2012/830/EU: Commission Implementing Decision of 7 December 2012 on an additional financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control, inspection and surveillance programmes for 2012 (notified under document C(2012) 8967)

22.12.2012 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 356/78
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 7 December 2012
on an additional financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control, inspection and surveillance programmes for 2012
(notified under document C(2012) 8967)
(Only the Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)
(2012/830/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-financing that have been submitted by Member States in their fisheries control programmes for 2012, the Commission has adopted Implementing Decision 2012/294/EU of 25 May 2012 on a Union financial contribution towards Member States’ fisheries control, inspection and surveillance programmes for 2012 (2), which has left some of the 2012 budget available unused.
(2) That unused part of the 2012 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 in its letter to Member States of 25 April 2012, i.e. projects aiming at improvements in the control system of a Member State as jointly identified by the Member State and the Commission, measurement of engine power, and traceability of fishery products. Requirements to be met by operators and/or Member States carrying out investments in traceability projects were defined by the Commission in its letter of 14 May 2012.
(4) On that basis and given budgetary constraints, requests in the programmes for Union funding related to actions such as pilot projects, the construction or modernisation of patrol vessels and aircrafts, and those training projects having no link with improvements to be brought in the control systems of Member States have been rejected since they were not dedicated to the priority areas defined above. Within the priority areas indicated by the Commission, not all the projects in the programmes could be retained, due to budgetary restraints. The Commission had to select the projects to be co-financed on the basis of the improvements to be brought in the control systems of Member States and of the requirements defined by the Commission for traceability. Applications concerning actions listed in Article 8(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 may qualify for Union funding.
(5) As to traceability projects, it is important to ensure that they are developed on the basis of internationally recognised standards, as required by Article 67(8) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 (3).
(6) 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 of 11 April 2007 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 861/2006 as regards the expenditure incurred by Member States in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the Common Fisheries Policy (4).
(7) The Commission has assessed the projects whose cost does not exceed EUR 40 000 VAT excluded, and has retained those for which it is justified to provide for Union co-financing in the light of the improvements they are likely to bring to the control system of the applicant Member States.
(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, projects co-financed on the basis of this Regulation should comply with all the relevant provision of Union legislation and, in particular with Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.
(11) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,