6.7.2012 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 176/65
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 4 July 2012
concerning a financial contribution by the Union to certain Member States to support voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses
(notified under document C(2012) 4396)
(Only the Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic)
(2012/362/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Decision 2009/470/EC of 25 May 2009 on expenditure in the veterinary field (1), and in particular Article 23 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on honeybee health (2) gives an overview of the Commission’s actions already undertaken and ongoing as regards honeybee health in the EU. The main subject issue of the Communication is the increased mortality of bees observed worldwide.
(2) In 2009 the EFSA project ‘Bee mortality and bee surveillance in Europe’ concluded that the surveillance systems in the EU are, in general, weak and that there is a lack of data at Member States level and a lack of comparable data at EU level.
(3) In order to improve the availability of data on bee mortality it is appropriate to assist and support certain surveillance studies in Member States on honeybee losses.
(4) Commission Implementing Decision 2011/881/EU of 21 December 2011 concerning the adoption of a financing decision to support voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses (3) set aside EUR 3 750 000 as contribution of the European Union for the implementation of the surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses.
(5) The EU reference laboratory (EURL) for bee health presented the document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’ (available at http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/bees/bee_health_en.htm) providing guidance to Member States to elaborate their surveillance studies.
(6) Member States were invited to send to the Commission their programmes for surveillance studies based on the technical document of the EURL for bee health. Twenty Member States have sent their proposals for the surveillance studies. These proposals have been technically and financially evaluated to assess their conformity with the technical document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’.
(7) Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom have drawn up surveillance study programmes on honeybee colony losses in line with the technical document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’ and have requested EU financial support.
(8) A financial contribution should be granted as from 1 April 2012 to the voluntary surveillance study programmes on honeybee colony losses implemented by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
(9) Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (4), veterinary measures are to be financed under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund. For financial control purposes, Articles 9, 36 and 37 of that Regulation are to apply.
(10) The payment of the financial contribution should be subject to the condition that the surveillance study programmes planned have actually been carried out and that the authorities supply all the necessary information to the Commission and to the EU reference laboratory for bee health.
(11) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
1.   The Union shall grant Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom financial assistance for their surveillance study programmes on honeybee colony losses.
2.   The financial contribution by the Union:
(a) shall be at the rate of 70 % of the eligible costs to be incurred by each Member State referred to in paragraph 1 for the surveillance study programmes on honeybee colony losses and specified in Annex I for the period from 1 April 2012 to 30 June 2013;
(b) shall not exceed the following:
1. EUR 62 876 for Belgium;
2. EUR 192 688 for Denmark;
3. EUR 294 230 for Germany;
4. EUR 66 637 for Estonia;
5. EUR 109 931 for Greece;
6. EUR 205 050 for Spain;
7. EUR 529 615 for France;
8. EUR 521 590 for Italy;
9. EUR 147 375 for Latvia;
10. EUR 92 123 for Lithuania;
11. EUR 98 893 for Hungary;
12. EUR 254 108 for Poland;
13. EUR 28 020 for Portugal;
14. EUR 183 337 for Slovakia;
15. EUR 213 986 for Finland;
16. EUR 39 862 for Sweden;
17. EUR 267 482 for the United Kingdom.
(c) shall not exceed EUR 595 per visit of an apiary.
1.   The maximum overall contribution authorised by this Decision for the costs incurred for the programmes referred to in Article 1 is set at EUR 3 307 803 to be financed from the general budget of the European Union.
2.   Expenditure relating to staff costs for performing laboratory tests, sampling, monitoring, consumables and overheads dedicated to the surveillance studies shall be eligible in accordance with the rules set out in Annex III.
3.   The Union’s financial assistance shall be paid following presentation and approval of the reports and supporting documents referred to Article 3(2) and (3).
1.   The programmes shall be carried out in accordance with the technical document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’ (available at http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/bees/bee_health_en.htm) and in accordance with the surveillance study programmes on honeybee colony losses presented by the Member States.
2.   Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom shall submit to the Commission:
— no later than 1 March 2013 an intermediate technical report on the first visit provided for in the surveillance study programme, and
— no later than 31 October 2013 a final technical report on the second and third visits provided for in the surveillance study programme,
— the technical report should be in conformity to a model to be established by the Commission in cooperation with the EU reference laboratory for bee health.
3.   Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom shall submit to the Commission:
— no later than 31 December 2013 a paper version and an electronic version of their financial report drawn up in accordance with Annex II. The supporting documents, evidencing all the expenditure referred to in the application for reimbursement, shall be sent to the Commission on request.
4.   The outcome of the studies shall be made available to the Commission and the EU reference laboratory for bee health.
This Decision is addressed to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Republic, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.