1.Thematic priorities for each cross-border cooperation programme shall be agreed between the participating countries for each border or group of borders based on the thematic priorities as defined in Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 231/2014.
2.The Commission shall assess the consistency of cross-border cooperation programmes with this Regulation, their effective contribution to the selected thematic priorities in Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 231/2014, and also, as far as participating Member States are concerned, the relevant Partnership Agreement.
3.The Commission shall make observations within three months of the date of submission of the cross-border cooperation programme. The participating countries shall provide to the Commission all necessary additional information and, where appropriate, revise the proposed cross-border cooperation programme.
4.When approving each cross-border cooperation programme following its formal submission, the Commission has to ensure that any of its observations have been adequately taken into account.
5.Requests for amendment of cross-border cooperation programmes submitted by the participating countries shall be duly substantiated and shall in particular set out the expected impact of the changes to the cross-border cooperation programme on achieving its objectives. These requests shall be accompanied by the revised programme. Paragraphs 2 and 3 shall apply to amendments of cross-border cooperation programmes.
[F15A. By way of derogation to paragraph 5, for cross-border cooperation programmes under point (a) of Article 27, the managing authority may transfer during the programming period an amount of up to 8% of the allocation as of 1 February 2020 of a priority and no more than 4% of the programme budget to another priority of the same programme. Such transfers shall not affect previous years.
They shall be considered to be not substantial and shall not require a decision of the Commission amending the programme. They shall however comply with all regulatory requirements and shall be approved by the Joint monitoring committee in advance. The Member State shall notify the revised financing plan to the Commission.
Paragraphs 2 and 3 shall not apply to programme amendments under this paragraph.]
Textual Amendments
F1 Inserted by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/891 of 26 June 2020 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 447/2014 as regards specific provisions to align the provisions for the implementation of cross-border cooperation programmes financed under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) with specific measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.