COMMISSION DECISION
of 9 October 2009
on a Community financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control, inspection and surveillance programmes for 2009
(notified under document C(2009) 7592)
(Only the Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)
(2009/746/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
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)
Member States have forwarded to the Commission their fisheries control programme for 2009 together with the applications for a Community financial contribution towards the expenditure to be incurred in carrying out the projects contained in such programme.
(2)
Applications concerning actions listed in Article 8(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 may qualify for Community funding.
(3)
Applications for Community funding are to comply with the rules set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 391/2007 (2).
(4)
It is appropriate to fix the maximum amounts and the rate of the Community 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)
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 electronic recording and reporting systems (ERS) and vessel monitoring systems (VMS), as well as to the prevention of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, should benefit from a high co-financing rate, within the limits laid down in Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006.
(6)
In order to qualify for the contribution, automatic localisation devices should satisfy the requirements fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2244/2003 of 18 December 2003 laying down detailed provisions regarding satellite-based Vessel Monitoring Systems (3).
(7)
In order to qualify for the contribution, electronic recording and reporting devices on board fishing vessels should satisfy the requirements laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1077/2008 of 3 November 2008 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1966/2006 on electronic recording and reporting of fishing activities and on means of remote sensing and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1566/2007 (4).
(8)
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 Community financial contribution for 2009 towards expenditure incurred by Member States for 2009 in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy (CFP), as referred to in Article 8(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006. It establishes the amount of the Community financial contribution for each Member State, the rate of the Community financial contribution and the conditions on which such contribution may be granted.
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 2013. 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 2014.
Article 3
New technologies and IT networks
1. Expenditure incurred on the purchase of, installation and technical assistance for, computer technology and setting up of IT networks in order to allow efficient and secure data exchange in connection with monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries activities, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex I.
2. In case of expenditure under Annex I that is related to vessel monitoring systems (VMS), electronic recording and reporting systems (ERS) or illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, the co-finance rate referred to in paragraph 1 is set at 95 %.
Article 4
Automatic localisation devices
1. Expenditure incurred 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 VMS shall qualify for a financial contribution of 95 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits established in Annex II.
2. The financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be limited to EUR 1 500 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 Regulation (EC) No 2244/2003.
Article 5
Electronic recording and reporting systems
Expenditure incurred on the development, purchase, and installation of, as well as technical assistance for, the components necessary for 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 95 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex III.
Article 6
Electronic recording and reporting devices
1. Expenditure incurred 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 95 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits established in Annex IV.
2. The financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 shall be limited to EUR 4 500 per vessel, without prejudice to paragraph 4.
3. In order to qualify for a financial contribution, ERS devices shall satisfy the requirements established under Regulation (EC) No 1077/2008.
4. In case of devices combining ERS and VMS functions, and fulfilling the requirements laid down in Regulations (EC) No 2244/2003 and (EC) No 1077/2008, the financial contribution referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall be limited to EUR 6 000.
Article 7
Pilot projects
Expenditure incurred on pilot projects on new control technologies shall qualify for a financial contribution of 95 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex V.
Article 8
Training and exchange programmes
Expenditure incurred on training and exchange programmes of civil servants responsible for monitoring, control and surveillance tasks in the fisheries area shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex VI.
Article 9
Pilot inspection and observer schemes
Expenditure incurred on pilot inspection and observer schemes shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex VII.
Article 10
Assessment of expenditure
Expenditure incurred on implementing a system to assess expenditure incurred in controlling the common fisheries policy shall qualify for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex VIII.
Article 11
Initiatives raising awareness of CFP rules
Expenditure incurred on initiatives including seminar and media tools aimed at enhancing awareness among fishermen and other players such as inspectors, public prosecutors and judges, as well as among the general public, on the need to fight irresponsible and illegal fishing and on the implementation of common fisheries policy rules, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 75 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in Annex IX.
Article 12
Fisheries patrol vessels and aircraft
1. Expenditure related to the purchase and modernisation of vessels and aircraft used for inspection and surveillance of fishing activities by the competent authorities of the Member States shall qualify, within the limits laid down in Annex X, for a financial contribution of 50 % of the eligible expenditure incurred by Member States.
2. The financial contribution specified for each Member State in Annex X is calculated on the basis of the utilisation of the concerned vessels and aircraft for inspection and surveillance as a percentage of their total yearly activity, as declared by the Member States.
Article 13
Total maximum Community contribution per Member State
The total planned expenditure per Member State, the eligible share thereof, and the total maximum Community contribution per Member State for the actions referred to in Articles 3 to 12 are as follows:
(in EUR)
Member State
Expenditure planned in the national fisheries control programme
Eligible expenditure under this Decision
Community contribution
Belgium
805 000
805 000
764 750
Bulgaria
352 000
362 000
282 250
Denmark
1 945 552
1 945 552
1 667 139
Germany
222 000
278 000
220 000
Estonia
706 000
706 000
645 500
Ireland
120 000
90 000
45 000
Greece
16 867 000
8 928 000
4 735 400
Spain
17 218 103
14 772 123
8 190 517
France
2 631 500
2 333 000
1 049 750
Italy
19 589 925
6 361 340
3 273 170
Lithuania
407 900
407 900
378 300
Malta
1 003 475
1 003 475
922 127
Netherlands
3 145 000
2 750 000
2 560 750
Poland
497 713
468 713
416 479
Portugal
783 500
759 250
629 038
Romania
80 000
80 000
62 500
Finland
920 000
820 000
659 750
Sweden
1 715 000
1 715 000
1 541 750
United Kingdom
4 309 798
3 601 555
2 055 830
Total
73 319 466
48 186 908
30 100 000
Article 14
Addressees
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 Italian Republic, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 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 October 2009.