Regulation (EU) 2017/1601 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CHAPTER IV U.K. REPORTING, ACCOUNTING AND EVALUATION

Article 16 U.K. Reporting and accounting

1. The Commission shall submit an annual report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the financing and investment operations covered by the EFSD Guarantee. That report shall be made public. It shall include the following elements:

(a) an assessment of the results contributing to the purpose and objectives of the EFSD as set out in Article 3 and Article 9(1) and (2), respectively;

(b) an assessment of the financing and investment operations in operation and covered by the EFSD Guarantee at sector, country and regional levels and their compliance with this Regulation, including the risk measures and their impact on the financial and economic stability of the partners;

(c) an assessment, on the basis of indicators in line with Article 9(5), of the additionality and added value, the mobilisation of private sector resources, the estimated and actual outputs and the outcomes and impact of the financing and investment operations covered by the EFSD Guarantee on an aggregated basis, including the impact on decent job creation, the eradication of poverty and on the way in which the root causes of migration, including irregular migration, are addressed; that assessment shall include a gender analysis of the operations covered based on evidence and data broken down by gender, where possible;

(d) an assessment of the compliance with the requirements concerning the use of the EFSD Guarantee and of the achievement of key performance indicators established for each proposal submitted;

(e) an assessment of the leverage effect achieved by the operations covered by the EFSD Guarantee;

(f) the financial amount transferred to beneficiaries and an assessment of financing and investment operations by each eligible counterpart on an aggregated basis;

(g) an assessment of the additionality and added value of financing and investment operations of the eligible counterparts, and of the aggregate risk associated with those operations;

(h) detailed information on calls on the EFSD Guarantee, losses, returns, amounts recovered and any other payments received, as well as overall risk exposure;

(i) the financial reports on financing and investment operations of the eligible counterparts covered by this Regulation, audited by an independent external auditor;

(j) an assessment of the synergies and complementarity between operations covered by the EFSD Guarantee and the second and third pillars of the EIP based on relevant existing reports, with particular regard to progress made on good governance, including in the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows, respect for human rights, the rule of law and gender-responsive policies, as well as the boosting of entrepreneurship, the local business environment and local financial markets;

(k) an assessment of the compliance of EFSD Guarantee operations with the internationally agreed development effectiveness principles;

(l) an assessment of the remuneration of the guarantees and of the implementation of Article 22.

2. For the purposes of the Commission’s accounting, its reporting of the risks covered by the EFSD Guarantee and its management of the EFSD Guarantee Fund, the eligible counterparts with which an EFSD guarantee agreement has been concluded shall provide the Commission and the Court of Auditors annually with the financial reports on financing and investment operations covered by this Regulation, audited by an independent external auditor, containing, inter alia, information on:

(a) the risk assessment of financing and investment operations of the eligible counterparts, including information on Union liabilities measured in compliance with the accounting rules of the Union set by the accounting officer of the Commission based on the internationally accepted accounting standards for the public sector;

(b) the outstanding financial obligation for the Union arising from the EFSD Guarantee provided to the eligible counterparts and their financing and investment operations, broken down by individual operations.

The eligible counterparts shall, upon request, provide the Commission with any additional information necessary to fulfil the Commission’s obligations in relation to this Regulation.

3. By 31 March of each year, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, to the Council and to the Court of Auditors, in the context of the financial statements of the Commission, the required information on the situation of the EFSD Guarantee Fund. In addition, it shall, by 31 May of each year, submit to the European Parliament, to the Council and to the Court of Auditors a report on the management of the EFSD Guarantee Fund in the previous calendar year, including an assessment of the adequacy of the provisioning and the level of the EFSD Guarantee Fund and of the need for its replenishment.

The report referred to in the first subparagraph shall contain the presentation of the financial position of the EFSD Guarantee Fund at the end of the previous calendar year, the financial flows during the previous calendar year as well as the significant transactions and any relevant information on the financial accounts. The report shall also include information about the financial management, the performance, and the risk of the EFSD Guarantee Fund at the end of the previous calendar year.

Article 17 U.K. Evaluation and review

1. By 31 December 2019, the Commission shall evaluate the initial functioning of the EFSD, its management and its effective contribution to the purpose and objectives of this Regulation. The Commission shall submit its evaluation report to the European Parliament and to the Council, containing an independent external evaluation of the application of this Regulation, and accompanied by a reasoned proposal to amend this Regulation, as appropriate, in particular with a view to extending the initial investment period referred to in Article 8(2). That evaluation report shall be accompanied by an opinion of the Court of Auditors.

2. By 31 December 2019 and every three years thereafter, the Commission shall evaluate the use and the functioning of the EFSD Guarantee Fund. The Commission shall submit its evaluation report to the European Parliament and to the Council. That evaluation report shall be accompanied by an opinion of the Court of Auditors.