Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 352 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,

Acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure,

Whereas:

Regulation (EU) No 331/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f1, which establishes the Pericles 2020 programme and replaces the Pericles programme established by Council Decision 2001/923/EC^f2, provides that it is applicable in the Member States in accordance with the Treaties. Article 139 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that measures governing the use of the euro referred to in Article 133 thereof are not applicable to the Member States with derogation.

However, the exchange of information and staff and the assistance and training measures implemented under the Pericles 2020 programme should be uniform throughout the Union and the requisite measures should therefore be taken to ensure the same level of protection for the euro in the Member States with derogation.

The application of Regulation (EU) No 331/2014 should therefore be extended to Member States other than the participating Member States as defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 974/98^f3 (‘non-participating Member States’).

It is appropriate to ensure a smooth transition without interruption between the Pericles programme and the Pericles 2020 programme and it is appropriate to align the duration of this Regulation with the Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013^f4. Therefore, this Regulation should apply as from 1 January 2014,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: