistency of the allocation of budgetary resources with the objectives of the programme;
  • (d) the relevance and clarity of the proposed programme specific indicators;
  • (e) how the expected outputs will contribute to results;
  • (f) whether the quantified target values for indicators are realistic, having regard to the support from the Fund envisaged;
  • (g) the rationale for the form of support proposed;
  • (h) the adequacy of human resources and administrative capacity for management of the programme;
  • (i) the suitability of the procedures for monitoring the programme and for collecting the data necessary to carry out evaluations;
  • (j) the adequacy of planned measures to promote equal opportunities between men and women and to prevent any discrimination.

Article 17

Evaluation during the programming period
1.

The Commission shall present a mid-term evaluation of the Fund to the European Parliament and to the Council by 31 December 2018.

2.

The Commission may, at its own initiative, evaluate operational programmes.

3.

During the programming period, the managing authority of an OP I may evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the operational programme.

4.

The managing authority of an OP I shall carry out a structured survey on end recipients in 2017 and 2022, in accordance with the template adopted by the Commission. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing the template after the consultation of relevant stakeholders. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 63(2).

5.

The managing authority of an OP II shall carry out at least one evaluation before 31 December 2022. The evaluation shall assess the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the operations supported. Appropriate follow up shall be ensured.

Article 18

Ex post evaluation

At its own initiative and in close cooperation with the Member States, the Commission shall carry out, with the assistance of external experts, an ex-post evaluation, to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fund and the sustainability of results obtained, as well as to measure the added value of the Fund. This ex post evaluation shall be completed by 31 December 2024.

Article 19

Information and communication
1.

The Commission and the Member States shall provide information on and promote the actions supported by the Fund. The information shall, in particular, be addressed to the most deprived persons, as well as to the wider public and the media. It shall highlight the role of the Union and ensure that the contribution from the Fund, the Member States and the partner organisations regarding the Union's social cohesion objectives is visible without stigmatising end recipients.

2.

The managing authority shall, in order to ensure transparency in the support of the Fund, maintain a list of operations supported by the Fund in a spread sheet data format, which allows the data to be sorted, searched, extracted, compared and easily published on the internet. The list of operations shall include at least the following information:

  • (a) the name and address of the beneficiary;
  • (b) the allocated amount of Union funding;
  • (c) for OP I, the type of material deprivation addressed.

The managing authority shall update the list of operations at least every twelve months.

3.

During the implementation of an operation, the beneficiaries and partner organisations shall inform the public about the support obtained from the Fund by placing either at least one poster with information about the operation (minimum size A3), including about the financial support from Union or a Union emblem of reasonable size, at a location readily visible to the public. This requirement shall be fulfilled, without stigmatising end-recipients, at each place of delivery of OP I and/or OP II, unless this is not possible due to the circumstances of the distribution.

Beneficiaries and partner organisations which have websites shall also provide a short description of the operation on their website, including its aims and results, and highlighting the financial support from the Union.

4.

All information and communication measures undertaken by the beneficiary and the partner organisations shall acknowledge support from the Fund to the operation by displaying the emblem of the Union together with a reference to the Union and the Fund.

5.

The managing authority shall inform beneficiaries of publication of the list of operations in accordance with paragraph 2. The managing authority shall provide information and communication tools, including templates in electronic format, to help beneficiaries and partner organisations to meet their obligations as set out in paragraph 3.

6.

In the case of OP II:

  • (a) the Member State or the managing authority shall be responsible for organising:
  • (i) a main information activity to publicise the launch of the operational programme; and
  • (ii) at least one main information activity a year to promote the funding opportunities and the strategies pursued and/or present the achievements of the operational programme, including, where relevant, examples of operations;
  • (b) during implementation of an operation, the beneficiary shall inform the public about the support obtained from the Fund by ensuring that those taking part in the operation have been informed of the support from the Fund;
  • (c) any document, including any attendance or other certificate, concerning an operation shall include a statement to the effect that the operational programme was supported by the Fund;
  • (d) the managing authority shall ensure that potential beneficiaries have access to the relevant information on the funding opportunities, the launching of application calls and conditions thereof and the criteria for selecting the operations to be supported.
7.

In processing personal data pursuant to Articles 15 to 19 of this Regulation, the managing authority as well as the beneficiaries and partner organisations shall comply with Directive 95/46/EC.

TITLE IV FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FUND

Article 20

Co-financing
1.

The co-financing rate at the level of the operational programme amounts up to 85 % of the eligible public expenditure. It may be increased in the cases described in Article 21(1). Member States shall be free to support the Fund's initiatives with additional national resources.

1a. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, at the request of a Member State, a co‐financing rate of 100 % may be applied to the public expenditure declared in payment applications during the accounting year starting 1 July 2020 and ending 30 June 2021.

Requests for modification of the co-financing rate shall be submitted in accordance with the procedure for the amendment of operational programmes set out in Article 9 and shall be accompanied by a revised programme. The co-financing rate of 100 % shall apply only if the relevant amendment of the operational programme is approved by the Commission before the submission of the final application for interim payment in accordance with Article 45(2).

Before submitting the first payment application for the accounting year starting 1 July 2021, Member States shall notify the table referred to in section 5.1 of the operational programme templates set out in Annex I, confirming the co-financing rate which was applicable during the accounting year ending 30 June 2020.

1b. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, a co-financing rate of 100 % may be applied to expenditure declared in payment applications for the accounting year starting 1 July 2021 and ending 30 June 2022.

By way of derogation from Article 9(1), (2) and (3), the application of the co-financing rate of 100 % shall not require a Commission decision approving a programme amendment. The Member State shall notify the revised financial tables, referred to in Section 5.1 of the operational programme templates set out in Annex I, to the Commission. The co-financing rate of 100 % shall apply only if the financial tables are notified to the Commission before the submission of the final application for an interim payment for the accounting year starting 1 July 2021 and ending 30 June 2022 in accordance with Article 45(2).

2.

The Commission decision adopting an operational programme shall fix the co-financing rate applicable to the operational programme and the maximum amount of support from the Fund.

3.

The technical assistance measures implemented at the initiative of, or on behalf of, the Commission may be financed at the rate of 100 %.

Article 21

Increase in payments for Member States with temporary budgetary difficulties
1.

At the request of a Member State, interim payments and payments of the final balance may be increased by 10 percentage points above the co-financing rate applicable to the operational programme. The increased rate, which can not exceed 100 %, shall apply to requests for payment relating to the accounting period in which the Member State has submitted its request and subsequent accounting periods during which the Member State meets one of the following conditions:

  • (a) where the Member State concerned has adopted the euro, it receives macro-financial assistance from the Union in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010 ([^E0004]);
  • (b) where the Member State concerned has not adopted the euro, it receives medium-term financial assistance in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 332/2002 ([^E0005]);
  • (c) financial assistance is made available to it in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism.
2.

Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Union support through interim payments and payments of the final balance shall not be higher than the public support and the maximum amount of support from the Fund, as laid down in the Commission decision approving the operational programme.

Article 22

Eligibility period
1.

This Article shall be without prejudice to the rules on eligibility of technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission as set out in Article 27.

2.

Expenditure shall be eligible for a support from an operational programme if it is incurred by a beneficiary and paid between 1 December 2013 and 31 December 2023.

2a. In the case of costs reimbursed pursuant to points (b) to (e) of Article 26(2), the corresponding actions being reimbursed shall be carried out by the submission of the final application for an interim payment for the final accounting year in accordance with Article 45(6).

3.

Operations shall not be selected for support by an operational programme where they have been physically completed or fully implemented before the application for funding under the operational programme has been submitted by the beneficiary to the managing authority, irrespective of whether all related payments have been made by the beneficiary.

4.

In the case of amendment of an operational programme, expenditure that becomes eligible because of the amendment to the operational programme shall only be eligible from the date of submission of the request for amendment by the Member State to the Commission.

By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, expenditure for operations for fostering crisis response capacity to address the outbreak of COVID-19 shall be eligible from 1 February 2020.

By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, expenditure for operations addressing migratory challenges as a result of the military aggression by the Russian Federation shall be eligible from 24 February 2022.

Article 23

Eligibility of operations
1.

Operations supported by an operational programme shall be located in the Member State covered by the operational programme.

2.

Operations may receive support from an operational programme provided that they have been selected in accordance with a fair and transparent procedure and on the basis of either of the criteria laid down in the operational programme or approved by the monitoring committee as appropriate.

3.

The selection criteria and lists of operations selected for support from an OP II shall be communicated upon adoption to the monitoring committees of the operational programmes co-financed by the ESF.

4.

The food and/or basic material assistance for the most deprived persons may be purchased by the partner organisations themselves.

The food and/or basic material assistance for the most deprived persons may also be purchased by a public body and made available free of charge to the partner organisations. In that case, the food may be obtained from the use, processing or sale of the products disposed of in accordance with Article 16(2)of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, provided that this is economically the most favourable option and does not unduly delay the delivery of the food products to the partner organisations. Any amount derived from such a transaction shall be used for the benefit of the most deprived persons, and shall not be applied so as to diminish the obligation of the Member States, provided in Article 20 of this Regulation, to co-finance the programme.

The Commission shall apply the procedures adopted pursuant to point (i) of Article 20 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 by which the products referred to therein may be used, processed or sold for the purposes of this Regulation, in order to ensure their maximum efficiency.

4a. Food and/or basic material assistance may be provided to the most deprived persons directly or indirectly, such as through vouchers or cards, in electronic or other form, provided that such vouchers, cards or other instruments can be exchanged only against food and/or basic material assistance.

5.

That food and/or basic material assistance shall be distributed free of charge to the most deprived persons.

6.

An operation may receive support from one or more operational programmes co-financed by the Fund and from other Union instruments, provided that the expenditure declared in a payment application for the Fund is not declared for support from another Union instrument, or support from the same Fund under another programme. The amount of expenditure to be entered into a payment application of the Fund may be calculated for the programme or programmes concerned on a pro rata basis in accordance with the document setting out the conditions for support.

Article 24

Forms of support

The Fund shall be used by Member States to provide support in the forms of grants, procurement or a combination thereof. However, that support shall not take the form of aid falling under Article 107(1) TFEU.

Article 25

Forms of grants
1.

Grants may take the following forms:

  • (a) reimbursement of eligible costs actually incurred and paid;
  • (b) reimbursement on the basis of unit costs;
  • (c) lump sums not exceeding EUR 100 000 of public support;
  • (d) flat-rate financing, determined by the application of a percentage to one or several defined categories of costs.
2.

The options referred to in paragraph 1 may be combined in respect of a single operation only where each option is applied to different categories of costs or where they are used for successive phases thereof.

3.

The amounts referred to in points (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 1 shall be established on the basis of:

  • (a) a fair, equitable and verifiable calculation method based on one of the following:
  • (i) statistical data or other objective information;
  • (ii) the verified historical data of individual beneficiaries or the application of their usual cost accounting practices;
  • (b) methods and corresponding unit costs, lump sums and flat-rate financing applied under schemes for grants funded entirely by the Member State concerned for a similar type of operation and beneficiary;
  • (c) rates established by this Regulation;
  • (d) a case-by-case basis by reference to a draft budget agreed ex ante by the managing authority, where public support does not exceed EUR 100 000 ;
  • (e) rules for the application of corresponding unit costs, lump sums and flat rates applicable under Union policies for a similar type of operation and beneficiary.
4.

The amounts calculated in the forms of grants referred to in points (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 1 shall be regarded as eligible expenditure incurred and paid by the beneficiary for the purpose of applying Title VI.

5.

The document setting out the conditions for support for each operation shall set out the method to be applied for determining the costs of the operation and the conditions for payment of the grant.

Article 26

Eligibility of expenditure
1.

The eligibility of expenditure shall be determined on the basis of national rules, except where specific rules are laid down in or on the basis of this Regulation.

2.

Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the costs eligible for a support from OP I shall be:

  • (a) the cost of purchasing food and/or basic material assistance and the cost of purchasing pers onal protective materials and equipment for partner organisations;
  • (b) where a public body purchases the food or basic material assistance and provides them to partner organisations, the costs of transporting food or basic material assistance to the storage depots of the partner organisations and storage costs at a flat-rate of 1 % of the costs referred to in point (a) or, in duly justified cases, costs actually incurred and paid;
  • (c) the administrative, preparation, transport and storage costs borne by the partner organisations at a flat-rate of 5 % of the costs referred to in point (a); or 5 % of the value of the food products disposed of in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;
  • (d) the costs of partner organisations for collection, transport, storage and distribution of food donations and directly related awareness raising activities;
  • (e) the costs of accompanying measures undertaken and declared by the partner organisations delivering directly or under cooperation agreements the food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived persons at a flat-rate of 5 % of the costs referred to in point (a) of this paragraph; or 5 % of the value of the food products disposed of in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.
3.

Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the costs eligible for support from an operational programme shall be the costs incurred pursuant to Article 27(4) or, for indirect costs incurred pursuant to Article 27(4), a flat-rate of up to 15 % of eligible direct staff costs.

3a. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, a reduction of the eligible costs referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 due to non-compliance with applicable law by the body responsible for the purchase of food and/or basic material assistance shall not lead to a reduction of the eligible costs of other bodies as set out in points (c) and (e) of paragraph 2.

4.

The following costs shall not be eligible for a support from the operational programme:

  • (a) interest on debt;
  • (b) provision of infrastructure;
  • (c) costs of second-hand goods;
  • (d) value added tax except where it is non-recoverable under national VAT legislation.

Article 26a

Eligibility of expenditure for operations supported under OP I during their suspension as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19

Delays in the delivery of food and/or basic material assistance as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 shall not lead to a reduction of the eligible costs borne by the purchasing body or partner organisations in accordance with Article 26(2). Such costs may be declared to the Commission in their entirety in accordance with Article 26(2) before the food and/or basic material assistance is delivered to the most deprived persons, provided that delivery is resumed after the end of the crisis associated with the outbreak of COVID-19.

Where food is spoiled because of the suspension of delivery as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, the costs set out in point (a) of Article 26(2) shall not be reduced.

Article 26b

Eligibility of expenditure for operations supported under OP II or technical assistance during their suspension as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19
1.

Where the implementation of operations is suspended as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, a Member State may consider the expenditure during the suspension to be eligible expenditure even if no services are delivered, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the implementation of the operation is suspended after 31 January 2020;
  • (b) the suspension of the operation is due to the outbreak of COVID-19;
  • (c) the expenditure has been incurred and paid;
  • (d) the expenditure constitutes a genuine cost to the beneficiary and cannot be recovered or compensated for; for recoveries and compensation which are not provided by the Member State, the Member State may consider this condition to be met on the basis of a declaration by the beneficiary; recoveries and compensation shall be deducted from the expenditure;
  • (e) the expenditure is limited to the period of the suspension of the operation.
2.

For operations for which the beneficiary is reimbursed on the basis of simplified cost options and where the implementation of the actions constituting the basis for reimbursement is suspended as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, the Member State concerned may reimburse the beneficiary on the basis of the outputs planned for the period of the suspension, even if no actions are delivered, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the implementation of the actions is suspended after 31 January 2020;
  • (b) the suspension of the actions is due to the outbreak of COVID-19;
  • (c) the simplified cost options correspond to a genuine cost borne by the beneficiary, which shall be demonstrated by the beneficiary, and cannot be recovered or compensated for; for recoveries and compensation which are not provided by the Member State, the Member State may consider this condition to be met on the basis of a declaration by the beneficiary; recoveries and compensation shall be deducted from the amount corresponding to the simplified cost option;
  • (d) the reimbursement to the beneficiary is limited to the period of the suspension of the actions. For the operations referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the Member State may also reimburse the beneficiary on the basis of costs referred to in point (a) of Article 25(1), provided that the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article are met. Where a Member State reimburses the beneficiary on the basis of both the first and the second subparagraphs, it shall ensure that the same expenditure is only reimbursed once.

Article 26c

Eligibility of expenditure for operations supported under OP II or technical assistance that are not fully implemented as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19
1.

A Member State may consider the expenditure for operations that are not fully implemented as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 to be eligible expenditure, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the implementation of the operation ceases after 31 January 2020;
  • (b) the cessation of the implementation of the operation is due to the outbreak of COVID-19;
  • (c) the expenditure prior to the cessation of the implementation of the operation was incurred by the beneficiary and paid.
2.

For operations for which the beneficiary is reimbursed on the basis of simplified cost options, a Member State may consider the expenditure for operations that are not fully implemented as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 to be eligible expenditure, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the implementation of the operation ceases after 31 January 2020;
  • (b) the cessation of the implementation of the operation is due to the outbreak of COVID-19;
  • (c) the actions covered by the simplified cost options were at least partly delivered prior to the cessation of the implementation of the operation. For the operations referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, the Member State may also reimburse the beneficiary on the basis of costs referred to in point (a) of Article 25(1), provided that the conditions set out in paragraph 1 of this Article are met. Where a Member State reimburses the beneficiary on the basis of both the first and the second subparagraphs, it shall ensure that the same expenditure is only reimbursed once.

Article 27

Technical assistance
1.

At the initiative of, or on behalf of the Commission, and subject to a ceiling of 0,35 % of its annual allocation, the Fund may finance preparation, monitoring, administrative and technical assistance, audit, information, control and evaluation measures necessary for implementing this Regulation as well as for activities pursuant to Article 10.

2.

The Commission shall consult the Member States and the organisations which represent the partner organisations at Union level on the planned use of technical assistance.

3.

The Commission shall set out each year its plans on the type of actions related to the measures listed in paragraph 1, when a contribution from the Fund is envisaged, by means of implementing acts.

4.

At the initiative of Member States, and subject to a ceiling of 5 % of the Fund allocation at the time of the adoption of the operational programme and 5 % of the additional resources referred to in Article 6a(1), the operational programme may finance preparation, management, monitoring, administrative and technical assistance, audit, information, control and evaluation measures necessary for implementation of the Fund, including the preparation and operating costs of voucher schemes where those costs are borne by the managing authority or another public body that is not a partner organisation. The operational programme may also finance technical assistance and capacity building of partner organisations and any other actors involved in the implementation of the Fund, including for fostering crisis response capacity to address the outbreak of COVID-19. The actions referred to in this paragraph may concern the subsequent programming period, including to ensure the continuation of the support by the Fund through other Union funds.

TITLE V MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

Article 28

General principles of management and control systems

Management and control systems shall, in accordance with Article 5(7), 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 29

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.

Article 30

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 this Regulation.

1a. Based on an analysis of potential risks, Member States may establish lighter control and audit trail requirements regarding the distribution of food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived persons during the outbreak of COVID-19.

2.

Member States shall prevent, detect and correct irregularities and shall recover amounts unduly paid, together with any interest on late payments. They shall notify the Commission of irregularities that exceed EUR 10 000 in contribution from the Fund and shall keep it informed of significant progress in related administrative and legal proceedings.

The Member States shall not notify the Commission of irregularities in relation to the following cases:

  • (a) where the irregularity consists solely of the failure to execute, in whole or in part, an operation included in the co-financed operational programme owing to the bankruptcy of the beneficiary;
  • (b) those brought to the attention of the managing authority or certifying authority by the beneficiary voluntarily and before detection by either authority, whether before or after the payment of the public contribution;
  • (c) those which are detected and corrected by the managing authority or certifying authority before inclusion of the expenditure concerned in a statement of expenditure submitted to the Commission.

In all other cases, in particular those preceding a bankruptcy or in cases of suspected fraud, the detected irregularities and the associated preventive and corrective measures shall be reported to the Commission.

When amounts unduly paid to a beneficiary for an operation cannot be recovered and this is as a result of fault or negligence on the part of a Member State, that Member State shall be responsible for reimbursing the amounts concerned to the budget of the Union. Member States may decide not to recover an amount unduly paid if the amount to be recovered from the beneficiary, not including interest, does not exceed EUR 250 in contribution from the Fund to an operation in an accounting year.

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 62 laying down additional detailed rules on the criteria for determining the cases of irregularity to be reported, the data to be provided and on the conditions and procedures to be applied to determine whether amounts which are irrecoverable shall be reimbursed by Member States.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts in accordance with the advisory procedure under Article 63(2) setting out the frequency of the reporting and the reporting format to be used.

3.

Member States shall ensure that effective arrangements for the examination of complaints concerning the Fund 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 in order to establish 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 63(3).

Article 31

Designation of authorities
1.

Each Member State shall designate, for each operational programme, a national public authority or body as managing authority. The same managing authority may be designated for two operational programmes.

2.

The Member State shall designate, for each operational programme, a national public authority or body as a certifying authority, without prejudice to paragraph 3. The same certifying authority may be designated for two operational programmes.

3.

The Member State may designate, for an operational programme, a managing authority to carry out in addition the functions of the certifying authority.

4.

The Member State shall designate, for each operational programme, a national public authority or body, functionally independent from the managing authority and the certifying authority, as audit authority. The same audit authority may be designated for two operational programmes.

5.

Provided that the principle of separation of functions is respected, the managing authority, the certifying authority for OP I and, for OP II for which the total amount of support from the Fund does not exceed EUR 250 000 000 , the audit authority may be part of the same public authority or body.

6.

The Member State may designate one or more intermediate bodies to carry out certain tasks of the managing authority or the certifying authority under the responsibility of that authority. The relevant arrangements between the managing authority or certifying authority and the intermediate bodies shall be formally recorded in writing.

7.

The Member State or the managing authority may entrust the management of part of an operational programme to an intermediate body by way of an agreement in writing between the intermediate body and the Member State or managing authority. The intermediate body shall provide guarantees of its solvency and competence in the domain concerned, as well as of its administrative and financial management capacity.

8.

The Member State shall lay down in writing rules governing its relationship with the managing authorities, certifying authorities and audit authorities, the relations between such authorities, and the relations of such authorities with the Commission

Article 32

Functions of the managing authority
1.

The managing authority shall be responsible for managing the operational programme in accordance with the principle of sound financial management.

2.

As regards the management of the operational programme, the managing authority shall:

  • (a) where relevant, support the work of the monitoring committee referred to in Article 11 and provide it with the information it requires to carry out its tasks, in particular the data relating to the progress of the operational programme in achieving its objectives, financial data and data relating to indicators;
  • (b) draw up and, after consultation of the relevant stakeholders, while avoiding conflicts of interests, for OP I, or after approval the monitoring committee referred to in Article 11 for OP II, submit to the Commission annual and final implementation reports referred to in Article 13;
  • (c) make available to intermediate bodies and beneficiaries information that is relevant to the execution of their tasks and the implementation of operations respectively;
  • (d) establish a system to record and store in computerised form data on each operation necessary for monitoring, evaluation, financial management, verification and audit, including data on individual participants in operations co-financed by OP II;
  • (e) ensure that the data referred to in point (d) is collected, entered and stored in the system, referred to in point (d) in compliance with the provisions of Directive 95/46/CE and where available, broken down by gender.
3.

As regards the selection of operations, the managing authority shall:

  • (a) draw up and, where relevant once approved, apply appropriate selection procedures and/or criteria, that are non-discriminatory and transparent;
  • (b) ensure that the selected operation:
  • (i) falls within the scope of the Fund and the operational programme;
  • (ii) fulfils the criteria set out in the operational programme and in Articles 22, 23 and 26;
  • (iii) takes into account, where relevant, the principles set out in Article 5(11), (12), (13) and (14);

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