Summary information on State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1595/2004 of  8 September 2004  on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production, processing and marketing of fisheries products   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2006-02-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, State aid, control of State aid, fishing industry

17.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 40/7

Summary information on State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1595/2004 of 8
September 2004 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and
medium-sized enterprises active in the production, processing and marketing of fisheries products

(2006/C 40/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

— research and development:

Aid No: XF 4/2005

Member State: Italy

Title of aid scheme: Programming Agreement drawn up
between the Veneto regional administration and Veneto
regional trade groups within the fishing industry (Federcoopesca,
Lega pesca and AGCI)

Legal basis: Normative di riferimento: Legge n. 41 del 17.2.82
— VIo Piano Triennale della Pesca e dell'Acquacoltura 2000-
2002, approvato con Decreto Ministeriale 25 maggio 2000
(GU del 27 luglio 2000, n. 174)

Expenditure (overall amount and per year):

The overall funding required to implement the Programming
Agreement totals EUR 1 113 606. This was allocated to the
regional budget under expenditure heading 100038, expendi-
ture for activities provided for under the Sixth Three-year Plan
for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2000-03 under Law of 17
February 1982, in accordance with the Decreti Ministeriali 29
December 2000 and 1 August 2002 (for 2000 and 2001).

Given that
amount is EUR 556 803.

the aid scheme runs for two years,

the yearly

Intensity of aid: The percentage of aid granted to the regional
recipient groups within Federcoopesca, Lega pesca and AGCI Pesca
for the measures set out in the Programming Agreement is set
at 100 % of the eligible expenditure incurred by groups to
carry out schemes of common interest whose results are
published.

Date of implementation: Implementation will commence on
the date the aid scheme is published in the Official Journal of the
European Union

Duration of scheme: two years

Objectives of aid:

— fishery resources and monitoring fishery activities:

initiatives designed to raise awareness amongst fishermen in
the Veneto on topical environmental concerns through
regular information and training on issues affecting the
sector in terms of a reduction in the fishing effort;

— product marketing:

initiatives designed to wind-down the in-shore fishing effort
by promoting and consolidating related and/or alternative
activities to fishing, starting with recreational fishing and
organic aquaculture.

The above-mentioned objectives are in line with those recently
set by the EU in its policy on fisheries and aquaculture.

Eligible costs covered by the scheme:

The measures are based on the type of aid listed in Regulation
(EC) No 1595/2004, Article 4, (Aid for producer groups or asso-
ciations or members of the trade).

Eligible costs that the scheme was calculated on are based on
the provisions in Regulations (EC) Nos 2792/99, 1685/2000
(as amended by Regulation (EC) No 448/2004) and 438/2001.

The provision of technical/economic assistance and consultancy
services for technical and IT management
is therefore in
keeping with Commission Decision 2001/C/19/05, paragraphs
2.1.1 and 2.1.2.

The planned budget for carrying out these measures does not
exceed what is strictly needed in order to achieve the objec-
tives.

Aid for technical and economic training of fishery personnel,
aid for disseminating new techniques and for
technical/
economic assistance are exclusively aimed at raising awareness
amongst fishery trade groups on issues relating to sustainable
management and conservation of fishery resources for a signifi-
cant and positive impact on the environment.

Support for individual enterprises is eligible, although these
may only be granted compensation for expenses incurred in
connection with carrying out planned measures.

Information on aid scheme and explanatory remarks:

organising and/or participating in trade shows and confer-
ences and producing information (e.g. CD ROMs, posters
and publications);

Programming Agreement drawn up between the Veneto
regional administration and Veneto regional fishing industry
trade groups within Federcoopesca, Lega pesca and AGCI.

C 40/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

17.2.2006

The legal basis for implementing this agreement at regional
level is Law No 41 of 17 February 1982 and the Sixth Three-
year Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2000-02, approved by
Decreto Ministeriale of 25 May 2000 (Italian State Gazette No
174 of 27 July 2000). The Agreement is funded by resources
allocated by central government to the Veneto (Decreti Minister-
iali of 29 December 2000 and 1 August 2002).

The measures contained in the Programming Agreement are in
line with Regulation (EC) No 2792/99, Article 15(2) — Opera-
tions by members of the trade. This paragraph stipulates that
‘the Member States may encourage short-term operations of
collective interest with a broader
scope than operations
normally undertaken by private businesses, carried out with the
active contribution of members of the trade themselves or
carried out by organisations acting on behalf of the producers
or by other organisations having been recognised by the
management authority, and serving to attain the objectives of
the common fisheries policy’.

The aid covers the provisions contained in Law No 41/82 and
in subsequent three-year plans for Fisheries and Aquaculture,
which give trade groups the role of implementing Program-
ming Agreements that target the following objectives:

— to obtain the best return from regional fishery products;

— to safeguard and foster employment;

— to protect natural resources in coastal areas.

The Programming Agreements approved by national legislation
as detailed above are also implemented at regional level given
the following considerations:

— the special historic and social value of trade groups in the
fisheries sector in Veneto, both as representative of the
overall business fabric of
the Region and in terms of
economic importance;

— the need to strengthen the role of associations to steer and
manage business restructuring, in light of the priorities set
in the Sixth Three-year Plan for Fisheries;

development assistance)
fish-
ermen, until the proper authorised centres for assistance —
similar to the well-established system of agricultural services
— have been set up.

to support all commercial

Recipient groups must provide their competent regional tech-
nical office with the following information by the deadline set
in the Programming Agreement:

— annual business plans, for scrutiny and approval by the
regional authorities, together with statements concerning
effective operational capacity;

— biannual

technical progress

reports on the approved
Programming Agreement
intermediate
results and any other information relevant to the biannual
audit of work carried out);

incurred,

(costs

— final

reports

technical

(and corresponding statements of
accounts) no later than 15 days after the annual programme
ends, as provided for in the Programming Agreement,
along with supporting documents (duly paid invoices and a
copy of bank statements recording these transactions).

Competent regional authority:

Regione Veneto — Segreteria del Settore Primario
Unità Complessa Politiche Faunistico-Venatorie e della Pesca
Via Torino 110 — I-30172 Mestre — Venezia;

Telephone No (Segreteria dell'Unità Complessa Politiche Faunistico-
Venatorie e della Pesca):

(39-41) 279 55 30, Fax: (39-41) 279 55 04.
e-mail: cacciapesca@regione.veneto.it

Lead manager:

Mr Mario Richieri (Tel. (39-41) 279 55 81)
e-mail: mario.richieri@regione.veneto.it

Lead official:

— the need to assign to these associations a range of practical
tasks covering production services (marketing, publishing,

Mr Diego Tessari (Tel. (39-41) 279 55 15)
e-mail: diego.tessari@regione.veneto.it