(1)

The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides for the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice, in which persons are free to move. To that end, the Union may adopt measures to develop judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters and to promote and support the action of Member States in the field of crime prevention. Respect for fundamental rights as well as for common principles, such as non-discrimination, gender equality, effective access to justice for all, the rule of law and a well-functioning independent judicial system should be ensured in the further development of a European area of justice.

(2)

In the Stockholm Programme (4) the European Council reaffirmed the priority of developing an area of freedom, security and justice and specified as a political priority the achievement of a Europe of law and justice. Financing was identified as one of the important tools for the successful implementation of the Stockholm Programme's political priorities. The ambitious goals set by the Treaties and by the Stockholm Programme should be attained inter alia by establishing, for the period 2014 to 2020, a flexible and effective Justice Programme (the "Programme") which should facilitate planning and implementation. The general and specific objectives of the Programme should be interpreted in line with the relevant strategic guidelines defined by the European Council.

(3)

The Commission Communication of 3 March 2010 on the Europe 2020 Strategy sets out a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. A well-functioning area of justice, where obstacles in cross-border judicial proceedings and access to justice in cross-border situations are eliminated, should be developed as a key element to support the specific objectives and flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and to facilitate mechanisms designed to promote growth.

(4)

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term "judiciary and judicial staff" should be interpreted so as to include judges, prosecutors and court officers, as well as other legal practitioners associated with the judiciary, such as lawyers, notaries, bailiffs, probation officers, mediators and court interpreters.

(5)

Judicial training is central to building mutual trust and improves cooperation between judicial authorities and practitioners in the various Member States. Judicial training should be seen as an essential element in promoting a genuine European judicial culture in the context of the Commission Communication of 13 September 2011 entitled "Building trust in EU-wide justice. A new dimension to European judicial training", the Council Resolution on the training of judges, prosecutors and judicial staff in the European Union (5), the Council conclusions of 27 and 28 October 2011 on European judicial training and the European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2012 on judicial training.

(6)

Judicial training can involve different actors, such as Member States' legal, judicial and administrative authorities, academic institutions, national bodies responsible for judicial training, European-level training organisations or networks, or networks of court coordinators of Union law. Bodies and entities pursuing a general European interest in the field of training of the judiciary, such as the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), the Academy of European Law (ERA), the European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (ENCJ), the Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union (ACA-Europe), the Network of the Presidents of Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union (RPCSJUE) and the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), should continue to play their role in promoting training programmes with a genuine European dimension for the judiciary and judicial staff, and could therefore be granted adequate financial support in accordance with the procedures and the criteria set out in the annual work programmes adopted by the Commission pursuant to this Regulation.

(7)

The Union should facilitate training activities on the implementation of Union law by considering the salaries of participating judiciary and judicial staff incurred by the Member States' authorities as eligible costs or co-financing in kind, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) (the "Financial Regulation").

(8)

Access to justice should include, in particular, access to courts, to alternative methods of dispute settlement and to public office-holders obliged by the law to provide parties with independent and impartial legal advice.

(9)

In December 2012 the Council endorsed the EU Drugs Strategy (2013-20) (7), which aims to take a balanced approach based on simultaneous reduction of drug demand and drug supply, acknowledging that drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction are mutually reinforcing elements in illicit drugs policy. That Strategy maintains as one of its main objectives the aim of contributing to a measurable reduction of drug demand, of drug dependence and of drug-related health and social risks and harms. Whereas the Drug prevention and information programme established by Decision No 1150/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (8) was based on a public health legal basis and covered those aspects, the Programme is founded on a different legal basis and should aim at the further development of a European area of justice based on mutual recognition and mutual trust, in particular by promoting judicial cooperation. Thus, in responding to the need for simplification and in line with the legal basis of each programme, the Health for Growth Programme can support measures to complement the Member's States action in attaining the objective of reducing drug-related health damage, including information and prevention.

(10)

Another important element of the EU Drugs Strategy (2013-20) is drug supply reduction. Whereas the Instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management, as part of the Internal Security Fund, should support actions aimed at preventing and combating the trafficking of drugs and other types of crime, and in particular measures targeting the production, manufacture, extraction, sale, transport, importation and exportation of illegal drugs, including possession and purchase with a view to engaging in drug trafficking activities, the Programme should cover those aspects of drugs policy that are not covered by the Instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management, as part of the Internal Security Fund, or by the Health for Growth Programme and are closely linked to its general objective.

(11)

In any case, the continued financing of the priorities under the 2007-2013 programming period that have been maintained as objectives under the new EU Drugs Strategy (2013-20) should be ensured, and funds should therefore be available from the Health for Growth Programme, the Instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management, as part of the Internal Security Fund, and the Programme in accordance with their respective priorities and legal bases while avoiding any duplicate financing.

(12)

Pursuant to Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), Article 24 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the "Charter") and the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Programme should support the protection of the rights of the child, including the right to due process, the right to understand the proceedings, the right to respect for private and family life and the right to integrity and dignity. The Programme should aim, in particular, to increase child protection within justice systems and access to justice for children, and should mainstream the promotion of the rights of the child in the implementation of all of its actions.

(13)

Pursuant to Articles 8 and 10 TFEU, the Programme should support the mainstreaming of equality between women and men and non-discrimination objectives in all its activities. Regular monitoring and evaluation should be carried out to assess the way in which gender equality and non-discrimination issues are addressed in the Programme's activities.

(14)

Experience of action at Union level has shown that achieving the objectives of the Programme in practice calls for a combination of instruments, including legal acts, policy initiatives and funding. Funding is an important tool complementing legislative measures.

(15)

In its conclusions of 22 and 23 September 2011 on improving the efficiency of future Union financial programmes supporting judicial cooperation, the Council stressed the important role played by Union financing programmes in the efficient implementation of the Union acquis and reiterated the need for more transparent, flexible, coherent and streamlined access to those programmes.

(16)

The Commission Communication of 29 June 2011 entitled 'A budget for Europe 2020' stresses the need for the rationalisation and simplification of Union funding. Especially in view of the current economic crisis, it is of the utmost importance that Union funds be structured and managed in the most diligent manner. Meaningful simplification and efficient management of funding can be achieved through a reduction in the number of programmes and through the rationalisation, simplification and harmonisation of funding rules and procedures.

(17)

In responding to the need for simplification, efficient management and easier access to funding, the Programme should continue and develop activities previously carried out on the basis of three programmes established by Council Decision 2007/126/JHA (9), Decision No 1149/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (10), and Decision No 1150/2007/EC. The mid-term evaluations of those programmes include recommendations aimed at improving the implementation of those programmes. The findings of those mid-term evaluations, as well as the findings of the respective ex-post evaluations, need to be taken into account in the implementation of the Programme.

(18)

The Commission Communication of 19 October 2010 entitled 'The EU Budget Review' and the Commission Communication of 29 June 2011 entitled 'A budget for Europe 2020' underline the importance of focusing funding on activities with clear European added value, i.e. where Union intervention can bring additional value compared to the action of Member States alone. Actions covered by this Regulation should contribute to the creation of a European area of justice by promoting the principle of mutual recognition, developing mutual trust between the Member States, increasing cross-border cooperation and networking and achieving the correct, coherent and consistent application of Union law. Funding activities should also contribute to achieving effective and better knowledge of Union law and policies by all concerned, and should provide a sound analytical basis for the support and the development of Union law and policies, in so doing contributing to their enforcement and proper implementation. Union intervention allows for those actions to be pursued consistently across the Union and brings economies of scale. Moreover, the Union is in a better position than Member States to address cross-border situations and to provide a European platform for mutual learning.

(19)

In selecting actions for funding under the Programme, the Commission should assess the proposals against pre-identified criteria. Those criteria should include an assessment of the European added value of the proposed actions. National projects and small-scale projects can also have European added value.

(20)

Bodies and entities that have access to the Programme should include national, regional and local authorities.

(21)

This Regulation lays down a financial envelope for the entire duration of the Programme which is to constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of point 17 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (11), for the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budgetary procedure.

(22)

In order to ensure that the Programme is sufficiently flexible to respond to changing needs and corresponding policy priorities throughout its duration, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission concerning modification of the percentages set out in the Annex to this Regulation for each specific objective that would exceed those percentages by more than 5 percentage points. To assess the need for such a delegated act, those percentages should be calculated on the basis of the financial envelope of the Programme for its entire duration, and not on the basis of annual appropriations. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.

(23)

This Regulation should be implemented in full compliance with the Financial Regulation. In particular with regard to the eligibility conditions of value added tax (VAT) paid by grant beneficiaries, the eligibility of VAT should not depend on the legal status of the beneficiaries for activities which can be carried out by private and public bodies and entities under the same legal conditions. Taking into account the specific nature of the objectives and activities covered by this Regulation, it should be made clear, in calls for proposals, that, for activities which can be carried out by both public and private bodies and entities, the non-deductible VAT incurred by public bodies and entities is to be eligible, in so far as it is paid in respect of the implementation of activities, such as training or awareness-raising, which cannot be considered as the exercise of public authority. This Regulation should also make use of the simplification tools introduced by the Financial Regulation. Moreover, the criteria for identifying actions to be supported should aim at allocating the available financial resources to actions generating the highest impact in relation to the policy objective pursued.

(24)

In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission in respect of the adoption of annual work programmes. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (12).

(25)

The annual work programmes adopted by the Commission pursuant to this Regulation should ensure appropriate distribution of funds between grants and public procurement contracts. The Programme should primarily allocate funds to grants, while maintaining sufficient funding levels for procurement. The minimum percentage of annual expenditure to be allocated to grants should be established in the annual work programmes and should be not less than 65 %. To facilitate project planning and co-financing by stakeholders, the Commission should establish a clear timetable for the calls for proposals, selection of projects and award decisions.

(26)

In order to ensure efficient allocation of funds from the general budget of the Union, consistency, complementarity and synergies should be sought between funding programmes supporting policy areas with close links to each other, in particular between the Programme and the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme established by Regulation (EU) No 1381/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (13), the Instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management, as part of the Internal Security Fund, the Health for Growth Programme, the Erasmus+ Programme established by Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (14), the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme established by Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (15) and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II).

(27)

The financial interests of the Union should be protected through proportionate measures throughout the expenditure cycle, including the prevention, detection and investigation of irregularities, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where appropriate, the imposition of administrative and financial penalties in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

(28)

In order to implement the principle of sound financial management, this Regulation should provide for appropriate tools to assess its performance. To that end, it should define general and specific objectives. To measure the achievement of those specific objectives, a set of concrete and quantifiable indicators should be established which should remain valid for the whole duration of the Programme. The Commission should submit annually to the European Parliament and to the Council a monitoring report which should be based inter alia on the indicators set out in this Regulation and which should give information on the use of available funds.

(29)

The Programme should be implemented in an effective manner, respecting sound financial management, while also allowing potential applicants to have effective access to the Programme. In order to support effective access to the Programme, the Commission should use its best endeavours to simplify and harmonise the application procedures and documents, the administrative formalities and the financial management requirements, to remove administrative burdens and to encourage grant applications from entities located in Member States which are under-represented in the Programme. The Commission should publish on a dedicated webpage information about the Programme, its objectives, the various calls for proposals and their time schedules. Basic documents and guidelines relating to the calls for proposals should be available in all the official languages of the institutions of the Union.

(30)

In accordance with point (l) of Article 180(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 (16) ('the Rules of Application'), the grant agreements should lay down provisions governing the visibility of the Union financial support, except in duly justified cases where public display is not possible or appropriate.

(31)

In accordance with Article 35(2) and (3) of the Financial Regulation and Article 21 of the Rules of Application, the Commission should make available, in an appropriate and timely manner, information concerning recipients and concerning the nature and purpose of the measures financed from the general budget of the Union. That information should be made available with due observance of the requirements of confidentiality and security, in particular the protection of personal data.

(32)

Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to contribute to the further development of a European area of justice based on mutual recognition and mutual trust, in particular by promoting judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of its scale and effects, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 TEU. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.

(33)

In accordance with Article 3 of Protocol No 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU, Ireland has notified its wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Regulation.

(34)

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of Protocol No 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU, and without prejudice to Article 4 of that Protocol, the United Kingdom is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(35)

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of Protocol No 22 on the position of Denmark, annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(36)

In order to ensure the continuity of funding of activities previously carried out on the basis of Decision 2007/126/JHA, Decision No 1149/2007/EC and Decision No 1150/2007/EC, this Regulation should enter into force on the day following that of its publication,