# Commission Implementing Decision of 9 December 2013 on an additional financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries            control programmes for 2013 (notified under document C(2013) 8576) (Only the Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English,            Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish            texts are authentic) (2013/762/EU)         

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U.K.

# Commission Implementing Decision

# of 9 December 2013

# on an additional financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control programmes for 2013

# (notified under document C(2013) 8576)

# (Only the Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese,                        Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)                     

# (2013/762/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)Based upon the requests for Union co-financing that have been submitted by Member States in their fisheries control programmes                              for 2013, the Commission has adopted Implementing Decision 2013/410/EU of 10 July 2013 on a Union financial contribution towards                              Member States’ fisheries control programmes for 2013(2), which has left some of the 2013 budget available unused.

(2)That unused part of the 2013 budget should now be allocated by a new Decision.

(3)In conformity with Article 21(2) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006, Member States have been asked to submit programmes related                              to additional funding in the priority areas as defined by the Commission in its letter to Member States of 7 June 2013, i.e.                              projects aiming at adaptation of the Electronic Recording and Reporting Systems (ERS) in Member States in order to cater for                              the future obligation to land all catches including adaptation of Member States databases, interoperability of the ERS systems,                              measurement of engine power, and traceability of fishery products. Requirements to be met by operators and/or Member States                              carrying out investments in traceability projects were defined by the Commission in its letter to Member States of 14 May                              2012.

(4)On that basis and given budgetary constraints, requests in the programmes for Union funding related to actions such as training                              and initiatives raising awareness on the common fisheries policy rules have been rejected, since they were not dedicated to                              the priority areas defined above. Within the priority areas indicated by the Commission, not all the projects in the programmes                              could be retained, due to budgetary restraints. The Commission had to select the projects to be co-financed on the basis of                              an evaluation of their conformity with the defined priorities.

(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(3).

(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(4).

(7)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.

(8)In order to encourage investment in the priority actions defined by the Commission and in view of the negative impact of the                              financial crisis on Member States’ budgets, expenditure related to the above-mentioned 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, projects co-financed on the basis of this decision should comply with all the relevant                              provision of Union legislation and, in particular with 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 1U.K.Subject matter

This Decision provides for an additional Union financial contribution towards expenditure incurred by Member States for 2013                     in implementing 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. It establishes the amount of the Union financial contribution for each Member State,                     the rate of the Union financial contribution and the conditions on which such contribution may be granted.                  

## Article 2U.K.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. Unused budgetary appropriations related                     to this Decision shall be de-committed at the latest by 31 December 2018.                  

## Article 3U.K.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, 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 EU 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. 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(5) and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.                  

4.Projects BG/13/02 related to Omega gauges, EL/13/10 related to tablets to be used for inspection purposes and PT/13/08 related                        to weighing equipment, which are 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 4U.K.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.In order to qualify for the financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1, automatic localisation devices shall satisfy                        the requirements laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.                  

## Article 5U.K.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 interoperability of ERS systems between Member States as well as to enable the implementation of the obligation to                     land all catches (‘discard ban’), shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the                     limits laid down in that Annex.                  

## Article 6U.K.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 7U.K.Total maximum Union contribution per Member State

The planned expenditure, the eligible share thereof, and the maximum Union contribution per Member State are set as follows:

## Article 8U.K.Addressees

This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia,                     Ireland, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, the Republic of Croatia, the Italian Republic,                     the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland,                     the Portuguese Republic, Romania, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and                     Northern Ireland.                  

Done at Brussels, 9 December 2013.

*For the Commission*                            

Maria Damanaki                            

*Member of the Commission*                            

## ANNEX IU.K.

### **NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND IT NETWORKS**

## ANNEX IIU.K.

### **AUTOMATIC LOCALISATION DEVICES**

## ANNEX IIIU.K.

### **ELECTRONIC RECORDING AND REPORTING SYSTEMS**

## ANNEX VU.K.

### **PILOT PROJECTS**

## ANNEX VIU.K.

### **AMOUNTS RELATED TO TRAINING AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES AND TO INITIATIVES RAISING AWARENESS OF CFP RULES THAT WERE REJECTED**

1

OJ L 160, 14.6.2006, p. 1.                           

2

OJ L 204, 31.7.2013, p. 54.                           

3

OJ L 112, 30.4.2011, p. 1.                           

4

OJ L 97, 12.4.2007, p. 30.                           

5

OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 1.