Article 17 Participation by a third country or regionF1

In order to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of Union assistance, the Commission may decide that non-ACP developing countries and regional integration bodies with ACP participation that promote regional cooperation and integration eligible for Union assistance under other Union financing instruments for external action, where the project or programme concerned is of a regional or cross-border nature and complies with Article 6 of Annex IV to the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, are eligible for funds referred to in point (a)(i) of Article 1(2) of the Internal Agreement. The overseas countries and territories (OCTs) eligible for Union assistance pursuant to Council Decision 2013/755/EU ^f1 and the Union's outermost regions can also participate in regional cooperation projects or programmes; the funding to enable the participation of those territories or outermost regions shall be additional to funds referred to in point (a)(i) of Article 1(2) of the Internal Agreement. The objective of a reinforced cooperation between the Member States, the Union's outermost regions, the OCTs and the ACP States should be taken into account and, where appropriate, coordination mechanisms be set up. Provision for this funding and for the types of financing referred to in Council Regulation (EC) No 215/2008 ^f2 may be made in the strategy papers and multiannual indicative programmes and in the action programmes and measures referred to in Article 9 of this Regulation.