CHAPTER III

The EaSI strand may provide funding in any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation for financial contributions, in particular grants, prizes, procurement and voluntary payments to international organisations of which the Union is a member or in whose work it participates. The EaSI strand shall be implemented directly as provided for in Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (a), of the Financial Regulation or indirectly with bodies referred to in Article 62(1), first subparagraph, point (c), of that Regulation. When awarding grants, the evaluation committee referred to in Article 150 of the Financial Regulation may be composed of external experts. Blending operations under the EaSI strand shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/523 and Title X of the Financial Regulation. The EaSI strand shall be implemented on the basis of work programmes referred to in Article 110 of Financial Regulation. The content of those work programmes shall be established in line with the operational objectives set out in Article 25 of this Regulation and with the eligible actions set out in Article 26 of this Regulation. Work programmes shall set out, where applicable, the overall amount reserved for blending operations. The Commission shall gather expertise on the preparation of the work programmes by consulting the working group referred to in Article 39(8). The Commission shall foster synergies and ensure effective coordination between ESF+ and other relevant Union instruments as well as between the ESF+ strands. Indicators to report on the progress of the EaSI strand towards the achievement of the specific objectives set out in Article 4(1) and the operational objectives set out in Article 25 are set out in Annex IV. The performance reporting system shall ensure that data for monitoring the implementation and results of the EaSI strand are collected efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner. To that end, proportionate reporting requirements shall be imposed on recipients of Union funds and, where relevant, Member States. Where a third country participates in the EaSI strand by means of a decision adopted pursuant to an international agreement, or on the basis of any other legal instrument, the third country shall grant the necessary rights and access required for the authorising officer responsible, OLAF and the Court of Auditors to comprehensively exercise their respective competences. In the case of OLAF, such rights shall include the right to carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, as provided for in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013. Evaluations shall be carried out in a timely manner to feed into the decision-making process. By 31 December 2024, the Commission shall carry out a mid-term evaluation of the EaSI strand, on the basis of sufficient information available about its implementation. The Commission shall assess the performance of the programme pursuant to Article 34 of the Financial Regulation, and in particular its effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and Union added value, including vis-à-vis the horizontal principles referred to in Article 28 of this Regulation, and measure, on a qualitative and quantitative basis, progress made in meeting the objectives of the EaSI strand. The mid-term evaluation shall be based on the information generated by the monitoring arrangements and indicators established pursuant to Article 32, with a view to making any adjustments needed to the policy and funding priorities. By 31 December 2031, at the end of the implementation period a final evaluation of the EaSI strand shall be carried out by the Commission. The Commission shall submit the conclusions of the mid-term and final evaluations accompanied by its observations, to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Audits on the use of the Union contribution carried out by persons or entities, including by other than those mandated by the Union institutions or bodies, shall form the basis of the overall assurance pursuant to Article 127 of the Financial Regulation. The recipients of Union funding shall acknowledge the origin of those funds and ensure the visibility of the Union funding, in particular when promoting the actions and their results, by providing coherent, effective and proportionate targeted information to multiple audiences, including the media and the public. The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the EaSI strand, to actions taken pursuant to the EaSI strand and to the results obtained. Financial resources allocated to the EaSI strand shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, insofar as those priorities are related to the objectives referred to in Article 3(1) and (2), Article 4(1) and Article 25.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-01 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.