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1. The EDF Committee established by Article 8 of the Internal Agreement shall give its opinion in accordance with the procedure set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article. An observer from the EIB shall take part in the EDF Committee's proceedings with regard to questions concerning the EIB.

2. The EDF Committee's tasks shall cover the responsibilities laid down in Titles II and III of this Regulation:

(a) programming of Union aid under the 11th EDF and programming reviews focusing in particular on country, regional and intra-ACP strategies; and (b) monitoring the implementation and evaluation of Union aid, covering amongst others the impact of assistance on the reduction of poverty, sectoral aspects, cross-cutting issues, the functioning of field-level coordination with Member States and other donors and progress on the aid effectiveness principles referred to in Article 2. For budget support programmes on which the EDF Committee expressed a positive opinion but that are suspended during implementation, the Commission shall inform the Committee in advance about the suspension and the subsequent decision to resume disbursements. Each Member State can invite the Commission at any moment to provide the EDF Committee with information and to have an exchange of views on issues related to the tasks referred to in this paragraph. Such an exchange of views may lead to the formulation of recommendations by the Member States, which the Commission shall take into account.

3. When the EDF Committee is called upon to give its opinion, the representative of the Commission shall submit to the EDF Committee within the time limits set out in the Council Decision on the rules of procedures of the EDF Committee referred to in Article 8(5) of the Internal Agreement, a draft of the measures to be taken. The EDF Committee shall deliver its opinion within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter but which shall not exceed 30 days. The EIB shall take part in the exchange of views. The opinion shall be delivered by the qualified majority laid down in Article 8(3) of the Internal Agreement on the basis of the votes of the Member States weighted in the manner set out in Article 8(2) of the Internal Agreement. When the EDF Committee has delivered its opinion, the Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if those measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the EDF Committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In such a case, the Commission shall defer the application of the measures for a period which shall in principle not exceed 30 days from the date of such communication, but which may be prolonged for a period of up to 30 days in exceptional circumstances. The Council, acting by the same qualified majority as the EDF Committee, may take a different decision within this period.

4. On duly justified imperative grounds of urgency as provided for in Article 7(4) and Article 9(4), the Commission shall adopt the measures which shall apply immediately, without prior submission to the EDF Committee, and which shall remain in force for the duration of the adopted or modified document, action programme or measure. At the latest 14 days after its adoption, the chair shall submit the measures to the EDF Committee in order to obtain its opinion. In the event of the EDF Committee delivering a negative opinion in line with paragraph 3 of this Article, the Commission shall immediately repeal the measures adopted in accordance with the first subparagraph of this paragraph.