CHAPTER IIIFINANCIAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNION ACTIONS, EMERGENCY AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Article 6Implementation framework
1.
The Commission shall establish the overall amount made available for Union actions, emergency assistance and technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission under the annual appropriations of the Union budget.
2.
The Commission shall adopt, by way of implementing acts, the work programme for Union actions and emergency assistance. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 59(3).
3.
To ensure a timely availability of resources, the Commission may separately adopt a work programme for emergency assistance.
4.
Union actions, emergency assistance and technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission may be implemented either directly, by the Commission or through executive agencies, or indirectly, by entities and persons other than Member States in accordance with Article 60 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.
Article 7Emergency assistance
1.
In response to an emergency situation as defined in the Specific Regulations, the Commission may decide to provide emergency assistance. In such cases, it shall inform the European Parliament and the Council in a timely manner.
2.
Within the limits of the available resources, the emergency assistance may amount to 100 % of the eligible expenditure.
3.
Emergency assistance may consist of assistance in Member States and in third countries in accordance with the objectives and actions defined in the Specific Regulations.
4.
Emergency assistance may support expenditure which was incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application or the request for assistance, but not prior to 1 January 2014, when necessary for the implementation of the action.
5.
Emergency assistance may take the form of grants awarded directly to Union agencies.
Article 8Union actions and emergency assistance in or in relation to third countries
1.
The Commission may decide to finance Union actions and emergency assistance in or in relation to third countries in accordance with the objectives and actions defined in the Specific Regulations.
2.
Where such actions are implemented directly, the following entities shall be allowed to submit grant applications:
(a)
Member States;
(b)
third countries, in duly justified cases where a grant is necessary to achieve the objectives of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations;
(c)
joint bodies set up by third countries and the Union or by Member States;
(d)
international organisations, including regional organisations, UN bodies, departments and missions, international financial institutions and development banks and institutions of international jurisdiction in so far as they contribute to the objectives of the Specific Regulation(s) concerned;
(e)
the ICRC and International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies;
(f)
non-governmental organisations established and registered in the Union and in the countries associated with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis;
(g)
Union agencies for emergency assistance.
Article 9Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission
1.
At the initiative of or on behalf of the Commission, the Specific Regulations may support the preparatory, monitoring, administrative and technical assistance, evaluation, audit and control measures and activities necessary for the implementation of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations.
2.
The measures and activities referred to in paragraph 1 may include:
(a)
assistance for project preparation and appraisal;
(b)
support for institutional strengthening and administrative capacity building for the effective management of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations;
(c)
measures related to the analysis, management, monitoring, information exchange and implementation of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations, as well as measures relating to the implementation of control systems and technical and administrative assistance;
(d)
evaluations, expert reports, statistics and studies, including those of a general nature concerning the operation of the Specific Regulations;
(e)
actions to disseminate information, support networking, carry out communication activities, raise awareness and promote cooperation and exchanges of experience, including with third countries. To bring about greater efficiency in communication to the public at large and stronger synergies between the communication activities undertaken at the initiative of the Commission, the resources allocated to communication actions under this Regulation shall also contribute to covering the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, provided that those are related to the general objectives of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations;
(f)
the installation, updating, operation and interconnection of computerised systems for management, monitoring, audit, control and evaluation;
(g)
the design of a common framework for evaluation and monitoring, as well as a system of indicators, taking into account, where appropriate, national indicators;
(h)
actions to improve evaluation methods and the exchange of information on evaluation practices;
(i)
conferences, seminars, workshops and other common information and training measures on the implementation of this Regulation and the Specific Regulations for competent authorities and beneficiaries;
(j)
actions related to fraud detection and prevention;
(k)
actions related to audit.
3.
The measures and activities referred to in paragraph 1 may also concern the preceding and subsequent financial frameworks.