EU EXECUTIVE AGENCIES

These agencies help the European Commission manage EU programmes. They are set up for a fixed period and must be based in the same location as the Commission (either Brussels or Luxembourg).

1. Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency or EACEA is an agency of the European Union located in Brussels, Belgium. It manages parts of the Union’s programmes in education, culture, and audiovisual fields.

EACEA is part of the European Commission and is supervised by the following Directorates-General of the of the European Commission:

• Education and Culture (DG EAC)
• Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT)
• Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME)
• Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO)

EACEA manages the following programmes:

• Creative Europe
• Erasmus + (including the Eurydice Network)
• Europe for Citizens
• EU Aid Volunteers

2. Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)

The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) is an Executive Agency of the European Commission. It is responsible for managing specific programmes in the fields of energy, the environment, and business support. Its goal is to promote development while improving the competitiveness of European industries. While the Agency has its own legal entity, it reports to several Directorate-Generals of the European Commission, which remain responsible for programming and evaluation of the programmes.

In 2014, it became responsible for other programmes in addition to IEE and Eco-Innovation. It currently handles the operations of parts of Horizon 2020, the EU Research and Innovation programme. EASME is also responsible for the majority of COSME, the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. It also operates part of LIFE, a financial instrument to support conservation and environmental actions in the EU. Finally, EASME will be involved in the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which finances the EU's maritime and fishing policies.

EASME works with the Energy Directorate-General to organise an annual event, the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), which aims to bolster the development of renewables and greater energy efficiency through knowledge-sharing and the showcase of new ideas. The Agency also helps give visibility to separate events through its Energy Days. These are organised by independent actors, and promoted by EASME.

3. European Research Council Executive Agency (ERC Executive Agency)

The ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) implements and manages ERC operations. The ERCEA was created in order to manage exclusively the Ideas programme (part of the EU's FP7), in line with the requirement to establish a "Dedicated Implementation Structure" for the ERC. However, it now works under the new Horizon 2020 programme, with similar goals.
As for all Executive Agencies, it is managed by a Director and a Steering Committee, both appointed by the Commission.

The activities of the Executive Agency include:

• Executing the annual work programme, as defined by the ERC Scientific Council and adopted by the Commission;
• Implementing calls for proposals, in accordance with the work programme:
• Providing information and support to applicants;
• Organising peer review evaluation:
• Establishing and managing grant agreements, in accordance with the EU's financial regulations;
• Providing assistance to the ERC Scientific Council;
• Communicating about the ERC.

The ERCEA is led by the Director, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency and its staff and also for the implementation of the ERC's strategy and positions, as defined by the ERC Scientific Council.

4. Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA)

The Consumer, Health and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) is entrusted with new tasks in the field of consumer protection and food safety training, and its mandate has been extended until the end of 2015. It is a temporary EU agency and it reports to the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General. It is located in Luxembourg.

5. Research Executive Agency (REA)

The Research Executive Agency (REA) is a funding body created by the European Commission to maximise the efficiency and impact of EU research and innovation programmes. The Agency has no political mandate and instead focuses on managing the research proposals and funded projects.

The core parts of REA’s mission are:

• to deliver efficient and effective support to its clients, particularly applicants, beneficiaries and independent experts; and,
• to establish close contact with final beneficiaries.

Therefore, the Agency makes a practical contribution to achieving the goals of the Innovation Union, a flagship EU initiative which is a part of Europe 2020, the EU's global strategy for growth. This includes help in delivering the European Research Area (ERA).

As from 2014, the Agency manages a large share of Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever, with €79 billion of funding available until 2020.

6. Innovation & Networks Executive Agency (INEA)

The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) is the successor organisation of the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA), which was created by the European Commission in 2006 to manage the technical and financial implementation of its TEN-T programme. Its mission is to support the Commission, project promoters and stakeholders by providing expertise and high quality of programme management to infrastructure, research and innovation projects in the fields of transport, energy and telecommunications, and to promote synergies between these activities, to benefit economic growth and EU citizens.

INEA officially started its activities on 1 January 2014 in order to implement parts of the following EU programmes:

Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)

The CEF is a key EU instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investment at European level. It is divided into 3 sectors:

• CEF Transport
• CEF Energy
• CEF Telecom

Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 is the EU's main programme for the research area. It implements the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness. The two objectives below which are managed by INEA fall under the "Societal Challenges" part of the programme.

• Smart green and integrated transport
• Secure, clean and efficient energy

In total, it is expected that INEA will manage a budget of up to €34.1 billion for the new 2014-2020 Programmes (€27.4 billion from the CEF and €6.7 billion from H2020).