COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 11 July 2011
on a Union financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control, inspection and surveillance programmes for 2011
(notified under document C(2011) 4852)
(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)
(2011/431/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)
Member States have submitted to the Commission their fisheries control programmes for 2011, 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.
(2)
Applications concerning actions listed in Article 8(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 may qualify for Union funding.
(3)
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 (2).
(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)
In order to encourage investment in the priority actions defined by the Commission in its letter of 6 December 2010 (3), which announced that priority and higher contribution rates would be given to projects required by the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy (4), and in view of the negative impact of the financial crisis on Member States’ budgets, expenditure related to automation and management of data, electronic recording and reporting systems, electronic recording and reporting devices (ERS) and vessel monitoring systems (VMS), as well as to traceability and control of engine power 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 encourage investments in the priorities defined by the Commission and given budgetary constraints, all the Member States’ applications for a Union financial contribution towards projects related to training, to initiatives raising awareness of CFP rules as well as to the purchase and modernisation of fisheries patrol vessels and aircraft were rejected.
(7)
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 (5).
(8)
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 (6).
(9)
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 towards expenditure incurred by Member States in 2011 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.
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 2015. 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 2016.
Article 3
New technologies & 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. Any other expenditure incurred, in respect of projects referred 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 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 calculated on the basis of a price capped at EUR 3 000 per vessel, without prejudice of paragraph 4.
3. In order to qualify for a financial contribution, ERS devices shall satisfy the requirements established pursuant to 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 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
Total maximum Union contribution per Member State
The planned expenditure, the eligible share thereof, and the maximum Community contribution per Member State are as follows:
(EUR)
Member State
Expenditure planned in the national fisheries control programme
Expenditure for projects selected under this Decision
Maximum Union contribution
Belgium
1 362 000
212 000
190 800
Bulgaria
79 251
53 686
48 318
Cyprus
555 000
130 000
105 000
Denmark
8 657 750
5 057 415
4 546 308
Germany
2 967 500
1 771 500
1 575 950
Estonia
459 584
448 280
400 140
Ireland
55 448 000
3 405 000
2 824 500
Greece
7 150 000
4 100 000
3 690 000
Spain
1 351 154
890 751
801 675
France
7 145 920
6 591 920
4 906 008
Italy
25 012 000
5 590 000
3 367 000
Latvia
140 885
140 885
126 796
Lithuania
360 966
149 887
134 899
Malta
159 693
97 885
86 497
Netherlands
932 500
632 500
569 250
Poland
381 565
338 686
304 817
Portugal
5 661 152
1 758 079
1 582 271
Romania
597 000
136 000
94 000
Slovenia
597 800
591 400
531 900
Finland
2 470 000
2 055 000
1 729 500
Sweden
6 574 335
3 847 033
3 284 814
United Kingdom
8 119 733
4 916 541
4 327 317
Total
136 183 788
42 914 447
35 227 760
Article 9
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 Cyprus, 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, 11 July 2011.