PURPOSE: to reduce the time required for awarding grants covered by the “Youth in Action” programme, 2007-2013.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision No 1349/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision No 1719/2006/EC establishing the 'Youth in Action' programme for the period 2007 to 2013.
CONTENT: until now, the measures necessary for the implementation of Decision 1719/2006/EC establishing the ‘Youth in Action’ programme were to be adopted in accordance with Article 9(3) of that Decision, namely in accordance with the advisory procedure established by Council Decision 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission. However, the wording of this paragraph of the Decision results in particular selection decisions being subject to the advisory procedure and to the European Parliament's right of scrutiny. Yet these selection decisions mainly concern projects of limited duration whose life cycle is incompatible with lengthy decision-making procedures and do not involve politically sensitive decision making.
However, these procedural requirements add two to three months to the process of awarding grants to applicants, causing many delays for recipients and providing no added value given the nature of the grants awarded.
In order to allow selection decisions to be implemented more quickly and efficiently, it is necessary to replace the advisory procedure with an obligation on the Commission to inform the European Parliament and the Member States without delay about any measures taken for the implementation of Decision No 1719/2006/EC without the assistance of a committee.
In accordance with the compromise reached at first reading between the Parliament and the Council, it is provided that the Commission shall inform the Committee (referred to in the Decision) and the European Parliament of all other selection decisions it has taken for the implementation of this Decision within two working days of the adoption of the decisions in question (for example, descriptions and an analysis of the applications received, a description of the assessment and selection procedure, and lists of both the projects proposed for funding and those rejected).
It is also provided that the Commission shall report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the impact of this Decision by 25 June 2010.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 25/12/2008.