DRAFT 31.8.2001

 

Rules of Procedure

  of the

  Steering Committee

  for the Implementation of

  the Community Initiative Programme

”Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B”

Preamble

The Member States Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden on the basis of

  • the guidelines for the INTERREG III Community Initiative  (OJ C 143/2000);

  • the Community Initiative Programme ”Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B”, approved by the European Commission on [xx.xx.2001]; and

  • the Memorandum of Understanding on Implementation of the Community Initiative Programme ”Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B”, which entered into force on [xx.xx.2001];

in consultation with the Non Member States of the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B partnership;

having agreed to build on the experience of the implementation structures of the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG II C programme;

decide to establish a joint Steering Committee for the implementation of  the Community Initiative Programme ”Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B” supported  by a Joint Secretariat.

Rule 1

 Name, Seat and Competences

The Steering Committee shall be known henceforth as the "Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Community Initiative Programme Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B” (hereinafter entitled "Steering Committee" or "S.C.").

The official seat of the Steering Committee will be at the ”Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat” in Rostock. This shall not prejudice the places of the meetings of the Steering Committee which will be fixed by the Steering Committee on the previous meeting.

The competences of the Steering Committee cover the area of the the Community Initiative Programme during the implementation of the CIP (2001-2008).

 Rule 2

 Tasks

The primary tasks of the Steering Committee is to select projects for funding, applying the criteria for project selection agreed by the Monitoring Committee.

The main tasks of the Steering Committee shall be:

  • to approve individual project applications (including those for seed money) on the basis of the assessment of projects and to decide on the use of the available EU Structural Funds;

  • to propose to the Monitoring Committee the project selection criteria in accordance with the Guidelines and the criteria laid down in the CIP;

  • to comment to the Monitoring Committee on regular monitoring, progress reports, annual reports and interim appraisals and to propose amendments to the programme or programme complement;

  • to co-ordinate with other Community programmes and policies, in particular the Phare CBC programme for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland;

  • to adopt an information and publicity plan to be implemented by the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat; and

  • to approve the work plan of the Joint Secretariat.

 Rule 3

 Membership

The Steering Committee shall have a limited number of representatives from both national and regional level of all partner states to ensure efficiency and broad representation.

The Steering Committee shall be composed of:

  • 2-3 representatives of each Member State (including, as a minimum requirement, a representative of the national authority responsible for spatial planning/development) 

  • one representative of the Åland islands

  • 1-2 representatives of each Non Member State

  • the Chairman of the Baltic Joint Co-operation Committee

Members of the Steering Committee shall not be members of the Monitoring Committee. To avoid any conflict of interest, individual members must not act as Lead Partner, nor as any of the project partners. Each member will sign a declaration of impartiality.

The Committee shall have a balanced representation of men and women.

The Member States as well as the Non Member States have the right to substitute their representatives both by appointment of deputies or by sending substitutes to the meetings.

A representative of the European Commission may attend as an observer.

The chairman of the Monitoring Committee and representatives of Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (acting as Managing and Paying Authority) and the Joint Secretariat shall take part in Steering Committee meetings.

  Rule 4

 Chairmanship and Meetings

The Steering Committee shall have a chairman and a co-chairman. They shall be appointed for one year at a time by the respective Member States and non Member States as follows:

 

  Chairman     Co-chairman
2001 Sweden  Poland
2002  Denmark Estonia
2003 Finland Lithuania
2004   Germany Latvia
2005 Norway     Russia
2006   Sweden Belarus

Chairmanship and co-chairmanship for the years 2007-2008 will be decided by the Steering Committee no later than at the last meeting in 2006.

The Chairman shall:

  • convene the Steering Committee at least twice each year or at the written and substantial request of one or more of its members;

  • draw up a provisional agenda, which shall be sent together with the invitation and the necessary documents to the members of the Steering Committee at least four weeks in advance;

  • perform Chairman's duties during the meetings e.g. declare the opening and closing of each meeting, direct the discussion, accord the right to speak, put questions to the vote, announce the decisions, rule on points of order, and pursuant to these Rules, have control of the proceedings;

  • be responsible for the proper functioning of the Steering Committee.

The Chairman shall have the right to invite guests to the meetings of the Steering Committee. Subject to prior notification and to the approval of the Chairman, members can be accompanied by an observer.

In preparing the meetings, the Chairman shall co-operate closely with the Co-chairman. If they so agree, the Chairman and the Co-chairman may share some of the Chairman’s duties during meetings.

The meetings of the Steering Committee shall, unless otherwise is decided by the Committee, be hosted by the country chairing the Committee. Any practical arrangements including related expenses will be covered by the hosting country. At the request of the hosting country, the Joint Secretariat can also assist with practical arrangements for meetings.

Draft minutes shall be sent out for comments to members of the Steering Committee within six weeks after a meeting. The minutes of the meetings of the Steering Committee shall be communicated, for information, to the members of the Monitoring Committee.

  Rule 5

 Decision-Making

At any meeting of the Steering Committee the majority of no fewer than two-thirds (7) of the national delegations (11) shall constitute a quorum.

All members of the Steering Committee as well as others listed in Rule 3 above or invited by the chairman shall have a right to speak at meetings.

Decision-making in the Steering Committee will be by consensus among the national delegations (one vote per delegation). In case of opposition by one or more delegation the motion is either postponed or defeated.

If a decision needs to be taken before the next Steering Committee meeting the Chairman can initiate a decision-making process in writing. In this case the Chairman shall send the draft decision to all members by facsimile or e-mail message. National delegations shall have fifteen working days from dispatch of the proposal to respond in writing.

If a written objection to the procedure or to the draft decision is raised the matter shall be placed on the agenda of the next meeting of the Steering Committee. National delegations can withdraw their objection at any time.

If no written objection to the procedure or to the draft decision has been received by the specified time the decision is deemed to be taken by the Steering Committee.

In any case, after the fifteen-days time limit has expired, the secretariat shall immediately inform all members on whether the decision is deemed to be taken or what objections have been raised.

Rule 6

 Secretariat

The Steering Committee will be supported by the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat, as defined in § 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat.

The Steering Committee can be contacted through the secretariat:

Baltic Sea Region INTERREG III B Joint Secretariat

Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein

Grubenstrasse 20

D-18055 Rostock

Phone: +49 381 45484 5281

Fax: +49 381 45484 5282

E-mail: bsda@spatial.baltic.net

 Rule 7

 Official languages

Official languages of the Steering Committee shall be Danish, Finnish, German, Swedish and English.

The Steering Committee can decide on whether only one of these languages shall be used during the meeting or whether it shall be sufficient to translate the statements made in another official language only into English. This rule applies for the official documents of the Steering Committee as well.

Rule 8

 Revision

On the completion of consideration by any ordinary membership these draft rules shall be adopted by unanimous decision of the national delegations present. After their adoption they may be amended by consensus of the current membership.

Adopted in [Rostock, on 24 September 2001].

Approved by the Monitoring Committee in [Rostock, on 25 September 2001].