European Commission, administrative reform: management of Community programmes, statute of executive agencies

PURPOSE: to present a Commission proposal for a Council Regulation laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the manangement of Community programmes. CONTENT: this proposed regulation defines the statue of executive agencies to which the Commission, under its own control and responsibility, may entrust certain tasks relating to the management of Community programmes. This proposal is against the background of a Commission's Communication in December 1999 setting out to develop a coherent and manageable externalisation policy in order to correct the aberrations caused by poor control of various technical assistance offices (TAOs). The main provisions of the proposed regulation are the creation and winding-up of executive agencies, legal status, headquarters, tasks, structure, steering committee (and its tasks), the appointment and tasks of the director, various aspects of the budget, staff and supervision and finally, liability of an executive agency and access by the public to its documents. �