ANNEX B
LOME IV CONVENTION
As revised by the agreement signed in
Mauritius, November 4, 1995
SECTION 4A
DECENTRALISED CO-OPERATION
Article 251a
1. With a view to strengthening and diversifying
the basis for the long-term development of the ACP States, and
in order to encourage all agents from the ACP States and the Community
which are in a position to contribute to the autonomous development
of the ACP States to put forward and implement initiatives, ACP-EC
co-operation shall support, within limits laid down by the ACP
States concerned, such development operations within the framework
of decentralised co-operation, in particular where they combine
the efforts and resources of organisations from the ACP States
and their counterparts from the Community. This form of co-operation
shall, in particular, aim at making available for the development
of the ACP States the capabilities, innovative operating methods
and resources of the agents of decentralised co-operation.
2. The agents referred to in this Article are
decentralised public authorities, rural and village groups, co-operatives,
trade unions, teaching and research institutions, non-governmental
development organisations, other associations, groups and agents
which are bale and wish to contribute to the development of the
ACP States on their own initiative, provided that the agents and/or
the operations are non-profit-making.
Article 251b
1. In the framework of ACP-EC co-operation,
special efforts shall be made to encourage and support the initiatives
of the agents from the ACP States and, in particular, to reinforce
the capabilities of these agents. In this framework the co-operation
shall support the activities of the ACP agents either on their
own or in association with similar agents from the Community which
make their capabilities, experience, technological and organisational
capacities or financial resources available to the ACP counterparts.
2. Decentralised co-operation shall encourage
agents from the ACP States and from the Community to provide supplementary
financial and technical resources for the development effort including
encouragement of partnerships between such agents. The co-operation
may provide decentralised co-operation operations with financial
and/or technical support drawn from the resources provided for
by this Convention under the conditions laid down in Articles
251c, 251d and 251e.
3. This form of co-operation shall be organised
in accordance with the role and the prerogative of the public
authorities of the ACP States.
Article 251c
1. Decentralised co-operation operations may
be supported out of the financial resources of the indicative
programme or from counterpart funds. The extent of the support
shall be that which is necessary for the successful implementation
of the proposed operations provided that the viability of the
proposed operations has been established in accordance with the
provisions for the development financial co-operation.
2. Projects or programmes under this form of
co-operation may or may not be linked to programmes in the sectors
of concentration of the indicative programmes, but may be a way
of achieving the specific objectives of the indicative programme
or the results of initiatives by decentralised agents.
Article 251d
1. Projects and programmes undertaken within
the framework of decentralised co-operation shall be subject to
the approval of the ACP States. These operations shall be financed
with contributions from:
(a) the Fund, in which case the contirbution
shall not normally exceed three-quarters of the total cost of
each project, or programme, and may not exceed ECU 300,000. The
amount representing the Fund's contribution shall be drawn from
the grant allocation of the national or regional indicative programme;
(b) the agents of decentralised co-operation,
provided that the financial, technical material and other resources
brought in by such agents shall not normally be less than 25 per
cent of the estiamted cost of the project/programme; and
(c) exceptionally, by the ACP State concerned,
either in the form of financial contribution or through the use
of public equipment or the supply of services.
2. The procedures applicable to projects and
programmes financed within the framework of decentralised co-operation
shall be those laid down in Chapter 5 of this Title, in particular,
those referred to in Article 290.
Article 251e
In addition to the possibilities offered to
the agents of decentralised co-operation in this section, in Articles
252 and 253 relating to micro-projects, Article 278(2)(c) on technical
co-operating schemes and Article 300 on emergency assistance,
the ACP States may request or may agree to the participation of
agents of decentralised co-operation in the implementation of
other Fund projects and programmes, in particular, those performed
by direct labour in conformity with Article 299 and other relevant
provisions of this Convention.
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