15.1.2008 Official Journal of the European Union L 11/9 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 14 December 2007 setting up the ‘Research Executive Agency’ for the management of certain areas of the specific Community programmes People, Capacities and Cooperation in the field of research in application of Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 (Text with EEA relevance) (2008/46/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 of 19 December 2002 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes ('), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof, Whereas: Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 empowers the Commission to set up executive agencies in accordance with the general statute laid down by that Regulation and to entrust them with certain management tasks relating to one or more Community programmes. The purpose of empowering the Commission to set up executive agencies is to allow it to focus on core activities and functions which cannot be outsourced, without relin- quishing control over, or ultimate responsibility for, activities managed by the said executive agencies. Decision No 1982/2006EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) () involves implementation of research, technological devel- opment and demonstration projects within the framework of the specific programmes People, Capacities and Cooperation which does not entail political decision- making and requires a high level of technical and financial expertise throughout the project cycle. () O] L 11, 16.1.2003, p. 1. () O] L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1. S Grant agreements made under the Seventh Framework programme may run for several years with significant numbers of grants entering into force in 2014 and remaining under active management in 2017 and beyond. The delegation, to an executive agency, of tasks related to programme implementation is possible with a clear separation between the programming stage, which will be carried out by the Commission, and project imple- mentation, which will be entrusted to the executive agency. The People Specific Programme and the Research for the Benefit of SMEs part of the Capacities Specific Programme are characterised by projects which generate a large number of small operations. Security and Space from the Cooperation Specific Programme are new areas for which the Commission has not already a significant in-house expertise and which could serve as a pilot for the implementation by an executive agency of more complex collaborative research projects. An executive agency could also perform centrally admin- istrative and logistical support tasks across other areas of the Framework Programme. The Agency should implement its operating budget in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1653/2004 of 21 September 2004 which establishes a standard financial regulation for the executive agencies pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes (3). () OJ L 297, 22.9.2004, p. 6. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1821/2005 (O] L 293, 9.11.2005, p. 10).