Commission Decision
of 3 March 2011
amending Decision 2008/457/EC laying down rules for the implementation of Council Decision 2007/435/EC establishing the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals for the period 2007 to 2013 as part of the General programme ‘Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows’ as regards Member States’ management and control systems, the rules for administrative and financial management and the eligibility of expenditure on projects co-financed by the Fund
(notified under document C(2011) 1289)
(Only the Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)
(2011/151/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Whereas:
Member States are required to report on the implementation of the annual programmes. It is therefore appropriate to clarify which information Member States have to provide.
In order to reduce the administrative burden on the Member States and to provide greater legal certainty the rules on the eligibility of expenditure of actions co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals should be simplified and clarified.
Most of the changes introduced by this Decision should apply immediately. However, since the 2009 and 2010 annual programmes are ongoing, the revised rules on the eligibility of expenditure of actions co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals should apply from the 2011 annual programme. Member States should nonetheless be given the possibility to apply those rules earlier under certain conditions.
In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the United Kingdom is bound by the basic act and, as a consequence, by this Decision.
In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Ireland is bound by the basic act and, as a consequence, by this Decision.
In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Denmark is not bound by this Decision or subject to the application thereof.
Decision 2008/457/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: