COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 10 July 2013
on a Union financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control programmes for 2013
(notified under document C(2013) 4256)
(Only the Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)
(2013/410/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 of 22 May 2006 establishing Community financial measures for the implementation of the common fisheries policy and in the area of the Law of the Sea (1), and in particular Article 21 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
The Commission, in its letter of 9 October 2012, defined the priority areas to be funded by the Union in the framework of fisheries control programmes. Those priority areas include improvements in the control system of a Member State, measurements of engine power, and the traceability of fishery products. The Commission also specified in its letter of 14 May 2012 the requirements to be met by operators and Member States when carrying out investments in traceability projects.
(2)
Member States have submitted to the Commission their fisheries control programme for 2013, in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006, inclusive of the applications for a Union financial contribution towards the expenditure to be incurred in carrying out the projects contained in such programme.
(3)
On that basis and given budgetary constraints, requests in the programmes for Union funding related to non-priority actions such as installation of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) on board fishing vessels, those training projects having no link with improvements to be brought in the control systems of Member States, as well as the purchase or modernisation of fisheries patrol vessels and aircraft were rejected since they were not dedicated to the priority areas.
(4)
It is appropriate to fix the maximum amounts and the rate of the Union financial contribution within the limits set by Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 and to lay down the conditions under which such contribution may be granted.
(5)
As to traceability projects, it is important to ensure that they are developed on the basis of internationally recognised standards, as required by Article 67(8) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 of 8 April 2011 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (2).
(6)
The applications for Union funding have been assessed with regard to their compliance with the rules set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 391/2007 of 11 April 2007 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 as regards the expenditure incurred by Member States in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy (3).
(7)
The Commission has assessed the projects whose cost does not exceed EUR 40 000 VAT excluded, and has retained those for which it is justified to provide for Union co-financing in the light of the improvements they are likely to bring to the control system of the applicant Member States.
(8)
In order to encourage investment in the priority areas defined by the Commission and in view of the negative impact of the financial crisis on Member States’ budgets, expenditure related to those priority areas should benefit from a high co-financing rate, within the limits laid down in Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006.
(9)
In order to qualify for the contribution, automatic localisation devices as well as electronic recording and reporting devices on board fishing vessels should satisfy the requirements established by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.
(10)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
Subject matter
This Decision provides for a Union financial contribution for 2013 towards expenditure incurred by Member States for 2013 in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy (CFP), as referred to in Article 8(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006.
Article 2
Closure of outstanding commitments
All payments in respect of which a reimbursement is claimed shall be made by the Member State concerned by 30 June 2017. Payments made by a Member State after that deadline shall not be eligible for reimbursement. The budgetary appropriations related to this Decision shall be decommitted at the latest by 31 December 2018.
Article 3
New technologies and IT networks
1. Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex I, on the setting up of new technologies and IT networks in order to allow efficient and secure collection and management of data in connection with monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries activities as well as on the verification of engine power, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in that Annex.
2. As far as traceability projects are concerned, the Union contribution shall be limited to EUR 1 000 000 in case of investments carried out by Member State authorities, and to EUR 250 000 in case of private investments. A maximum of two projects by private operator may be accepted per Member State and per financing decision. The total number of traceability projects carried out by private operators shall be limited to eight per Member State and per financing decision.
3. In order to qualify for the financial contribution referred to in paragraph 2, all projects co-financed according to this Decision shall satisfy the applicable requirements laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 (4) and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.
4. Any other expenditure incurred in respect of projects referred to in Annex I shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure within the limits laid down in that Annex.
Article 4
Automatic localisation devices
1. Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex II, on the purchase and fitting on board of fishing vessels of automatic localisation devices enabling vessels to be monitored at a distance by a fisheries monitoring centre through a vessel monitoring system (VMS) shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits established in that Annex.
2. The financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be calculated on the basis of a price capped at EUR 2 500 per vessel.
3. In order to qualify for the financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1, automatic localisation devices shall satisfy the requirements laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2244/2003 (5).
Article 5
Electronic recording and reporting systems
Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex III, on the development, purchase, and installation of, as well as technical assistance for, the components necessary for electronic recording and reporting systems (ERS), in order to allow efficient and secure data exchange related to monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries activities, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in that Annex.
Article 6
Electronic recording and reporting devices
1. Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex IV, on the purchase and fitting on board of fishing vessels of ERS devices, enabling vessels to record and report electronically to a Fisheries Monitoring Centre data on fisheries activities, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits established in that Annex.
2. The financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be calculated on the basis of a price capped at EUR 3 000 per vessel, without prejudice to paragraph 4.
3. In order to qualify for a financial contribution, ERS devices shall satisfy the requirements established in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.
4. In case of devices combining ERS and VMS functions, and fulfilling the requirements laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011, the financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be calculated on the basis of a price capped at EUR 4 500 per vessel.
Article 7
Pilot projects
Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex V, on pilot projects on new control technologies shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in that Annex.
Article 8
Maximum Union contribution
The maximum Union contribution per Member State shall be as follows:
(EUR)
Member State
Expenditure planned in the national fisheries control programme
Expenditure for projects selected under this Decision
Maximum Union contribution
Belgium
1 369 250
1 369 250
1 232 325
Bulgaria
15 339
15 339
13 805
Denmark
6 801 633
5 226 502
4 691 350
Germany
17 502 400
4 291 800
3 794 200
Estonia
280 000
280 000
252 000
Ireland
1 200 000
1 200 000
1 080 000
Greece
1 370 029
1 370 029
1 153 026
Spain
12 186 266
9 137 042
7 562 370
France
5 373 796
5 363 796
4 811 416
Italy
7 480 000
2 160 000
1 944 000
Cyprus
600 000
600 000
540 000
Latvia
192 735
192 735
173 462
Lithuania
389 539
389 539
350 585
Malta
1 375 002
1 228 802
636 605
Netherlands
3 264 205
2 389 410
2 142 252
Poland
3 422 251
3 322 251
2 990 026
Portugal
1 608 900
703 500
633 150
Romania
769 000
419 000
313 100
Slovenia
315 100
293 400
241 500
Finland
1 682 500
1 682 500
1 514 250
Sweden
1 392 838
1 392 838
1 253 555
United Kingdom
1 039 444
1 039 444
816 423
Total
69 630 227
44 067 177
38 139 400
Article 9
Addresses
This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, Ireland, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Done at Brussels, 10 July 2013.