COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION

of 17 November 2014

concerning the amendment of the work programme 2014 covered by Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05 and the adoption of a work programme and a financing for year 2015 in the food and feed area to ensure the application of the food and feed legislation

2014/C 410/04

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002(1), and in particular Article 84 thereof,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 laying down provisions for the management of expenditure relating to the food chain, animal health and animal welfare, and relating to plant health and plant reproductive material, amending Council Directives 98/56/EC, 2000/29/EC and 2008/90/EC, Regulations (EC) No 178/2002, (EC) No 882/2004 and (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Decisions 66/399/EEC, 76/894/EEC and 2009/470/EC(2), and in particular Articles 6(3) and (5), 32, 33, 35, 36 (1) and (4) and 43 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) With the Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05 of 27 May 2014(3) a work programme for year 2014 and the financing thereof was adopted. It is necessary to update above mentioned decision in order to include additional actions identified after the adoption of that decision.

(2) In order to ensure the implementation of activities starting early in 2015 in the food and feed area and to ensure the application of the food and feed and plant health legislation, it is necessary to adopt a work programme constituting a financial decision.

(3) Article 94 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012(4) establishes detailed rules on financing decisions.

(4) It is appropriate to authorise award of grants without a call for proposals to the bodies identified in the work programme and for the reasons provided therein.

(5) This Decision should allow for the payment of interest due for late payment on the basis of Article 92 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 and Article 111(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012.

(6) For the application of this Decision, it is appropriate to define the term ‘substantial change’ within the meaning of Article 94(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012.

(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Amending Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05

The amendment of the work programme mentioned in Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05, as set out in the Annex, is adopted.

Article 2

Approval of a work programme for 2015

The work programme for the implementation of Articles 6, 32, 33, 35, 43 of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, as set out in the Annex, is adopted.

Article 3

Financing decision

The annual work programmes mentioned in Article 1 and 2 constitute a financing decision within the meaning of Article 84 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.

Article 4

Union contribution

The maximum contribution for the implementation of the programme for the year 2014 is set at EUR 4 820 000 and shall be financed from the following lines of the general budget of the European Union for 2014:

 

budget 2014 — 17 04 01 — 4 600 000 EUR

 

budget 2014 — 17 04 03 — 220 000 EUR

The maximum contribution for the implementation of the programme for the year 2015 is set at EUR 4 050 000 and shall be financed from the following line of the general budget of the European Union for 2015:

 

budget 2015 — 17 04 03 — 3 930 000 EUR

The implementation of this Decision is subject to the availability of the appropriations after the adoption of the budget 2015 by the budgetary authority or as provided for in the system of provisional twelfths.

The appropriations mentioned above may also cover interest due for late payment.

Article 5

Flexibility clause

Cumulated changes to the allocations to specific actions within each work programme not exceeding 20 % of the maximum contribution set in Article 4 of this Decision shall not be considered to be substantial within the meaning of Article 94(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012, where those changes do not significantly affect the nature of the actions and objective of the work programme.

The authorising officer responsible may adopt the changes referred to in the first paragraph in accordance with the principles of sound financial management and proportionality.

Article 6

Grants

Grants may be awarded without a call for proposals to the bodies identified in the Annex, in accordance with the conditions specified therein.

Done at Brussels, 17 November 2014.

For the Commission

Vytenis ANDRIUKAITIS

Member of the Commission

(1)  

OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1

.

(2)  

OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 1

.

(3)  Decision 2014/C 166/05 of 27 May 2014 concerning the adoption of the work programme and the financing for the year 2014 of activities in the food and feed area to ensure the application of the food and feed legislation (

OJ C 166, 3.6.2014, p. 5

).

(4)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (

OJ L 362, 31.12.2012, p. 1

).

ANNEX

2014 and 2015 Work Programmes in the Food and Feed Area

1.   

INTRODUCTION

The goal of these work programmes is to update the needs laid down in Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05 and to have a financing decision for actions starting early in year 2015.

These work programmes contain implementing measures for the years 2014 and 2015, with the budget breakdown as follows:

2.   

GRANTS

The overall budgetary allocation reserved for grants:

 

in 2014 amounts to EUR 170 000,

 

in 2015 amounts to EUR 2 325 000.

2.1.   

Legal basis

Articles 6(3), 33, 35 of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014.

2.2.   

Budget lines

 

budget 2014 — 17 04 03 — 170 000 EUR

 

budget 2015 — 17 04 03 — 2 325 000 EUR

2.3.   

Indicative list of envisaged actions

2.4.   

Descriptions, objectives and foreseen results of the implementing measures

Cumulative risk assessment tool for pesticides residues

The EU funded research project ACROPOLIS has delivered an IT tool accessible to all stakeholders involved in the pesticide risk assessment. The IT tool is based on probabilistic modelling of exposure. The Commission intends to upgrade this project.

Objective

: Upgrading the ACROPOLIS tool, towards specific needs of the Commission, as well as support to risk managers in developing the criteria used in risk management by assessing the possible impact on risk management decisions of different choices of parameters used in the modelling.

The initial project was conducted by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), to whom an additional grant should be awarded in order to upgrade the work and provide the necessary support to the Commission needed for taking the appropiate risk management decisions.

Expected results

: Tool upgraded to the specific needs requested by the Commission and support (test cases and instructions) given to the Commission with a view of taking risk mangement decisions regarding the calculation parameters.

Additional grant to OIE for regional seminars in the Animal Welfare area

Commission Implementing Decision 2014/C 166/05 sets up a direct grant to OIE for actions such as global conferences, regional seminars and regional meetings and activities on animal health and welfare.

The Commission intends to award an additional direct grant to OIE for organising additional seminars in the animal welfare area.

Objective

: To increase the awareness on animal welfare issues and the degree of application of OIE animal welfare standards (transport, slaughter, control of stray dogs).

Expected result

: Increased awareness of the standards on animal welfare issues.

Coordination of the authorisation requests for minor uses of plant protection products

As regards minor uses of plant protection products, it is necessary to ensure an effective coordination and information sharing among Member States and stakeholders. This would require a project of setting up a dedicated platform of EU experts on minor uses in the field of plant health. The Commission submitted a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the establishment of a European fund for minor uses in the field of plant protection products(1). The report concluded that the Commission is ready to assist and to financially contribute in the short and medium term to the creation of such a project.

Objective

: Co-financing with an action grant of an EU coordination facility run by some Member States or an international organisation with the objective to get a coordinated approach in finding solutions for minor uses gaps in the European Union.

Expected result

: Coordinated activities leading to reduced minor uses gaps in plant protection products, in order to ensure that the European farmer continues to be able to produce high quality crops, by providing sufficient means and methods.

Coordinated Control Plan to establish the prevalence of fraudulent practices in the marketing of certain foods

Coordinated Control Plans have a view to establishing the prevalence of fraudulent practices in the marketing of certain foods, through targeted controls including laboratory analysis by Member States. Similar exercises had been carried out for horse meat in 2013 and in 2014.

Objective

: Detecting and quantifying some fraudulent practices.

Expected result

: Harmonized control plans for monitoring food fraud in order to increase consumers confidence. In this respect the European Commission will ask all Member States to implement such plans.

Coordinated Control Plan for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(2) provides that Member States shall ensure that monitoring provides comparable data on the occurrence of AMR in zoonotic agents and, in so far as they present a threat to public health, other agents. A similar exercise has been carried out in 2014, and it is still ongoing.

In 2011, the Commission had introduced a 5 year action plan against AMR(3). One of the actions is to strengthen surveillance systems on AMR and antimicrobial consumption on animal medicine.

Objective

: Co-financing of the coordinated control plan for antimicrobial resistance monitoring which will include all the Member States.

Expected result

: Harmonized control plan for monitoring resistance in the food chain in order to increase consumers confidence and assess evolution of resistance in the food chain. In this respect, the Commission will ask all Member States to implement such a plan.

2.5.   

Implementation

Cumulative risk assessment tool for pesticides residues

Implementation: directly by DG SANCO.

Maximum EU co-financing rate: 50 % of the eligible costs.

Award criteria:

Quality and relevance of the tools proposed;

Overall quality, coherence and clarity of the proposed objectives.

Additional grant to OIE for regional meetings and activities of the Animal Welfare Platform

Implementation: directly by DG SANCO.

Maximum EU co-financing rate: 50 % of the eligible costs.

Award criteria:

Contribution to the achievements of the policy objectives for Animal Welfare;

Quality of the events proposed.

Coordination the authorisation requests for minor uses of plant protection products

Implementation: directly by DG SANCO.

Maximum EU co-financing rate: 50 % of the eligible costs.

Award criteria:

Relevance of the proposal to the objectives of the action;

Consistency and adequacy of resources allocated.

EU Coordinated Control Plan to establish the prevalence of fraudulent practices in the marketing of certain foods

Implementation: directly by DG SANCO.

Maximum EU co-financing rate: 50 % of the eligible costs.

Award criteria:

Relevance of the proposal to the objectives of the action;

Number of tests in the proposal compared with the number of tests recommended.

Coordinated Control Plan for antimicrobial resistance

Implementation: directly by DG SANCO.

Maximum EU co-financing rate: 50 % of the eligible costs.

Award criteria:

Relevance of the proposal to the objectives of the action;

Number of tests in the proposal compared with the number of tests recommended.

3.   

PROCUREMENTS

The overall budgetary allocation reserved for procurement contracts:

 

in 2014 amounts to EUR 4 650 000,

 

in 2015 amounts to EUR 1 205 000.

3.1.   

Legal Basis

Articles 6(5), 34, 35, 43 of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014.

3.2.   

Budget line

 

budget 2014 — 17 04 01 — 4 600 000 EUR

 

budget 2014 — 17 04 03 — 50 000 EUR

 

budget 2015 — 17 04 03 — 1 205 000 EUR

3.3.   

Indicative list of envisaged contracts

3.4.   

Implementation

The actions will be implemented directly by DG SANCO.

4.   

OTHER ACTIONS

4.1.   

Reimbursements of accommodation and travel costs of national experts carrying out audits together with the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO)

4.2.   

Legal Basis

Article 32 of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014.

4.3.   

Budget line

 

budget 2015 — 17 04 03 — 400 000 EUR.

4.4.   

Indicative list of envisaged other actions

(1)  COM(2014) 82 final, Brussels, 18.2.2014.

(2)  Directive 2003/99/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the monitoring of zoonotic agents, amending Council Decision 90/424/EEC and repealing Council Directive 92/117/EEC (

OJ L 325, 12.12.2003, p. 31

).

(3)  COM(2011) 748 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Action plan against the rising threats from Antimicrobial Resistance.