SRD07 - Investments in road networks serving rural areas - Call 1

Assistance is aimed at the socio-economic development of rural areas through investments to build, adapt and/or expand basic infrastructure serving rural businesses (agricultural and non-agricultural), rural communities and society as a whole. The existence of such infrastructures, new or adapted/extended, aims on the one hand to provide territories with those basic services that are essential to combat depopulation, especially in the most disadvantaged areas, and on the other hand to make rural areas more attractive as a place of residence, study, work and psycho-physical well-being.

Investments under Action 1) concern support for the construction, adaptation and
extension of roads serving rural areas and farms with the aim of
make the areas concerned by the interventions more usable, also with regard to making the territory safe.

The intervention contributes to the achievement of the general objectives under letters a) and b) of Article 5 and the following objectives under Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115:

• SO2 Improve market orientation and increase farm competitiveness in the short and long term, including through an increased focus on research, technology and digitalisation.
• SO8 Promote employment, growth, gender equality, including women's participation in agriculture, social inclusion and local development in rural areas, including the circular bio-economy and sustainable forestry.

TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS ENVISAGED

Within the specific purposes set out in the SRD07 intervention sheet in the PHP, the investment operations indicated in the table are eligible:

Investment operations that pursue the specific purpose indicated in the table are eligible for support.
In order to be eligible, the application for support must be accompanied by the presentation of an Investment Project aimed at providing elements (location, description of the works and supplies requested in the application, etc.) for the assessment of the consistency of the operation with the achievement of the purposes of the intervention. The Investment Project must highlight the improvement effects of the investment in order to meet the requirement E3.5 "Enhancing the attractiveness of territories" and E3.6 "Raising the standard of living in rural areas".

The investment project must also provide evidence that at least one of the objectives is met:

1. SO2 Improve market orientation and increase farm competitiveness in the short and long term, including through an increased focus on research, technology and digitalisation.
2. SO8 Promote employment, growth, gender equality, including women's participation in agriculture, social inclusion and local development in rural areas, including the circular bio-economy and sustainable forestry.

The Investment Project must be drawn up and signed by a qualified and competent professional in accordance with the professional orders recognised by the regulations in force.

Failure to meet any of the project requirements will result in ineligibility for support.

GENERAL ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

The following are eligible

• Initiatives started and expenses incurred after the application for aid has been submitted. Start-up is understood to mean the physical completion (works executed) and the date of the documentation attesting to the beneficiary's commitment to carry out the works (signing of contracts and/or assignments to firms), the date of invoicing and payment of the works;
• only design costs (including supporting appraisals) incurred by the beneficiary in the 24 months prior to the submission of the application and related to the design of the works attached to the application, and in any case incurred after 1 January 2023.

Expenses for contingencies are eligible up to a maximum of 3% of the works.

General expenses related to eligible costs are eligible up to a maximum of 12% of the other eligible expenses (costs related to the works and contingencies), with the following sub-limits

• technical expenses related to the design, supervision of works and safety coordination (including social security contributions) up to a maximum of 8% for eligible expenses on works and contingencies up to €250,000 and a maximum of 5% for the portion of eligible expenses exceeding this amount.
• In case of submission of the Security Project, technical expenses on works and contingencies may be increased by 2 percentage points.

Additional technical expenses are also eligible (e.g. geological surveys, geognostic surveys and soundings, environmental impact screening or assessments, archaeological surveys, the investment project referred to in point 5.2, paragraph 4, etc.) subject to the maximum limit of 12% mentioned above.

Technical expenses incurred with personnel from the technical offices of public bodies are not eligible for funding.
No recalculation of compliance with the above ceilings shall be carried out during the final settlement enquiry if there are no significant departures from the project that has been accepted for funding, provided that the 12% ceiling for overheads in relation to the final eligible expenditure is respected.

VAT is recognised as eligible expenditure if it is definitively non-recoverable. To this end, the beneficiaries shall declare in the SR Trento that the VAT indicated on the works and on the sums available and for which funding is requested cannot be deducted by them and that the activity of the body/entity applying for funding is not organised as a business. The VAT rate allowed is that in force at the time the grant is awarded.

Beneficiaries classifiable as contracting authorities or bodies governed by public law must submit projects relating to the execution of building works to measure (excavations, foundations, elevated structures, roads, ancillary works, etc.) in accordance with the regulations in force on LL.PP.

- Eligible expenditure specific to the Intervention: works relating to the road network serving rural areas and farms

Eligible for funding are investments serving several farms, which fall under the following interventions

1. the widening of the carriageway of existing roads
2. the construction of new roads to facilitate easier access to farmland where there is an objective shortage;
3. the placement of road barriers to secure agricultural infrastructure;
4. the adaptation of the road surface to the various environmental requirements and to facilitate the safe transit of users;
5. the consolidation of ramps located upstream or downstream of the road to ensure the stability, functionality and safety of the agricultural infrastructure - structures located upstream of the roadway are eligible for funding only if the carriageway is widened and for a maximum height of 1.5 metres above ground
6. the positioning of drainage networks, drainage channels, gullies and pipes to facilitate the removal of rainwater upstream and downstream of the road and the storage of surface water;
7. if objectively justified and verifiable, any extraordinary maintenance work or restoration of the existing road system;

Only expenses for works relating to the part of the carriageway less than or equal to three metres, including verges, are eligible, with the exception of limited spaces intended to facilitate the dual transit of vehicles.

INELIGIBLE EXPENDITURE

The following types of expenditure are not eligible

1. irrigation investments
2. purchase of land;
3. ordinary maintenance, running and operating costs;
4. expenditure on works relating to the part of the carriageway exceeding three metres, with the exception of the above
5. expenses for investments aimed merely at complying with the regulations in force;
6. roads with access restrictions that do not guarantee multiple use;
7. contributions in kind;
8. silvo-pastoral roads classified and regulated pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 3, and Article 4, of Legislative Decree 34 of 2018 (Consolidated Text on Forests and Forestry), except as otherwise defined by the Province with its own regulations (Articles 2, 62 and 100 of Provincial Law 11/2007 and the corresponding implementing regulation Provincial Decree No. 51-158/Leg. of 3 November 2008), pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, paragraph 4 and Article 5 of the aforementioned decree;
9. VAT if not actually and definitively incurred by the beneficiary and recoverable by the same. VAT that is in any event recoverable cannot be considered eligible even if it is not actually recovered by the final beneficiary;
10. other taxes, duties, ancillary charges such as interest payable, bank charges, surety expenses;
11. expenses related to investment operations (types of works and purchases) for which a contribution has been granted under operations of the RDP 2014-2022 and of the current PHP, in the last 5 years from the date of submission of the application. In order to optimise the effective use of the resources, ineligibility also exists in the event of forfeiture (revocation) or failure to report within the time limits of the investment operations. Ineligibility also exists in the following cases: company takeovers, setting up of new companies, corporate operations, all cases in which the same legal representative remains;
12. expenditure falling under double financing

FINANCIAL PLANNING AND ALLOCATION

The total public expenditure for SRD07 for the 2023-2027 programming period is € 11,251,539.80 of which for action 1) road networks serving rural areas € 9,000,000.00.

The expenditure is co-financed by the EU through the EAFRD for 40.70%, by the Italian State for 41.51% and by the Autonomous Province of Trento for the remaining 17.79%.

Support is granted in the form of a capital contribution. The amount of support is set at 70% of the eligible expenditure.

The minimum amount of eligible expenditure per application is € 50,000.00 excluding VAT, both at the grant and at the final settlement stage.

The maximum amount of eligible expenditure per aid application is EUR 300,000.00 excluding VAT.

Compatibility and cumulation with other aids and facilities

The provisions of Section 4.7.3, paragraph 2 of the PSP apply with regard to the cumulation of aid and double financing. In application of section 4.7.3, aid and payment applications will be submitted on an IT system that monitors and avoids double payment of interventions and respects the maximum aid intensity applicable to the intervention as established in Title III of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.

Demarcation (double financing)
This notice provides guidance on the compatibility of the investments envisaged in the PHP investment operations with other EU financial instruments.
Concerning the demarcation with reference to Intervention SRD11 - Non-productive forestry investments, Action 2 - Improvement and implementation of infrastructures serving the multifunctional use of the forest, on Intervention SRD07 initiatives on forestry-pastoral roads classified and regulated according to the Provincial Law no. 11/2007 (Articles 2, 62 and 100) and by the relevant implementing regulation (d.p.p. 3 November 2008, no. 51-158/Leg) are excluded.
With reference to Intervention SRG06 - LEADER - implementation of local development strategies, please refer to the demarcation that will be regulated in the notices concerning Intervention SRG06.

State Aid

The initiatives activated by this call, under Action 1 of SRD07, do not fall outside the scope of Article 42 TFEU and are not subject to State aid assessment.

APPLICATIONS FOR PAYMENT
Applications for payment of aid are signed by the beneficiary with a digital signature certificate and submitted through the online portal https://srt.infotn.it/ which can also be reached from the portal https://a4g.provincia.tn.it/.
They can be divided into an application for payment of the advance and an application for payment of the balance.
The Agricultural Service, in order to comply with the physical and financial objectives set by the PSP, may request from the beneficiary data on the physical progress of the financed intervention.

Application foradvance payment: methods and documents for submission
The application for an advance payment may be submitted by the beneficiary after notification of the grant award.
The advance payment is granted up to a maximum of 50% of the contribution granted.
The following documents must be attached to the application for an advance payment

1. declaration in lieu of affidavit by the legal representative attesting to the physical commencement of the works;
2. bank guarantee or insurance policy in favour of the Paying Agency equal to 100% of the amount of the paid advance. The aforesaid guarantee may be released following acceptance. Pursuant to section 4.7.3, paragraph 3 of the P.S.P., in the case of public beneficiaries, disbursement is subject to the presentation by the same of a treasury declaration guaranteeing 100% of the value of the advance, whereby the authorities undertake to pay the amount covered by the guarantee if the right to the advance is not recognised.
3. report on the awarding of the works and, for public bodies, a self-assessment check list of the awarding procedures with the relevant documentation.

The results of the liquidation inquiry are set out in a check list signed by the officer in charge on the basis of which APPAG, after receiving it, may proceed with the disbursement of the amount due.

Application for balance: terms, deadlines and submission documents
The application for the balance of the grant may be submitted by the beneficiary after the notification of the grant award and within the reporting deadline.
The application shall contain

1. the amount of the grant to be claimed in settlement net of ineligible expenses, less any advance payments;
2. the details of any authorisations needed to carry out the activities related to the investment operation
3. the list of invoices and the relative allocation of eligible expenses to the subsidised initiatives, net of non-eligible expenses.

The application shall also contain a declaration in lieu of affidavit, pursuant to Articles 46 and 47 of Presidential Decree no. 445 of 28 December 2000, in which the applicant certifies that he/she has not benefited for the initiatives in question from other forms of assistance other than those provided for by the provisions in force.

The following documents must be attached to the application

1. copy of the receipted electronic invoices (style sheet), or equivalent supporting documents, together with a copy of the bank transfers and/or bank statements or in any case of the documentation proving the payment, documenting the eligible expenses. Invoices or equivalent supporting documents and related payments must include the unique project code (CUP) in accordance with the procedures set out in the paragraph "Evidence of expenses: CUP and CIG'. It is specified that the invoice or supporting document must describe in detail the intervention to which it refers;
2. a certificate of proper execution drawn up and signed by the works manager, which must include: the company awarded the contract and the contract amount, the amount subject to discount and the percentage of discount, the date of commencement and completion of work, a declaration of the fulfilment of social security and welfare contributions, a declaration of conformity of the work with the project approved for the purposes of the grant, a description of any variations carried out during work, a declaration that the work conforms to current urban planning regulations as attested by any authorisations obtained;
3. final statement of works, sums available and safety charges drawn up and signed by the works manager and the contractor;
4. measurement booklet and accounting drawings prepared and signed by the work supervisor and the contractor;
5. planimetric and accounting comparisons between what has been approved and what has been carried out;
6. final illustrative report from which the overall works carried out can be deduced, highlighting the works initially planned and not carried out or works not initially planned but carried out. For works that envisage the securing of the territory or the use of construction techniques that are more respectful of the environment (e.g. the use of cliffs or reinforced soil as support works) the report shall also highlight the information useful for the confirmation of the scores assigned when the grant was awarded;
7. any lists of savings;
8. any submissions and minutes of new price agreements;
9. any documentation proving the fulfilment of cadastral and land registry obligations required by current legislation, where necessary;
10. for aid beneficiaries who are subject to compliance with public procurement legislation, the checklists for monitoring the procedures for awarding works and technical contracts, duly completed and signed, downloadable in editable format from the Autonomous Province of Trento's institutional website, must be submitted;
11. for aid beneficiaries that are not subject to compliance with public procurement rules, such as Consorzi di Miglioramento Fondiario di I e II grado: a copy of the minutes of the award of the contract showing the companies invited and the bids received;
12. information layer of the linear development of the road infrastructure, in shapefile format (.shp) georeferenced according to the WGS84 elipsoid with UTM32N projection.

For preliminary investigation purposes, the person in charge of the procedure, if the digital format of the file is not sufficiently examinable, may request a copy of the same in hard copy and/or other format.

Method of evaluation of payment applications
For all payment applications, the official in charge of the Agricultural Service shall verify, by means of administrative checks and on-the-spot checks, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2021/2116 and the relevant implementing and delegated acts of the European Commission and the national implementing rules, the following requirements

• the regularity and completeness of the application and of the documentation submitted in support of the application
• the permanence of the subjective requirements
• the relevance, functionality and eligibility of the expenditure requested with respect to the investment operations also in consideration of approved variants
• the reasonableness and appropriateness of the eligible expenditure. During the final assessment, the grant shall be proportionally recalculated in the event the reported expenditure is lower than the eligible expenditure;
• compliance with what has been achieved in relation to the Investment Project and the objectives to be achieved with the investment;
• the continuation of the scores awarded in the ranking based on the selection criteria;
• the amount of the grant payable.

The adequacy of the liquidated expenditure is determined as follows

• evaluation of the final state, which must refer to price lists of public works published in the Official Bulletin of the Trentino Alto Adige Region, for the Autonomous Province of Trento or, for those items not present, on the basis of the analysis proposed by the D.L., in comparison with the initial metric computation;
• evaluation of general expenses as provided for in point 5.3.3;

The results of the liquidation inquiry are set out in a check list signed by the officer in charge, on the basis of which APPAG, after receiving the check list, may proceed with the disbursement of the amount due.

Eligibility conditions for applicants

In order for the investment operations to be ready for implementation, the areas and/or infrastructures concerned by the investments under this assistance at the time the application for support is submitted must be owned by the applicants. Alternatively, there must be an expropriation procedure or land purchase to be completed within the reporting deadlines.

An exception to the ownership restriction is made only if the areas and/or infrastructures to be supported are publicly owned. Their availability to the applicant must be proven by appropriate documentation.

Aid may not be granted

• to the recipients of recoveries of contributions granted under the 2007-2013 and 2014-2022 RDPs of the Autonomous Province of Trento and the current CSR and then withdrawn, without their repayment;
• if the company is in a situation of difficulty, as defined by current EU regulations (in the event that the entity is carrying out a business activity).

Failure to meet one of the eligibility requirements results in ineligibility for support or partial or total forfeiture of the aid.

Farm dossier

On the date of submission of the aid application, each applicant is obliged to compile and update his own electronic farm file in accordance with Presidential Decree No 503/99 ss. mm. and ii.
Information on the farm file and the user manual are available on the website of the Provincial Paying Agency - APPAG, at the following link: http://www.appag.provincia.tn.it/APPAG/Fascicolo-aziendale. The land parcels that are the subject of the intervention must be included in the farm file by the date of the final report of the initiative.

Documentary evidence of the expenses CUP and CIG
The amount of the expenditure must be duly justified by invoices (in PDF format) in the name of the beneficiary and duly receipted or by documents with equivalent probative value to invoices.

Expenditure must be paid by the beneficiary by means of a bank transfer or equivalent probative document, from an account in the name of the beneficiary (current account dedicated, even if not exclusively, to the investment operation).

The Unique Project Code (CUP) must be quoted on all invoices and in all payments.

The code is assigned by the Agricultural Service prior to the decision to grant the contribution. The CUP must always be present in the documents proving the expenditure (invoices and payment documents) issued after the CUP has been notified. Contracting authorities that autonomously download this Code must instead communicate it to the Agricultural Service, together with the Tender Identification Code (CIG).

Expenditure supported by documents (invoices and/or payments) without a CUP code will not be eligible for financing.

For documents prior to the communication of the CUP code, the correlation between the expenditure incurred and the financed initiative must be made as follows

• for invoices not yet paid, the beneficiary of the aid must indicate the CUP in the receipt of payment made by bank or postal transfer or by other payment instruments suitable to allow full traceability. If the payment receipt does not include the CUP or the CUP has been affixed incorrectly, it may be regularised by submitting a declaration in lieu of affidavit pursuant to Presidential Decree 445/2000, in which the beneficiary certifies the correlation between the invoice(s) and the subsidised initiative. The declaration must be attached to the copy of the invoice (in the case of electronic invoices, analogical materialisation of the document) and presented for the purposes of the payment of the incentive, together with the remaining documentation required for the reporting of expenses;
• for paid invoices, the beneficiary must issue a declaration in lieu of affidavit pursuant to Presidential Decree 445/2000, also cumulative, in which it certifies the correlation between the invoice(s) and the subsidised initiative. The declaration must be attached to the copy of the invoice (in the case of electronic invoices, analogical materialisation of the document) and presented for the purposes of the payment of the incentive, together with the remaining documentation required for the reporting of expenses;

For documents subsequent to the communication of the CUP code, it is possible to promptly regularise the situation according to one of the following possibilities

• making an electronic integration to the Revenue Agency's interchange system. The integration document transmitted to the interchange system must contain both the data required for the integration (CUP code) and the invoice details and must be attached to the invoice itself;
• issuance of a credit note, by the supplier, within the timeframe allowed by the regulations, aimed at cancelling the expense title and the subsequent issuance of a new expense title, with the CUP code .

Tender Identification Code (CIG): in the event that the beneficiary of the aid is subject to compliance with the regulations on public contracts, the beneficiary is required to notify the Agricultural Service of the Tender Identification Code (CIG) of the initiative acquired during the awarding procedures, in accordance with the regulations in force on public works. In any case, the CIG, as for the CUP, must be reported on all accounting documents relating to the financial flows generated by the financing subject of this call for proposals (e.g. expense invoices, payment mandates and receipts of payment).

For documents without the CIG due to a material error, reconciliation is permitted by manually adding the CIG on the invoice and attaching a separate declaration by the beneficiary.

Procedures for the award and entrusting of works and technical assignments

When awarding and entrusting works and technical assignments, the beneficiaries are reminded of their obligation to comply with the Community, national and provincial regulations in force on public works.

The procedures for awarding and entrusting works differ according to the beneficiary subject. Below are the types of beneficiaries that can be identified.

Grade I and II land improvement consortia
The cases in which Grade I and II Land Improvement Consortia shall be subject to compliance with public procurement regulations shall be provided for and detailed in the measure approving the check lists of the procedures for the awarding of works and technical assignments, relating to the CSR of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Private entities that manage and administer public and collective properties and consortia if not subject to public procurement regulations
The contracting authority must invite at least five companies to submit bids. The companies to be invited to submit bids must be selected in such a way as to guarantee equal conditions for the submission of bids and secrecy. The Board of Directors of the beneficiary entity shall record the results of the tender process in its own minutes in which, among other things, the companies invited and the amounts contained in the tenders submitted shall be mentioned. A copy of said minutes shall be included in the documentation to be produced when requesting an advance or final settlement. The award criterion shall normally be that of the lowest price determined by means of a percentage discount on the tender amount with the exclusion of safety charges not subject to discount. The award procedures shall be considered valid, exhausted and complete when there are at least two valid responses from the invited companies. If this is not the case, the contracting authority shall repeat the award procedure. Increased bids shall in any case not be considered valid.
When requesting payment (advance/final payment), a copy of the work award report must be attached showing the companies invited and the bids received.

Municipalities (their collaborative forms), separate administrations of civic property (ASUC), recognised land reclamation consortia, valley communities and other public bodies
In the adjudication and awarding of works and design assignments, the obligation to comply with the Community, national and provincial regulations in force concerning public works of provincial interest is recalled.
For the purposes of controlling the correct application of public procurement regulations, the check-lists for the control of the procedures for the awarding of works and technical assignments prepared for each type of contract and for design assignments, which will be approved by a resolution of the Provincial Council and will be downloadable in editable format from the institutional website of the Autonomous Province of Trento, must be completed.
With the deliberation of the Council to approve the above-mentioned check-lists relating to the CSR 2023-2027, the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism n. 10255 dated 22/10/2018 bearing "General criteria for the application of reductions and exclusions for non-compliance with the rules on public procurement in line with the provisions of art. 16 of Legislative Decree No. 42 of 17 March 2023 and in accordance with the guidelines contained in the Annex to Commission Decision C (2019) 3452 final of 14/05/2019 and the criteria for the application of sanctions in view of the irregularities found as a result of the audit will also be defined.
In this regard, it should be noted that, in accordance with the provisions of the Annex to Ministerial Decree 10255/2018, if in the course of the control activity a series of irregularities are found in the same procurement procedure, taking into account that the correction rates are not cumulative, the correction rate corresponding to the most serious irregularity detected shall be applied.

DEADLINES AND DEADLINES FOR REPORTING OPERATIONS

The reporting deadlines are set for all initiatives relating to the various investment operations at 24 months from the date of the grant award decision. All the documentation required for the payment of the grant must be submitted by the reporting date.
In cases where the financial statements are submitted within the deadline but the work or intervention has been partially carried out and if the Agricultural Service deems the work or intervention to be functional, functional and in line with the purposes for which the grant was awarded, the grant will be reduced proportionally.
Only one request for extension is allowed justified and submitted within the reporting deadline established by the grant. The extension may be granted for amaximum period of 18 months.

With regard to extensions and suspensions of deadlines, for anything not detailed in this point, please refer to the provisions of Provincial Council Resolution No. 1980 of 14/09/2007 and subsequent amendments and additions.

In any case, the deadlines cannot be established or postponed beyond 31 March 2029, which is the time limit necessary to allow the payment to the final beneficiaries of the subsidies given that APPAG OP cannot proceed with the payment of the aid after 31.12.2029.

The extension will have to be assessed and approved by a determination of the Agricultural Service.

COMMITMENTS RELATING TO INVESTMENT OPERATIONS
The beneficiary of an investment operation undertakes to

• carry out the operation in accordance with the terms defined in the granting determination of the Agricultural Service, subject to any variations and extensions;
• subject to cases of force majeure and exceptional circumstances, ensure the stability of the supported investment operation (not to alienate, dispose of, divert from their use the assets related to the investment) for a minimum period of 10 years from the date of final payment to the beneficiary for real estate, building works, including fixed equipment
• allow, throughout the duration of the constraint, unrestricted and multi-purpose access to the infrastructure.

In the event that the applicant, after the submission of the application for aid and before the grant decision, is succeeded by another party, among those listed under 'Beneficiaries', the taking over of the ownership of the application is allowed. The Agricultural Service shall verify, with reference to the new subject, the existence of the eligibility requirements, and if it ascertains the existence of such conditions, the grant shall be awarded to the new beneficiary; if, on the other hand, it ascertains that the requirements are not met, the grant shall be denied.
After the aid has been granted, before it is completely liquidated, the beneficiary (transferor) may be replaced by another party (transferee) from among those listed under 'beneficiaries'. The Agricultural Service verifies, with reference to the new subject, the existence of the eligibility requirements, and if it ascertains the existence of such conditions, it orders the takeover and communicates it to the new beneficiary. If, on the other hand, it is ascertained that the requirements are not met, the grant shall be withdrawn.

After the grant has been fully disbursed, the beneficiary may be taken over by another person from among those listed in point 4.1 of this notice, provided that such person signs the takeover of the obligations referred to in this point. The Agricultural Service verifies, with reference to the new subject, the existence of the requirements for the take-over and if it ascertains the existence of these conditions, it orders the take-over and communicates it to the new beneficiary. If, on the other hand, it is ascertained that the requirements are not met, the contribution is revoked.

The requirements are checked by means of ex post controls in accordance with the relevant regulations in force.

Checks will also be carried out, in accordance with the relevant regulations in force, on the declarations in lieu of affidavits and certifications.

OTHER OBLIGATIONS
In order to comply with the information and publicity obligations for the investment operations supported by the EAFRD, the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 2022/129 and of the provisions issued by the Managing Authority apply. The provisions on publicity and information obligations for each individual operation are available at https://www.provincia.tn.it/FEASR.

SANCTIONS AND REDUCTIONS
In the event of ascertainment of sanctions and non-compliance with the commitments, obligations and eligibility conditions provided for the Interventions, as per Chapter 7.3.2 of the Italian PSP, the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 42 dated 17 March 2023, regarding the reduction and exclusion of aid, shall apply. Following the issuance of Decree No. 93348 of 26 February 2024, implementing Legislative Decree No. 42 of 17 March 2023, the Provincial Council is in the process of approving the resolution implementing the reductions and exclusions of the non-IACS interventions of the Planning Complement. Pending the implementation of these decrees, the following applies with regard to these criteria

• in the event of non-compliance with the commitments to ensure the stability of the supported investment operation - (10 years) the assistance shall be withdrawn and recovered in proportion to the period of non-compliance
• in the event of non-compliance with the maximum reporting deadline, for the submission of the application for final payment of the grant with the relevant documentation, the sanctions set out for non-compliance with the final deadline by the Provincial Council Resolution no. 1980 of 14/09/2007 shall apply, which provide for

1. in the event that the documentation for the final payment of the grant is submitted after the deadline, but in any case before the measure of total forfeiture is adopted, the grant shall be reduced by 5%;
2. otherwise the total forfeiture of the aid will be ordered, with recovery of any advance paid;

• the penalties under this point shall also apply in the event of an application for an amnesty for a variant under point 10 after the relevant works have been carried out;
• in the case of omissions of the CUP on invoices and supporting documents for expenditure and related payment documents, the invoice itself shall be ineligible, without prejudice to the provisions set out in the section "Supporting documents for expenditure: CUP and CIG";
• if, during the final settlement inquiry, it is found that the selection requirements that contributed to the scoring of the ranking list have been lost, the final settlement checklist shall specify whether or not the reduction in the score is relevant to the eligibility of the grant; if it is relevant, the grant shall be withdrawn and any advance shall be recovered
• In the case of recovery of sums, the same shall be increased by legal interest from the sixty-first day from the date of registration of the communication of the recovery measure, pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 937/2012.

CUMULATION OF AID
Expenditure financed under this measure is not eligible for any other financing through European Union financial instruments.
For the same expenditure, support may be granted through national (state or regional) State aid schemes only if the total cumulated amount granted with the different forms of support does not exceed the maximum aid intensity or the amount of aid applicable to the type of intervention in question, as set out in Title III of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.

Public or private entities, in individual or associated form as listed below:

• Recognised land reclamation consortia pursuant to the relevant legislation in force;
• Grade I and II Land Improvement Consortia recognised pursuant to the relevant legislation in force;
• Municipalities, their collaborative forms and separate administrations of civic use assets (Asuc);
• other public bodies and private entities that manage and administer public and collective property

The application must be submitted online by accessing the provincial agricultural information system SRTrento at https://srt.infotn.it, which can also be reached from the portal https://a4g.provincia.tn.it/, within the following deadlines:

Access to the reserved area of SRTrento is allowed only to registered users; therefore, each user must first be accredited according to the methods indicated in the manual on the home page of the SRTrento website.

Applications submitted must be signed by means of a valid digital signature by the person entitled to sign the document, otherwise the application will be inadmissible.

For any assistance in accessing and enabling the portal, please contact helpdesk.srtrento@provincia.tn.it.

Only one application may be submitted per call for proposals.

Each application may contain one or more interventions on roads serving rural areas and farms.

The following constitute conditions for the inadmissibility of the application

• failure to meet the deadline for submitting applications;
• the absence of elements that enable the applicant to be unequivocally identified;
• failure of the legal representative to sign the application;
• the submission of applications using methods other than those described above;
• applications signed by a person other than the legal representative or a person expressly delegated or without a signature.

VARIANTS

The variant application must be submitted exclusively online by accessing the provincial agricultural information system SRTrento at https://srt.infotn.it, which can also be reached through the portal https://a4g.provincia.tn.it/.

The following are considered variants: change of beneficiary, change of investment location, substantial technical changes to approved works/purchases, change in the type of approved works/purchases.

Variants resulting in an increase in the amount granted are not permitted.

In the overall assessment of the variants, it is verified that the eligibility requirements and those that led to the approval of the project under the selection criteria are maintained. All changes to the original project that do not entail modifications to the objectives and parameters that made the investment operation eligible for financing and in any case must not alter the functionality of the investment, such as to jeopardise its eligibility for financing.

Variants to the original project are not considered to be detailed modifications or technical improvements, provided they are contained within 20% of the expenditure and provided that the initial purposes of the intervention are maintained.
Variants must be requested in advance, with respect to the execution of the relative works.

The Agricultural Service, after assessing the variant proposals, orders their approval or refusal, notifying the beneficiary.

The application captures the data from the farm file and contains

1. an indication of the scoring titles with reference to the selection criteria that must be reflected in the mandatory documentation to be attached;
2. if required by the urban planning regulations in force, details of the valid urban planning title (building permit or equivalent deed) and, if not already referred to in the urban planning title itself, all other authorisations acquired that are necessary for the realisation of the work
3. the indication that the areas subject to the intervention require an expropriation or land acquisition procedure.

The application shall also contain the declaration in lieu of affidavit, pursuant to Articles 46 and 47 of Presidential Decree no. 445 of 28 December 2000, certifying

1. that, for the initiatives in question, it has not benefited from any other assistance provided for under current European, national, regional or provincial legislation, except within the limits set out in the preceding point 'Compatibility and cumulation with other forms of support and assistance
2. that the firm is not in difficulty, as defined by current Community regulations;
3. that the company is not the recipient of previous aid recoveries declared unlawful by the European Union;
4. that for the plots of land concerned by the initiative, and falling within the consortium's area of competence, any permits required for the implementation of the planned initiative have been acquired
5. that the plots of land concerned by the investment are owned by the applicant (to be activated as an alternative or in combination with the other options referred to in point 6;
6. that it has the availability of the areas in the case of publicly owned infrastructure (to be activated as an alternative or in combination with the other options under point 5;
7. that the interventions covered by this application do not concern the silvopastoral road network classified and regulated pursuant to Article 3, paragraph 3, and Article 4, of Legislative Decree no. 34 of 2018 (Consolidation Act on forests and forestry sectors), except as otherwise defined by the Province with its own regulations (Articles 2, 62 and 100 of Provincial Law no. 11/2007 and the corresponding implementing regulation D.P.P. 3 November 2008, no. 51-158/Leg.), pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, paragraph 4 and Article 5 of the aforesaid decree
8. that, in relation to the initiative being aided, the activity of the applicant body/subject is not carried out as a business and that, therefore, VAT is not deducted (this declaration must be consistent with the investment amounts set out in the SR Trento where the investment costs including or excluding VAT will be shown, depending on what is declared).

The applicant also declares to have read the publicity obligations set out in Regulation (EU) no. 2022/129 and provisions issued by the Managing Authority. The provisions on publicity and information obligations for each individual Intervention are available at https://www.provincia.tn.it/FEASR.

The following must be attached to the application, under penalty of non-admissibility

1. investment project with the contents as set out under TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS INCLUDED, drawn up by a qualified and competent professional in accordance with the professional orders recognised by the regulations in force
2. copy of the minutes or extract thereof, whereby the competent statutory body approves the initiative in accordance with the provisions of the articles of association;
3. illustrative technical report describing the investment for which funding is requested and also containing information useful for the assignment of scores. The allocation of scores must be explained for each of the indicator parameters indicated in the table under "Priority criteria and scores";
4. certification signed by the designer on the necessity or otherwise of drawing up the safety plan pursuant to Legislative Decree 81/08 and subsequent amendments and additions
5. metric-estimative computation showing the cost items of the works in relation to the provincial price list in force of the PAT. In the case of works and works that differ from or are difficult to compare with those referred to in the price lists published in the Official Bulletin of the Region of Trentino-Alto Adige, the values indicated in the project documents shall be adopted, provided that they are justified by the designer on the basis of a price analysis to be attached in the SR Trento or in the documentation accompanying the application;
6. special tender specifications or similar document complete with list of unit prices;
7. authorised design drawings including an extract map of the parcels of land, chorography and photographic documentation and longitudinal profile of the road layout (from which the slope of homogeneous sections may be deduced for the calculation of the weighted average slope and the attribution of the relative score). For preliminary investigation purposes, the person in charge of the procedure, if the digital format of the documents is not sufficiently examinable, may request a copy of the same in hard copy and/or other format;
8. geological report or feasibility opinion drawn up by a qualified technician.

Additional documentation for 1st and 2nd level Land Improvement Consortia only

Within 30 days (which may be extended by a further 30 days upon justified request) from the
receipt of the communication to the applicant by the person in charge of the procedure, of the position in the ranking list eligible for funding, the 1st and 2nd degree land improvement consortia shall submit a "Certificate concerning the financial situation of the beneficiary and the sustainability of the investment", signed by the recognised representation, protection and assistance association or by a registered auditor (to this end, a template may be prepared by the competent Structure). The deadlines for the proceedings shall be suspended from the date of receipt of the aforesaid notice until the date of delivery of the requested documents and, in any case, within the maximum deadline established in the preceding paragraph.

The procedure for granting or refusing the grant is structured as follows

1. approval procedure, by determination of the manager, of a merit ranking of the applications submitted within 45 days starting from the day after the deadline for submitting applications;
2. communication to the applicant of the person in charge of the procedure, of the position in the ranking list eligible for financing and the possible request for regularisation or integration of the documentation for the purposes of the preliminary investigation and the request for the estimated metric calculation on computer support in spreadsheet format (.xls .xlsx .odf);
3. alternatively, a notice will be sent to the applicant of the ineligible position in the ranking list;
4. the procedure concludes with a determination by the Director of the Agricultural Service within 120 days from the approval of the ranking list (days by which the administrative procedure expires) granting or not granting the contribution to the applicant. The act granting the contribution may impose conditions and constraints in relation to the specific investment project;
5. notice of grant/denial of the contribution.

Procedures for assessing aid applications
For all eligible aid applications, the person in charge of the procedure of the Agricultural Service shall verify, by means of administrative checks and possible on-the-spot checks, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2021/2116 and the relevant implementing and delegated acts of the European Commission and national implementing rules, the following requirements

• the presence of the subjective requirements;
• the regularity and completeness of the documentation submitted;
• the eligibility of the scores awarded in the ranking list according to the selection criteria;
• the relevance, functionality and eligibility of the expenses requested with respect to the investment operations;
• the reasonableness and congruity of the eligible expenditure;
• the content of the investment project;
• the amount of the eligible contribution.

The adequacy of the expenditure is determined as follows

• evaluation of the metric-estimative statement showing the items of expenditure of the works in relation to the PAT provincial price list. In the case of works and works that differ from or are difficult to compare with those referred to in the price lists published in the Official Bulletin of the Region of Trentino Alto Adige, the values indicated in the project documents shall be taken, provided that they are justified by the designer on the basis of a price analysis to be attached in the SR Trento or in the documentation accompanying the application. Cost items characterised by an increase with respect to the PAT price list may also be accepted for payment if duly justified by the project designer/manager in the attached report.

The results of the preliminary investigation are defined in a check list signed by the person in charge of the procedure.

PRIORITY CRITERIA AND SCORES

The selection criteria are intended to ensure equal treatment of applicants, better use of financial resources and better match of support with the purposes of the interventions.
The information supporting the priority criteria and proving the score required is contained in the aid application and in the specific declarations relating to the intervention. The scoring requirements must be met by the applicant at the time the application for support is submitted.
The formation of the single ranking list for access to aid applications
submitted shall be drawn up on the basis of the scores awarded, as specified in the table below:

1. The prevalence of road safety works is calculated on the basis of their amount, which must be equal to or greater than half the total sum of the works. The following are taken into consideration as safety works: positioning of guard-rails, retaining works upstream (considering a maximum height of the structures of 1.5 m from the walking surface) and/or downstream of the roads.
2. The average slope is calculated as a weighted average of road sections with homogeneous gradient. A design drawing of the longitudinal profile of the road layout must be submitted in support.
3. For the purposes of the calculation of the farms benefiting from the investment, the holdings are verified in the electronic farm file set up in accordance with Presidential Decree no. 503/99 ss. mm. and ii. For roads serving mountain pastures and/or mountain pasture facilities, the data is supplemented with that relating to the owners of livestock grazed in the last mountain pasture season, as deduced from the BDN (National Database of Livestock Registries set up by the Ministry of Health). All agricultural enterprises eligible for the investment must be indicated by the applicant in the grant application.

Only applications that score no less than 60 points can be financed.

The allocation of points is conditional on the indication of the details of the award certificates. For indicators that refer to the specific purposes, territorial location and territorial impact of the operation, the technical report of the investment shall highlight the information useful for score verification. In the absence of these elements the attribution of the score will be excluded (for interventions aimed at securing the territory and for construction techniques that are more respectful of the environment) or corrected by admitting the minimum value (for the slope of the paths and for the companies benefiting from the intervention).

In the event of a tie, priority will be given to the application with the lowest total budgeted amount per linear metre of the intervention. The application must therefore specify the exact length of the road involved in the planned intervention. In the event of a further tie, applications shall be submitted in chronological order.