2001/461/EC: Commission Decision of 15 June 2001 conferring management of aid on implementing agencies for pre-accession measures in agriculture and rural development in the Republic of Estonia in the pre-accession period (notified under document number C(2001) 1649)
Date: 2001-06-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, Estonia, accession to the European Union, aid system, aid to agriculture, rural development

19.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 162/19

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 15 June 2001

conferring management of aid on implementing agencies for pre-accession measures in agriculture
and rural development in the Republic of Estonia in the pre-accession period

(notified under document number C(2001) 1649)

(2001/461/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to the Council Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999
of 21 June 1999 on coordinating aid to the applicant countries
in the framework of the pre-accession strategy and amending
Regulation (EEC) No 3906/1989 (1), and in particular Article
12(2) thereof,

Having regard to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2222/
2000 of 7 June 2000 laying down financial rules for the
application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 on
Community support for pre-accession measures for agriculture
and rural development in the applicant countries of central and
eastern Europe in the pre-accession period (2), and in particular
Article 3(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

In accordance with Article 4(5) of Regulation (EC) No
1268/1999 of 21 June 1999 on Community support for
pre-accession measures for agriculture and rural devel-
in the Applicant Countries of central and
opment
a
eastern Europe
Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development was
approved by Commission Decision C(2000) 3321 final
on 17 November 2000 for the Republic of Estonia.

in the pre-accession period (3),

(2)

The government of the Republic of Estonia and the
the European
acting on behalf of
Commission,
Community, have signed on 25 January 2001 the Multi-

(1) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 68.
(2) OJ L 253, 7.10.2000, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 87.

(3)

(4)

(5)

annual Financing Agreement laying down the technical,
legal and administrative framework for the execution of
the SAPARD Programme.

Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999 provides that the ex-ante
approval requirement referred to in article 12(1) of
Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999 may be waived on the
basis of a case-by-case analysis of national and sectorial
programme/project management
financial
regarding public
control procedures and structures
finance; Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000 provides for
detailed rules for the carrying out of said analysis.

capacity,

The Competent authority of the Republic of Estonia has
appointed, on the one hand, the Agricultural Registers and
Information Board for the implementation of measures
‘Investment support in agricultural holdings’; ‘Investment
support for improving the processing and marketing of
agricultural and fishery products’;
‘Investment support
for the development and diversification of economic
activities’ and ‘Investment support for the development
and the improvement of rural infrastructure’ as defined
in the Programme for Agriculture and Rural Develop-
ment
that was approved by Commission Decision
C(2000) 3321 final on 17 November 2000 for the
Republic of Estonia and, on the other, the Ministry of
Finance, National Fund Department for the financial func-
tions it is due to perform in the framework of the
implementation of the SAPARD programme.

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999 and Regula-
tion (EC) No 2222/2000, the Commission has analysed
programme/project
the

sectorial

national

and

L 162/20

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

19.6.2001

for

the implementation of

management capacity, financial control procedures and
structures regarding public finance and has established
that
the aforementioned
measures, the Republic of Estonia complies with the
provisions of Articles 4 to 6 and of the Annex to the
Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000, with the minimum
conditions set out in the Annex to the Regulation (EC)
No 1266/1999;
in particular, the Agricultural Registers
and Information Board has implemented the following key
accreditation criteria satisfactorily: written procedures,
segregation of duties, pre-project approval and pre-
payment
accounting
checks, payment procedures,
procedures, computer security and internal audit; the
Ministry of Finance, National Fund Department has imple-
mented the following criteria satisfactorily: audit trail,
treasury management, receipt of funds, disbursement to
the Agricultural Registers and Information Board, computer
security and internal audit.
It is therefore appropriate to waive the ex-ante approval
requirement referred to in article 12(1) of Regulation
(EC) No 1266/1999 and to confer on the Agricultural
Registers and Information Board and the Ministry of Finance,
National Fund Department in the Republic of Estonia the
management of aid on a decentralised basis.
However, since the verifications carried out by the
Commission are based on an operational but not oper-
ating system and that
is therefore appropriate to
confer the management of the SAPARD Programme on
the Agricultural Registers and Information Board and on the
Ministry of Finance, National Fund Department on a provi-
sional basis, so that full conferral of management of the
SAPARD Programme is only envisaged after further veri-
fications in order to ensure that the system operates
satisfactorily have been carried out and after any recom-
mendations the Commission may issue, with regard to
the conferral of management of aid on the Agricultural
Registers and Information Board and on the Ministry of

it

(6)

(7)

Finance, National Fund Department, have been imple-
mented,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The requirement of ex-ante approval by the Commission of
project selection and contracting by the Republic of Estonia is
hereby waived.

Article 2

for

support

‘Investment

Management of the SAPARD Programme is conferred on a
provisional basis to the Agricultural Registers and Information
Board, Kreutzwaldi Str. 1, 51014 Tartu, Republic of Estonia for
the implementation of measures ‘Investment support in agricul-
tural holdings’;
improving the
processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products’;
‘Investment support for the development and diversification of
economic activities’ and ‘Investment support for the develop-
ment and the improvement of rural infrastructure’ as defined in
the Programme for Agricultural and Rural Development that
was approved by Commission Decision C(2000) 3321 final on
17 November 2000 and to the Ministry of Finance, National
Fund Department, Suur-Ameerika 1, 15006, Tallinn, Republic of
Estonia, for the financial functions it is due to perform in the
framework of the implementation of the SAPARD programme
for the Republic of Estonia.

Done at Brussels, 15 June 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission