8.5.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 122/27 COMMISSION DECISION of 11 December 2001 approving the single programming document for Community structural assistance under Objective 2 in the province of Liége in Belgium (notified under document number C(2001) 3583) (Only the French and Dutch text are authentic) (2002/330/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (1), and in particular Article 15(5) thereof, After consulting the Committee on the Development and Conversion of Regions and the Committee pursuant to Article 147 of the Treaty, Whereas: 1 Articles 13 and following of Title II of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 lay down the procedure for preparing and implementing single programming documents. Article 15(1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 provides that, after consultation with the partners referred to in Article 8 of the Regulation, the Member State may submit to the Commission a development plan which is treated as a draft single programming document, and which contains the information referred to in Article 16 of the Regulation. Under Article 15(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, on the basis of the regional development plan submitted by the Member State and within the partnership established in accordance with Article 8 of that Regulation, the Commission is to take a decision on the single programming document, in agreement with the Member State concerned and in accordance with the procedures laid down in Articles 48 to 51. The Walloon Government submitted to the Commission on 11 July 2000 an acceptable draft single programming document for the areas of the province of Liege eligible under Objective 2 pursuant to Article 4(1) and the areas of that province qualifying for transitional support under Objective 2 pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999. The draft contains the information listed in Article 16 of the Regulation, and () OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1. in particular a description of the priorities selected and an indication of the financial contribution from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). Under Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999, the operations being financed by the Structural Funds must comply, inter alia, with the Community policies and actions, including those concerning the protection and improvement of the environment. The Kingdom of Belgium has not complied with its obligations under Article 4 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (%)as regards proposing a list of sites indicating which natural habitat types in Annex I and which species in Annex II that are native to its territory the sites host in order to set up a coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation, known as ‘Natura 2000’. It was reminded of this obligation on 23 June 1999 by a letter from Mrs Wulf-Mathies and Ms Bjerregaard and on 28 March 2000 by a letter from Mr Barnier. As a result, payments for ERDF assistance under the measures ‘Specialised economic platforms’ and ‘Valorisation of touristic and cultural potential and of the natural heritage’ concerning this SPD, which are likely to be harmful to any sites to be protected, should be suspended until the list of ‘Natura 2000" sites has been notified to the Commission. The date of submission of the draft which was considered acceptable by the Commission constitutes the date from which expenditure under the plan is eligible. Under Article 30 of the Regulation, it is necessary to lay down the final date for the eligibility of expenditure. The single programming document has been drawn up in agreement with the Member State concerned and within the partnership. (3) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.