COMMISSION DECISION
of 23 November 2010
on an additional Union financial contribution for 2010 towards expenditure incurred by Member States for certain projects in the field of fisheries control, inspection and surveillance
(notified under document C(2010) 7996)
(Only the Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish texts are authentic)
(2010/711/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-finance that have been submitted by Member States in their fisheries control programmes for 2010, the Commission has adopted Decision 2010/352/EU (2), which has left some of the 2010 budget available for fisheries control unused.
(2)
That unused part of the 2010 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 defined by the Commission, i.e. automation and management of data, new technologies, and seminars in the area of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(4)
On that basis requests in the programmes for Union funding related to actions such as pilot projects, training and exchange programmes as well as the construction of patrol vessels and aircrafts, have been rejected since they were not dedicated to the priority areas defined above.
(5)
Within the priority areas indicated by the Commission, not all the eligible expenditure in the programmes could be retained, due to budgetary restraints. The Commission selected the projects to be co-financed on the grounds that they were in conformity with the priorities defined by the Commission. Concerning electronic recording and reporting devices, a priority was given to devices combining ERS and VMS functions
(6)
Applications concerning actions listed in Article 8(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 may qualify for Union funding.
(7)
Applications for Union funding are to comply with the rules set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 391/2007 (3).
(8)
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.
(9)
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 abovementioned priority areas should benefit from a high co-financing rate, within the limits laid down in Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006.
(10)
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 (4).
(11)
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 (5).
(12)
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 2010 towards expenditure incurred by Member States for 2010 in implementing certain projects on 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 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 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 2014. 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 2015.
Article 3
New technologies and IT networks
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.
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 limited to 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 Regulation (EC) No 2244/2003.
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 limited to 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 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 4 500.
Article 7
Initiatives raising awareness of CFP rules
Expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred to in Annex V, 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 illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to implement the new control Regulation, shall qualify for a financial contribution of 90 % of the eligible expenditure, within the limits laid down in that Annex.
Article 8
Total maximum Union contribution per Member State
The total planned expenditure, the total expenditure for projects selected under this Decision, and the total maximum Union contribution per Member State allocated under this Decision are as follows:
(in EUR)
Member State
Expenditure planned in the additional national fisheries control programme for 2010
Expenditure for projects selected under this Decision
Maximum Union contribution
Belgium
235 000
222 500
195 000
Denmark
2 284 608
907 124
816 412
Germany
1 367 695
1 151 035
1 035 932
Estonia
161 803
89 835
80 852
Ireland
2 145 000
580 000
330 000
Greece
9 150 000
1 800 000
1 620 000
Spain
400 000
0
0
France
7 429 203
2 424 000
2 181 600
Italy
10 890 000
4 040 000
3 636 000
Cyprus
100 000
70 000
63 000
Latvia
11 459
0
0
Malta
358 029
8 460
7 614
Netherlands
2 085 000
157 500
141 750
Poland
1 091 633
922 493
830 243
Portugal
3 105 763
2 408 000
1 354 500
Romania
30 500
0
0
Sweden
1 674 595
103 541
93 187
United Kingdom
1 610 375
1 178 824
1 060 940
Total
44 130 664
16 063 311
13 447 030
Article 9
Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, 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 Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, Romania, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Done at Brussels, 23 November 2010.