Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

CHAPTER IV U.K. EUROPEAN INVESTMENT ADVISORY HUB

Article 14 U.K. European Investment Advisory Hub

1. The European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) shall have as its objective to build upon existing EIB and Commission advisory services in order to provide advisory support for the identification, preparation and development of investment projects and to act as a single technical advisory hub for project financing within the Union. [F1 Such support shall include the provision of targeted support on the use of technical assistance for project structuring, on the use of innovative financial instruments, on the use of public-private partnerships and on the provision of information, as appropriate, on relevant issues relating to Union law, taking into account the specificities and needs of Member States with less developed financial markets, as well as the situation in different sectors.]

The EIAH shall be able to provide technical assistance in the areas listed in Article 9(2), in particular energy efficiency, TEN-T and urban mobility. [F2 It shall also support the preparation of climate action and circular economy projects or components thereof, in particular in the context of COP21, the preparation of projects in the digital sector, as well as the preparation of projects referred to in the second indent of the third subparagraph of Article 5(1).]

2. The EIAH shall provide services in addition to those already available under other Union programmes, including:

(a) providing a single point of entry for technical assistance for authorities and project promoters;

(b) assisting project promoters, where appropriate, in developing their projects so that they fulfil the eligibility criteria set out in Article 6;

[F1 (c) leveraging local knowledge to facilitate EFSI support across the Union and contributing actively where possible to the objective of sectorial and geographical diversification of the EFSI referred to in Section 8 of Annex II by supporting the EIB and national promotional banks or institutions to originate and develop operations, in particular in less developed regions and transition regions, and, where necessary, by helping to structure demand for EFSI support;]

(d) providing a platform for peer-to-peer exchange and sharing of know-how regarding project development;

[F1 (e) providing proactive, advisory support, where necessary by means of local presence, on the establishment of investment platforms, in particular cross-border and macroregional investment platforms involving several Member States and/or regions;]

[F2 (f) using the potential of attracting and financing small-scale projects, including through investment platforms;

(g) providing advice on the combination of other sources of Union funding, such as the European Structural and Investment Funds, Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility established by Regulation (EU) No 1316/2013, with the EFSI with a view to resolving practical problems linked to the use of such combined sources of funding;

(h) providing proactive support to promote and encourage the operations referred to in point (b) of the first paragraph of Article 8.]

3. EIAH services shall be available for public and private project promoters, including national promotional banks or institutions and investment platforms or funds and regional and local public entities.

4. Fees charged by the EIB for EIAH services under paragraph 2 shall be used for covering costs of the EIAH operations and for providing those services. Fees charged to SMEs shall be capped at one third of the cost of the technical assistance provided to them. EIAH services provided to public project promoters in addition to those already available under Union programmes shall be free of charge.

[F1 5. In order to achieve the objective referred to in paragraph 1 and to facilitate the provision of advisory support at local level, the EIAH shall seek to use the expertise of the EIB, the Commission, national promotional banks or institutions, and the managing authorities of the European Structural and Investment Funds.]

[F2 5a. The EIB shall propose to project promoters applying for EIB financing, including in particular small-scale projects, to refer their projects to the EIAH in order to enhance, where appropriate, the preparation of their projects and/or to allow for the assessment of the possibility of bundling projects through investment platforms. It shall also inform promoters of projects for which EIB financing has been denied, or which are experiencing a financing gap in spite of possible EIB financing, of the possibility of listing their projects on the European Investment Project Portal.]

6. In order to ensure broad coverage of services provided by the EIAH across the whole Union, the EIAH shall cooperate where possible with providers of similar services at Union, regional, national or sub-national level. [F1 Cooperation between, on the one hand, the EIAH and, on the other hand, a national promotional bank or institution, an international financial institution or an institution or a managing authority, including those acting as a national advisor, having expertise relevant for the purposes of the EIAH, may take the form of a contractual partnership. The EIAH shall endeavour to conclude at least one cooperation agreement with a national promotional bank or institution per Member State. In Member States where national promotional banks or institutions do not exist, the EIAH shall provide, where appropriate, and at the request of the Member State concerned, proactive advisory support on the establishment of such bank or institution.]

[F2 6a. In order to develop a wide geographic outreach of the advisory services across the Union and to successfully leverage local knowledge about the EFSI, a local presence of the EIAH shall be ensured where necessary, taking into account existing support schemes, with a view to providing tangible, proactive, tailor-made assistance on the ground. It shall be established in particular in Member States or regions that face difficulties in developing projects under the EFSI. The EIAH shall assist in the transfer of knowledge to the regional and local level with a view to building up regional and local capacity and expertise.]

[F1 7. An annual reference amount of EUR 20 000 000 shall be made available from the general budget of the Union to contribute towards covering the costs of EIAH operations until 31 December 2020 for the services referred to in paragraph 2, insofar as those costs are not covered by the remaining amount from fees referred to in paragraph 4.]

8. The Commission shall conclude an agreement with the EIB for the implementation of the EIAH within the EIB (EIAH Agreement).

The EIAH Agreement shall contain in particular provisions on the necessary financing of the EIAH in accordance with paragraph 7.

9. By 1 September 2016, and annually thereafter, the EIB shall submit a report to the European Parliament, to the Council and to the Commission with regard to the services provided by the EIAH under paragraph 2 and the execution of its budget. That report shall include information on the fees received and the use thereof.

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Regulation (EU) 2017/2396 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2017 amending Regulations (EU) No 1316/2013 and (EU) 2015/1017 as regards the extension of the duration of the European Fund for Strategic Investments as well as the introduction of technical enhancements for that Fund and the European Investment Advisory Hub.

F2 Inserted by Regulation (EU) 2017/2396 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2017 amending Regulations (EU) No 1316/2013 and (EU) 2015/1017 as regards the extension of the duration of the European Fund for Strategic Investments as well as the introduction of technical enhancements for that Fund and the European Investment Advisory Hub.