e-Cohesion — electronic and paperless administration

SUMMARY OF:

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 on the models for submission of certain information to the Commission and the detailed rules for exchanges of information between beneficiaries and managing authorities, certifying authorities, audit authorities and intermediate bodies

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 on common provisions on the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds and laying down general provisions on the ESI Funds, the terms and conditions for the electronic data exchange system between the Member States and the Commission and adopting specific provisions for, and the nomenclature of the categories of intervention for, the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATIONS?

Both regulations lay down the detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (see summary).

• Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 sets out models and format to be used by EU countries for the submission of certain information to the European Commission in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013. It also lays down the detailed rules concerning the exchanges of information between beneficiaries and managing authorities, certifying authorities, audit authorities and intermediate bodies (e-Cohesion).
• Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 sets up an electronic data exchange system for all official exchanges of information between the EU countries and the Commission (SFC2014). It provides the list of categories of intervention of the European Regional Development Fund and codes related to the operations.

KEY POINTS

Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 sets out:

• a standard format for the notification of a selected major project by the managing authority to the Commission in accordance with the first subparapgraph of Article 102(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (in Annex I);
• a model for transmission of financial data in accordance with Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (in Annex II);
• a model for the description of the functions and procedures in place for the managing authority and the certifying authority (in Annex III);
• models for the audit report and the opinion of the independent audit body referred to in Article 124(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (in Annexes IV and V);
• a model for the payment application including additional information concerning financial instruments referred to in Articles 41,131 and 135 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (in Annex VI);
• a model for the accounts referred to in Article 137 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 (in Annex VII).

Electronic data exchange systems* between beneficiaries and managing managing authorities, certifying authorities, audit authorities and intermediate bodies (e-Cohesion) must allow administrative checking of each application for reimbursement by beneficiaries. Paper documents may only be requested in exceptional cases, following a risk analysis, and only if paper documents are the true source of the scanned documents uploaded in the electronic data exchange systems. Document and data exchange includes reporting on progress, payment claims and exchange of information related to management verifications and audits.

Electronic data exchange systems must:

• ensure data security, data integrity, data confidentiality, and sender authentication;
• be operational at all times, except during maintenance;
• have at least the following functionalities:
  • forms prefilled with data stored at consecutive steps of the procedures;
  • automatic calculations where applicable;
  • automatic embedded controls which reduce repeated information exchange, as far as possible;
  • system-generated alerts to inform the beneficiary that certain actions can be carried out;
  • online status tracking allowing project status monitoring;
  • availability of all previous data and documents processed by the electronic data exchange system.

Regulation (EU) No 184/2014

In accordance with Article 74(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, all official exchanges of information between EU countries and the Commission must be carried out using an electronic data exchange system. Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 establishes the terms and conditions for that electronic data exchange system (SFC2014).

SFC2014 will be accessible to EU countries and the Commission either directly through an interactive user interface (a web application) or through a technical interface using pre-defined protocols (web services) that allows for automatic synchronisation and transmission of data between EU countries’ information systems and SFC2014. The regulation also sets out the operational and data security requirements when using SFC2014.

The Regulation also sets out the nomenclature for categories of intervention referred to in Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 in an Annex, as well as the other codes to be attributed to the operations.

FROM WHEN DO THE REGULATIONS APPLY?

• Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 has applied since 20 October 2014.
• Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 has applied since 28 February 2014.

BACKGROUND

See also:

• Questions & Answers on e-Cohesion (European Commission)
• SFC Support Portal (European Commission)
• About SFC2014 (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1011/2014 of 22 September 2014 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the models for submission of certain information to the Commission and the detailed rules concerning the exchanges of information between beneficiaries and managing authorities, certifying authorities, audit authorities and intermediate bodies (OJ L 286, 30.9.2014, pp. 1-74)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1101/2014 have been incorporated into the original document. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 184/2014 of 25 February 2014 laying down pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, the terms and conditions applicable to the electronic data exchange system between the Member States and the Commission and adopting pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal, the nomenclature of the categories of intervention for support from the European Regional Development Fund under the European territorial cooperation goal (OJ L 57, 27.2.2014, pp. 7-20)

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, pp. 320-469)

See consolidated version.

Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, pp. 259-280)

last update 10.01.2020