CHAPTER VFINANCING OF EUROPEAN STANDARDISATION
Article 17Financing arrangements
1.
Financing by the Union shall be provided in the form of:
(a)
grants without a call for proposals, or contracts after public procurement procedures, to:
- (i)
European standardisation organisations and national standardisation bodies to carry out the activities referred to in Article 15(1);
- (ii)
bodies identified by a basic act, within the meaning of Article 49 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, to carry out, in collaboration with the European standardisation organisations the activities referred to in point (c) of Article 15(1) of this Regulation;
(b)
grants after a call for proposals, or contracts after public procurement procedures, to other bodies referred to in point (b) of Article 15(2):
- (i)
for contributing to the development and revision of European standards or European standardisation deliverables referred to in point (a) of Article 15(1);
- (ii)
for carrying out the preliminary or ancillary work referred to in point (c) of Article 15(1);
- (iii)
for carrying out the activities referred to in point (g) of Article 15(1);
(c)
grants after a call for proposals to the European stakeholder organisations meeting the criteria set out in Annex III to this Regulation to carry out the activities referred to in Article 16.
2.
The activities of the bodies referred to in paragraph 1 may be financed by:
(a)
grants for actions;
(b)
operating grants for the European standardisation organisations and the European stakeholder organisations meeting the criteria set out in Annex III to this Regulation in accordance with the rules set out in Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002. In the event of renewal, operating grants shall not be automatically decreased.
3.
The Commission shall decide on the financing arrangements referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, on the amounts of the grants and, where necessary, on the maximum percentage of financing by type of activity.
4.
Except in duly justified cases, grants awarded for the standardisation activities referred to in points (a) and (b) of Article 15(1) shall take the form of lump sums and for the standardisation activities referred to in point (a) of Article 15(1) shall be paid upon fulfilment of the following conditions:
(a)
European standards or European standardisation deliverables requested by the Commission in accordance with Article 10 are adopted or revised within a period not exceeding the period specified in the request referred to in that Article;
(b)
SMEs, consumer organisations and environmental and social stakeholders are appropriately represented and can participate in European standardisation activities, as referred to in Article 5(1).
5.
The common cooperation objectives and the administrative and financial conditions relating to the grants awarded to European standardisation organisations and the European stakeholder organisations meeting the criteria set out in Annex III to this Regulation shall be defined in the framework partnership agreements between the Commission and those standardisation and stakeholder organisations, in accordance with Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 and (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002. The Commission shall inform the European Parliament and the Council of the conclusion of those agreements.