COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 804/94 of 11 April 1994 laying down certain detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 as regards forest-fire information systems
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community's forests against fire (1), and in particular Article 5 (3) thereof,
Whereas, in accordance with Article 5 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92, the aims of setting up a system of information on forest fires are the promotion of exchanges of information on forest fires, the ongoing evaluation of the impact of measures taken by Member States and the Commission to protect forests against fire, the evaluation of the periods, degree and causes of risk and the development of strategies for the protection of forests against fire, with particular emphasis on the elimination or reduction of causes;
Whereas information on the assessment of the effectiveness of measures, as provided for in Article 5 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 must serve in the drafting of the progress report provided for in Article 10 (3);
Whereas, to comply with the abovementioned standard objectives, Member States must at least collect a set of data consisting of information, comparable at Community level and accessible at specified regular intervals, hereinafter called 'the minimum core of information on forest fires';
Whereas such data must be progressively harmonized at Community level and the common core must evolve, on the basis, in particular, of the close cooperation in the field between the Member States and the Commission within the Standing Forestry Committee, in such a way as to avoid disruption of existing national systems for collecting data on forest fires; whereas, to that end, the chronological sequence in the collecting of certain data for the common core should be specified;
Whereas, to qualify for a Community contribution to the establishment of information systems, Member States must at least comply with the minimum core of information on forest fires;
Whereas the conditions under which applications for a contribution are admissible for examination in the light of the objectives laid down in Article 5 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 should be laid down;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Forestry Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. Member States shall collect a set of information on forest fires enabling them to meet the objectives laid down in Article 5 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92.
2. The set of information shall contain at least a number of standard items, comparable at Community level, hereinafter called the 'minimum common core of information on forest fires', as set out in Annex I.
3. The collection of such a set of information may be confined to high and medium-risk areas in the Member States.
4. Each year from the date of entry into force of this Regulation Member States shall make the common-core data available to the Commission.
5. On application by the Member States in justified cases, time limits for making the common core data available may be extended.
6. The detailed technical rules for the application of this Article shall be as set out in Annex I.
Article 2
1. Applications for financial aid for the implementation of the collection of the set of information referred to in Article 1 (1), improvement of such collection or extension thereof to areas not yet covered must contain the details and documents listed in Annex II.
2. Applications which fail to satisfy the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 shall not be considered.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 11 April 1994.