DP 11 Underlag PROGRESS 9494 06 (Bilaga till dokument från EU-nämnden 2005/06:1310 Till p. 1-4)


COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION		Brussels, 19 May 2006
Interinstitutional File: 2004/0158 (COD)	9494/06 LIMITE
	SOC 244 ECOFIN 172 CADREFIN 150 CODEC 498 OC 375

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

from :	Permanent Representatives Committee (Part I)
to :	Council (EPSCO)
No. prev. doc. :	8974/06 SOC 211 ECOFIN 152 CADREFIN 126 CODEC 423 OC 338 + COR 1
No. Cion prop. :	13691/05 SOC 413 ECOFIN 326 CADREFIN 214 CODEC 936 - COM(2005) 536 final
Subject :	Amended proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS - Political agreement (Public deliberation) COMMON GUIDELINES Consultation deadline for Bulgaria and Romania: 29.05.2006

I. INTRODUCTION

On 27 August 2004, the Commission submitted on the basis of Articles 13(2), 129 and 137(2)(a) of the Treaty a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007 - 2013). Essentially, the proposal combines in a single text a number of programmes which had previously been the subject of separate Decisions.

The Committee of the Regions gave its opinion on 23 February 2005 and the Economic and Social Committee submitted its opinion on 6 April 2005. During its plenary from 5 to 8 September 2005, the European Parliament gave its opinion in first reading and adopted 72 amendments to the proposal for a Decision (see doc. 11954/05). The Commission adopted its amended proposal on 21 October 2005 (doc. 13691/05).

On 8 December 2005, the Council (EPSCO) reached a partial political agreement on the proposal which excluded the budgetary issues. Following in most cases the Commission's amended proposal, a large majority of the EP amendments were incorporated into the text of the partial political agreement, either in full or using different words.

On that occasion, the Council stated that its agreement was partial and provisional insofar as it did not cover the provisions of the Commission proposal concerning the financial framework of the programme. The financial provisions in Article 17 would be decided on once the Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013 had been adopted and would be in conformity with them. If this required a modification of the provisions of the programme, the Council would review the relevant parts of the political agreement and adapt them as necessary.

An inter-institutional agreement on the Financial Perspectives has now been concluded and it includes a substantial increase in the budget of the programme. The Commission is expected to submit its amended proposal on the programme's overall budget figure on 24 May.

Section II below outlines the situation with regard to the budgetary issues in more detail.

On 17 May 2006, the Permanent Representatives Committee reached an agreement on the text of the Decision which is set out in Annex I.

A Commission minutes statement is to be found in Annex II.

At the present stage, the UK delegation has maintained a parliamentary scrutiny reservation on the text of Article 17 as well as on any other modifications to the text of the partial political agreement.

II. BUDGETARY ISSUES

The budgetary issues are mainly dealt with in Article 17. However, certain aspects are also dealt with in recital 11 (on the inter-institutional agreement) and to Article 12(1)(d) (on the budgetary procedure).

(a) Article 17 - Financing

All delegations had maintained scrutiny reservations on the budget of the programme pending finalisation of the inter-institutional agreement on the Financial Perspectives. Amendment 66 of the European Parliament (requesting a substantial increase in the budget) was considered in the context of that agreement. Pending the Commission's amended proposal on the budget, the overall budget figure is in brackets in the text of Article 17(1).

In Article 17(2), the overall budget is allocated fully to the different sections of the programme. In this allocation, the EP's amendment 67, stressing Sections 2 and 5, as well as the wishes of a number delegations to increase funding to Sections 1, 3 and/or 5 were taken into account.

Due to the changes to Article 17(2), Amendment 68 of the European Parliament on the annual budgetary procedure (Article 17(4)) became redundant.

(b) Modifications of the provisions of the programme following the decision on the Financial Perspectives and the amendments to Article 17

The exact references in recital 11 will be included during the legal and linguistic finalisation of the text.

The amendment to Article 12(1)(d) (on the financial breakdown in the context of comitology) follows from the fact that the overall budget is now fully allocated between the different sections of the programme. Amendment 58 of the European Parliament on this article therefore also became redundant as well as Amendment 68 to Article 17(4) (see above in point (a)).

III. CONCLUSION

The Council (EPSCO) is invited to approve the proposed Decision with a view to the adoption of a common position as an "A" item at a subsequent Council, after its legal and linguistic finalisation.

ANNEX I

Draft

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
establishing a Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity -
PROGRESS

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 13(2), 129, 137(2) a) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty,

Whereas:

(1) The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000 incorporated, as intrinsic to the overall strategy of the Union, the promotion of employment and social inclusion to achieve its strategic goal for the next decade of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth, with more

and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It set ambitious objectives and targets for the EU to regain the conditions for full employment, improve quality and productivity at work, promote social cohesion and an inclusive labour market. Furthermore, the strategy was refocused by the Brussels European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005.

(2) In line with the Commission's stated intention to consolidate and rationalise EU funding instruments, this Decision should establish a single and streamlined Programme providing for the continuation and development of the activities launched on the basis of Council Decision 2000/750/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a Community action programme to combat discrimination (2001 to 2006), Council Decision 2001/51/EC of 20 December 2000 establishing a Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality and European Parliament and Council Decisions 50/2002/EC of 7 December 2001 establishing a programme of Community action to encourage cooperation between Member States to combat social exclusion and 1145/2002/EC of 10 June 2002 on Community incentive measures in the field of employment, and Decision 848/2004/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 29 April 2004 establishing a Community action programme to promote organisations active at European level in the field of equality between men and women, as well as those activities undertaken at Community level in relation to working conditions.

(3) The Extraordinary European Council on Employment in Luxembourg in 1997 launched the European Employment Strategy, encompassing the coordination of Member States' employment policies on the basis of commonly-agreed employment guidelines and recommendations. The European Employment Strategy is now the most important instrument at the EU level for implementation of the employment and labour market objectives of the Lisbon Strategy.

(4) The Lisbon European Council concluded that the number of people living below the poverty line and in social exclusion in the Union was unacceptable and therefore deemed it necessary to take steps to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by setting adequate objectives. Such objectives were agreed by the Nice European Council of 7, 8 and 9 December 2000. It further agreed that policies for combating social exclusion should be based on an open method of coordination combining national action plans and a Commission initiative for cooperation.

(5) Demographic change represents a major long-term challenge to the ability of social protection systems to deliver adequate pensions and high quality health and long-term care which are accessible to all and can be funded in the long term. It is important to promote policies that can achieve both adequate social protection and sustainability of social protection systems. The Council has decided that cooperation in this area should be based on the open method of coordination.

(5a) Attention should be drawn to the specific situation of migrants in this context and also to the importance of taking action to transform undeclared work into regular employment.

(6) Ensuring minimum standards and the constant improvement of working conditions in the EU constitutes a central feature of the European social policy and corresponds to an important overall objective of the European Union. The Community has an important role to play to support and complement the activities of the Member States in the fields of workers' health and safety, working conditions, including the need to reconcile family and professional life, protection of workers where their employment contract is terminated, information, consultation and participation of workers, representation and collective defence of the interests of workers and employers.

(7) Non-discrimination is a fundamental principle of the European Union. Article 13 of the Treaty establishing the European Community calls for action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Non-discrimination is also enshrined in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The specific features of the diverse forms of discrimination should be accommodated, and appropriate action developed in parallel to prevent and combat discrimination on one or more grounds. Therefore, when considering the accessibility and results of the programme the particular needs of people with disabilities should be taken into account in terms of ensuring their full and equal access to the activities funded by this Programme and the results and evaluation of those activities, including the compensation of additional costs incurred by disabled persons that result from their disability. Experience gained over many years of combating certain forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sex, may be useful in combating other kinds of discrimination.

(8) On the basis of Article 13 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, the Council has adopted the following directives: Directive 2000/43 of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin which prohibits discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin in, inter alia, employment, vocational training, education, goods and services and social protection; Directive 2000/78 of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation which prohibits discrimination in employment and occupation on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation, and Directive 2004/113/EC of 13 December 2004 implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services.

(9) Equal treatment for women and men is a fundamental principle of Community law pursuant to Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, and the Directives and other acts adopted on the basis of this principle play a major part in improving the situation of women. Experience of action at Community level has shown that promoting gender equality in EU policies and combating discrimination in practice call for a combination of instruments involving legislation, funding tools and mainstreaming designed to reinforce one another. In accordance with the principle of equality between women and men, gender mainstreaming shall be promoted in all sections and activities of the Programme. In this programme, discrimination based on sex is in particular dealt with in Section 5, gender equality.

(9a) Many non-governmental organisations at various levels can make an important contribution at European level through key networks which assist in changing policy orientations relating to the general objectives of the programme.

(10) Since the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved at Member States level because of the need for exchange of information at EU-level and the Community-wide dissemination of good practice and since therefore these objectives can, by reason of the multilateral dimension of the Community actions and measures, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives.

(11) This Decision establishes a financial framework for the entire duration of the programme which is to be the principal point of reference for the budgetary authority, within the meaning of point [37] of the interinstitutional agreement of [….] between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure.

(12) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission.

(12a) As the Programme is divided into five sections, Member States may provide for the rotation of their national representatives according to the themes addressed by the Committee assisting the Commission.

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1
Establishment of the Programme

This Decision establishes the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity, named PROGRESS, to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment and social affairs area, as set out in the Social Agenda, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon Strategy goals in these fields. It shall run from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013.

Article 2
General objectives of the Programme

1. The present programme pursues the following general objectives:

to improve the knowledge and understanding of the situation prevailing in the Member States (and in other participating countries) through analysis, evaluation and close monitoring of policies;

to support the development of statistical tools and methods and common indicators, where appropriate broken down by gender and age group, in the areas covered by the programme;

to support and monitor the implementation of Community law, where applicable, and policy objectives in the Member States, and assess their effectiveness and impact;

to promote networking, mutual learning, identification and dissemination of good practice and innovative approaches at EU level;

to enhance the awareness of the stakeholders and the general public about the EU policies and objectives pursued under each of the 5 sections;

to boost the capacity of key EU networks to promote, support and further develop EU policies and objectives, where applicable.

2. Gender mainstreaming shall be promoted in all sections and activities under this programme.

3. The results achieved in the programme sections and activities shall be disseminated to those involved and to the public as appropriate. The Commission shall conduct exchanges of views with the main stakeholders as appropriate.

Article 3
Structure of the Programme

The programme shall be divided into the following 5 sections:

(1) Employment

(2) Social protection and inclusion

(3) Working conditions

(4) Antidiscrimination and diversity

(5) Gender equality

Article 4
SECTION 1: Employment

Section 1 shall support the implementation of the European Employment Strategy (EES) by:

(1) Improving the understanding of the employment situation and prospects, in particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and common indicators within the framework of the EES;

(2) Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the European Employment Guidelines and Recommendations and their impact, notably through the Joint Employment Report, and analysing the interaction between the EES and general economic and social policy and other policy areas;

(3) Organising exchanges on policies, good practice and innovative approaches and promoting mutual learning in the context of the EES;

(4) Raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about employment challenges, policies and the implementation of national reform programmes, including among social partners, regional and local actors and other stakeholders.

Article 5
SECTION 2: Social protection and inclusion

Section 2 shall support the implementation of the open method of coordination (OMC) in the field of social protection and inclusion by:

Improving the understanding of social exclusion and poverty issues, social protection and inclusion policies, in particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and common indicators, within the framework of the open method of coordination in the field of social protection and inclusion;

Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the OMC in the field of social protection and inclusion and its impact at national and Community level as well as analysing the interaction between this OMC and other policy areas;

Organising exchanges on policies, good practice and innovative approaches and promoting mutual learning in the context of the social protection and inclusion strategy;

Raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and policy issues raised in the context of the EU coordination process in the field of social protection and social inclusion, including among social partners, regional and local actors, NGOs and other stakeholders;

Developing the capacity of key EU networks to support and further develop EU policy goals and strategies on social protection and inclusion.

Article 6
SECTION 3: Working conditions

Section 3 shall support the improvement of the working environment and conditions including health and safety at work and reconciling work and family life by:

Improving the understanding of the situation in relation to working conditions, in particular through analysis and studies and, where appropriate, the development of statistics and indicators, as well as assessing the effectiveness and impact of existing legislation, policies and practices;

Supporting the implementation of EU labour law through effective monitoring, holding seminars for those working in the field, development of guides and networking amongst specialised bodies, including social partners;

Initiating preventive actions and fostering the prevention culture in the field of health and safety at work;

Raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and policy issues in relation to working conditions, including among social partners and other stakeholders.

Article 7
SECTION 4: Antidiscrimination and diversity

Section 4 shall support the effective implementation of the principle of non-discrimination and promote its mainstreaming in all EU policies by:

Improving the understanding of the situation in relation to discrimination in particular through analysis and studies and, where appropriate, the development of statistics and indicators as well as assessing the effectiveness and impact of existing legislation, policies and practices;

Supporting the implementation of EU anti-discrimination legislation through effective monitoring, holding seminars for those working in the field and networking amongst specialised bodies dealing with anti-discrimination;

Raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and policy issues in relation to discrimination and the mainstreaming of anti-discrimination in all EU policies, including among social partners, NGOs and other stakeholders;

(4) Developing the capacity of key EU networks to promote and further develop EU policy goals and strategies in the field of combating discrimination.

Article 8

SECTION 5: Gender equality

Section 5 shall support the effective implementation of the principle of gender equality and promote gender mainstreaming in all EU policies by:

Improving the understanding of the situation in relation to gender issues and gender mainstreaming, in particular through analysis and studies and the development of statistics and, where appropriate, indicators, as well as assessing the effectiveness and impact of existing legislation, policies and practices;

Supporting the implementation of EU gender equality legislation through effective monitoring, holding seminars for those working in the field and networking amongst specialised equality bodies;

Raising awareness, disseminating information and promoting the debate about the key challenges and policy issues in relation to gender equality and gender mainstreaming, among social partners, NGOs and other stakeholders;

Developing the capacity of key EU networks to support and further develop EU policy goals and strategies on gender equality.

Article 9

Types of actions

1. The Programme shall finance the following types of actions, that may be implemented, where appropriate, within a transnational framework:

(a) Analytical activities:

Collection, development and dissemination of data and statistics;

Development and dissemination of common methodologies and, where appropriate, indicators/benchmarks;

Carrying-out of studies, analysis and surveys and dissemination of their results;

Carrying-out of evaluations and impact assessments and dissemination of their results;

Elaboration and publication of guides, reports and educational material via the Internet or other media.

(b) Mutual learning, Awareness and Dissemination activities:

Identification of and exchanges on good practices, innovative approaches and experiences and organisation of peer review and mutual learning by means of meetings/workshops/seminars at EU, transnational or national level, taking, where possible, account of specific national circumstances;

Organisation of Presidency conferences/seminars;

Organisation of conferences/seminars in support of the development and implementation of Community law and policy objectives;

Organisation of media campaigns and events;

Compilation and publication of materials to disseminate information as well as results of the programme.

Support to running costs of those key EU networks whose activities are linked to implementation of the objectives of this programme;

Organisation of working groups of national officials to monitor the implementation of EU law;

Funding of specialised seminars addressed to those working in the field, key officials and other relevant actors;

Networking among specialised bodies at EU level;

Funding of experts' networks;

Funding of EU level observatories;

Exchange of personnel between national administrations;

Cooperation with international institutions.

2. Types of actions foreseen under paragraph 1(b) should have a strong EU dimension, an appropriate scale in order to ensure a real EU added-value and be carried out by (sub)national authorities, specialised bodies foreseen under Community legislation or actors which are considered the key player in their area.

3. [deleted]

4.(new) The programme shall not finance any measures for the preparation and implementation of European Years.

Article 10
Access to the programme

1. Access to this programme shall be open to all public and/or private bodies, actors and institutions, in particular:

Member States;

Public employment services and their agencies;

Local and regional authorities;

Specialised bodies foreseen under EU legislation;

Social partners;

Non-governmental organisations, in particular those organised at EU level;

Higher education institutions and research institutes;

Experts in evaluation;

National statistical offices;

Media.

2. The Commission can also directly access the programme as far as actions foreseen under Article 9(1)(a) and (b) are concerned.

Article 11
Method of application for support

The types of actions referred to in Article 9 may be financed by:

a service contract following a call for tenders. For cooperation with national Statistical Offices, the Eurostat procedures shall apply;

a partial subsidy following a call for proposals. In this case, the EU co-financing may not exceed, as a general rule, 80 % of the total expenditure incurred by the recipient. Any subsidy in excess of this ceiling can only be granted under exceptional circumstances and after close scrutiny.

The type of actions foreseen under Article 9(1) may be subsidised in respond to requests for subsidies, for example from Member States, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Financial Regulation and its Implementation Regulation.

Article 12
Implementing provisions

1. The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision relating to the following matters shall be adopted in accordance with the management procedure referred to in Article 13(2):

(a) the general guidelines for the implementation of the programme;

(b) the annual work programme for the implementation of the programme, divided up into separate sections;

(d) subject to Article 17, the annual budget;

(e) the procedures for selecting the actions to be supported by the Community and the draft list of actions to receive such support submitted by the Commission;

(f) the criteria for evaluating the programme including those relating to cost-effectiveness and the arrangements for disseminating and transferring results.

2. The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision relating to all other matters shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 13(3).

Article 13
Committee

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at two months.

3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

4. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 14
Cooperation with other committees

1. The Commission shall establish the necessary links with the Social Protection Committee and the Employment Committee in order to ensure that they are regularly and appropriately informed about the implementation of activities referred to in this Decision.

1a. The Commission shall also inform other relevant committees of the action taken under the five sections of the programme.

2. Where appropriate, the Commission shall establish regular and structured cooperation between this Committee and the monitoring committees established for other relevant policies, instruments and actions.

Article 15
Consistency and complementarity

1. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States, ensure overall consistency with other Union and Community policies, instruments and actions, in particular by establishing appropriate mechanisms to coordinate the activities of the programme with relevant activities relating to research, justice and home affairs, culture, education, training and youth policy, and in the fields of enlargement and the Community's external relations, and with regional policy and general economic policy. A special attention should be given to the possible synergies between the present programme and those in the field of education and training.

2. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure consistency and complementarity and the absence of duplication between actions undertaken under the programme and other relevant Union and Community actions, in particular under the Structural Funds and especially the European Social Fund.

3. The Commission shall make sure that expenditures covered and charged by the programme shall not be charged to any other Community financial instrument.

4. The Commission shall keep the Committee referred to in Article 13 regularly informed of other Community action contributing to the Lisbon strategy goals, in the field of the Social Agenda.

5. Member States shall make all possible efforts to ensure consistency and complementarity between activities under the programme and those carried out at national, regional and local levels.

Article 16
Participation of third countries

The programme shall be open to the participation of:

- the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions established in the EEA Agreement;

- the candidate countries associated to the EU, as well as to the western Balkan countries included in the stabilisation and association process.

Article 17
Financing

1. The financial framework for implementing the Community activities referred to in this Decision for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013 shall be [657.59] million EUR.

2. Over the entire period of the programme, the financial breakdown between the different sections shall respect the following lower limits:

Section 1	Employment	23 %
Section 2	Social protection and inclusion	30 %
Section 3	Working conditions	10 %
Section 4	Antidiscrimination and diversity	23 %
Section 5	Gender equality	12 %

3. A maximum of 2 % of the financial envelope shall be attributed to the implementation of the programme to cover, for example, the expenditure related to the functioning of the Committee foreseen under Article 13 or the evaluations to be carried out according to Article 19.

4. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspectives.

5. The Commission may have recourse to technical and/or administrative assistance, to the mutual benefit of the Commission and of the beneficiaries, as well as to support expenditure.

Article 18
Protection of the Community's financial interests

1. The Commission shall ensure that, when actions financed under the present decision are implemented, the financial interests of the Community are protected by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective checks and by the recovery of the amounts unduly paid and, if irregularities are detected, by effective, proportional and dissuasive penalties, in accordance with Council Regulations (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 and (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96, and with Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

2. For the Community actions financed under this decision, the notion of irregularity referred to in Article 1, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 shall mean any infringement of a provision of Community law or any breach of a contractual obligation

resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the general budget of the Communities or budgets managed by them, by an unjustified item of expenditure.

3. Contracts and agreements as well as agreements with participating third countries resulting from this decision shall provide in particular for supervision and financial control by the Commission (or any representative authorized by it) and audits by the Court of Auditors, if necessary on-the-spot.

Article 19
Monitoring and evaluation

1. In order to ensure a regular monitoring of the programme and allow necessary reorientations, annual activity reports focusing on the outcomes delivered through the programme shall be elaborated by the Commission and transmitted to the programme Committee referred to in Article 13 and to the European Parliament.

2. The programme shall also be the subject of a mid-term evaluation at the level of the different sections with an overview on the programme in order to measure the progress made regarding the impact of the programme objectives, the efficiency of the use of resources and its EU added value. This evaluation may be supplemented by on-going evaluations. These shall be carried out by the Commission with the assistance of external experts. When available, their results shall be reported in the activity reports referred to in paragraph 1.

3. An ex-post evaluation covering the whole programme shall be carried out, by 31 December 2015, by the Commission with the assistance of external experts, in order to measure the impact of the programme objectives and its EU added value. The Commission shall submit this document to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

4(new) The implementation of the individual sections of the programme, including the presentation of results and dialogue on future priorities, shall also be discussed within the framework of the Forum on the implementation of the Social Agenda.

Article 20
Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at ……….,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

ANNEX II

A COMMISSION STATEMENT TO BE ENTERED

IN THE COUNCIL MINUTES

re Article 10

"The Commission states that, in accordance with Article 10 of its proposal for a Decision establishing the PROGRESS programme, non-governmental organisations set up at national level in the Member States may take part in the programme."