2000/114/EC: Commission Decision of 24 January 2000 on the eligibility of expenditure to be incurred by certain Member States in 2000 for the purpose of introducing monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy (notified under document number C(2000) 71)

COMMISSION DECISION
of 24 January 2000
on the eligibility of expenditure to be incurred by certain Member States in 2000 for the purpose of introducing monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy
(notified under document number C(2000) 71)
(2000/114/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 95/527/EC of 8 December 1995 on a Community financial contribution towards certain expenditure incurred by the Member States in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy(1), and in particular Article 6 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The Commission has received five-year programmes from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom that describe the controls they intend to operate between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2000.
(2) These Member States have sent the Commission applications for a financial contribution towards the expenditure referred to in Article 2 of Decision 95/527/EC and planned for 2000.
(3) Some applications cover investment expenditure for the purchase or modernisation of vessels, aircraft, land vehicles, systems to locate and record fishing activities and systems to record, manage and trasmit data on the controls, including computer and software applications.
(4) Some applications relate to expenditure for specific measures designed to improve the quality and effectiveness of the monitoring of fishing and related activities.
(5) Some applications relate to expenditure for the training of national officials involved in control activities; Commission Decision 96/286/EC of 11 April 1996 laying down detailed rules for the application of Decision 95/527/EC on a Community financial contribution towards certain expenditure incurred by the Member States in implementing the monitoring and control systems applicable to the common fisheries policy(2) lays down rules for determining the amount of eligible expenditure for training.
(6) Some applications also cover expenditure for trying out or introducing new technology to improve the monitoring of fishing activity and related activities, which can accordingly qualify for a higher rate of Community contribution under the second subparagraph of Article 3(2) of Decision 95/527/EC; priority should be given, within the annual budget allocation earmarked for these measures, to reimbursing investment costs associated with saltellite monitoring systems in view of their importance for monitoring fishing activities.
(7) Provision should be made for a higher rate of Community contribution to be granted to Ireland under the second subparagraph of Article 3(3) of Decision 95/527/EC for some of its investment and operating expenditure to take account of the checks needed to ensure compliance with the system for the management of fishing effort.
(8) This expenditure will help to mobilise monitoring resources for the proper application of the common fisheries policy.
(9) The eligibility of the planned expenditure, the rate of the Community contribution and the conditions that may be attached to the grant of the financial contribution should be established.
(10) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,