Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/702 of 10 December 2020 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2195 on supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund, regarding the definition of standard scales of unit costs and lump sums for reimbursement of expenditure by the Commission to Member States

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Social Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006 (1), and in particular Article 14(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) With a view to simplifying the use of the European Social Fund (‘ESF’) and reducing the administrative burden for beneficiaries, it is appropriate to increase the scope of standard scales of unit costs and lump sums available for reimbursement to Member States. The standard scales of unit costs and lump sums for reimbursement to Member States should be established on the basis of data submitted by Member States or published by Eurostat and on the basis of methods commonly agreed, including the methods set out in Article 67(5) and the flat rate established in Article 68b(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2).

(2) Taking into account the significant disparities between Member States regarding the level of costs for a particular type of operation, the definition and amounts of standard scales of unit costs and lump sums may differ according to the type of operation and the Member State concerned in order to reflect their specificities.

(3) France, Czechia, Malta, Italy, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Poland, Cyrpus, Croatia, and Portugal have submitted methods for either amending existing standard scales of unit costs or defining additional standard scales of unit costs for reimbursement by the Commission concerning types of operations not yet covered by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2195 (3).

(4) For the standard scales of unit costs relating to operations supporting training and counseling services and applicable to all Member States, the amounts should be updated in line with changes to costs.

(5) For operations where the implementation of an action is impacted by restrictive measures imposed by the competent authorities in a Member State to delay the spread of the coronavirus, conditions for using the standard scales of unit costs and lump sums should be established.

(6) Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2195 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2195 is amended as follows:

(1) In Article 3, the following paragraphs are added: ‘Where the relevant conditions for reimbursement by the Commission as defined in the Annexes could not be fulfilled due to the restrictions imposed or recommendations issued by the competent authorities in Member States to delay the spread of the coronavirus, the Commission may reimburse Member States based on inputs, outputs or results achieved by remote means. For those operations referred to in the second paragraph, the obligation set out in the Annexes to use a simplified cost option for all similar types of operations under the same operational programme shall not apply.’

(2) Annex II is replaced by the text in Annex I to this Regulation.

(3) Annex III is replaced by the text in Annex II to this Regulation.

(4) Annex V is replaced by the text in Annex III to this Regulation.

(5) Annex VI is replaced by the text in Annex IV to this Regulation.

(6) Annex VIII is replaced by the text in Annex V to this Regulation.

(7) Annex X is replaced by the text in Annex VI to this Regulation.

(8) Annex XI is replaced by the text in Annex VII to this Regulation.

(9) Annex XII is replaced by the text in Annex VIII to this Regulation.

(10) Annex XIV is replaced by the text in Annex IX to this Regulation.

(11) Annex XV is replaced by the text in Annex X to this Regulation.

(12) Annex XVI is replaced by the text in Annex XI to this Regulation.

(13) Annex XXI is replaced by the text in Annex XII to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 10 December 2020.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 470.

(2) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320).

(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2195 of 9 July 2015 on supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund, regarding the definition of standard scales of unit costs and lump sums for reimbursement of expenditure by the Commission to Member States (OJ L 313, 28.11.2015, p. 22).