On 15 December, the European Commission set up an executive agency to carry out tasks relating to the management of the Community programme in the field of public health (2003-2008).
A cost-benefit study carried out by the Commission showed that the executive agency would be a more economical mean of improving the effectiveness of the way in which the public health programme is implemented. This study has not been published so far.
The Commission wants to capitalise on the technical work carried out by the Agency and focus on actions which require political discretion.
The Agency has been entrusted with the following objectives:
managing all the phases of specific projects, in the context of implementing the public health programme;
carrying out all the operations necessary for the execution of the budget and for the management of the programme (in particular those linked to the award of contracts and grants);
providing logistical, scientific and technical support, in particular by organising meetings, preparatory studies, seminars or conferences.
The Agency will be located in Luxembourg and remain operational from January 2005 till December 2010.
It will comprise 37 persons and will be managed by a Steering Committee and a Director appointed by the Commission for two and four years, respectively (see next stages.
The budget amounts to €4.756.000 in 2005.
Related documents:
Commission decision (2004/858/EC) setting up the Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme
Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 laying down the statute for executive agencies entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes
