Article 16U.K.Withdrawal or renunciation of the label

1.If the European panel establishes that a site no longer meets the criteria or that it no longer respects the project and work plan submitted in its application, it shall initiate a dialogue with the Member State concerned via the Commission, with a view to facilitating the necessary adjustments to the site.

2.If, 18 months after the beginning of the dialogue, the necessary adjustments have not been made to the site, the European panel shall notify the Commission of that fact. The notification shall be accompanied by a statement of reasons and shall include practical recommendations on how to improve the situation.

3.If, 18 months after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, the practical recommendations have not been implemented, the European panel shall issue a recommendation to the Commission for the withdrawal of the label from the relevant site.

4.If the European panel establishes that a site participating in a transnational site or a national thematic site no longer meets the criteria or that it no longer respects the project and work plan submitted in its application, the procedure set out in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall apply. Withdrawal pursuant to this paragraph shall apply to the transnational site or national thematic site in its entirety. However, in cases where the coherence of the transnational site or national thematic site will not be undermined, the European panel may recommend limiting the withdrawal to the participating site concerned.

5.The Commission shall take the decision to withdraw the label having due regard to the recommendation referred to in paragraph 3. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions of the withdrawal.

6.Sites may at any time renounce the label and, in such cases, they shall notify the Member States concerned which shall in turn inform the Commission of the renunciation. The Commission shall formalise the renunciation and inform the European Parliament, the Council and the Committee of the Regions to that effect.