Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilDangos y teitl llawn

TITLE I COMMON PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I Subject matter, scope and objectives

Article 1 Subject matter and scope

This Regulation establishes provisions for the management of expenditure from the general budget of the European Union in the fields covered by Union rules:

(a)

governing food and food safety, at any stage of the production, processing, distribution and disposal of food, including rules aimed at guaranteeing fair practices in trade and protecting consumer interests and information, and the manufacture and use of materials and articles intended to come into contact with food;

(b)

governing feed and feed safety at any stage of the production, processing, distribution, disposal and use of feed, including rules aimed at guaranteeing fair practices in trade and protecting consumer interests and information;

(c)

laying down animal health requirements;

(d)

laying down welfare requirements for animals;

(e)

on protective measures against organisms harmful to plants or plant products as defined in point (e) of Article 2(1) of Directive 2000/29/EC (‘pests’);

(f)

on the production, with a view to placing on the market, and placing on the market of plant reproductive material;

(g)

laying down the requirements for placing on the market of plant protection products and the sustainable use of pesticides;

(h)

aiming to prevent and minimise risks to public and animal health arising from animal by-products and derived products;

(i)

governing the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms;

(j)

on the protection of intellectual property rights in relation to plant varieties and conservation and exchange of plant genetic resources.

Article 2 Objectives

1. The expenditure referred to in Article 1 shall aim to attain:

(a) the general objective of contributing to a high level of health for humans, animals and plants along the food chain and in related areas, by preventing and eradicating diseases and pests and by ensuring a high level of protection for consumers and the environment, while enhancing the competitiveness of the Union food and feed industry and favouring the creation of jobs;

(b) the following specific objectives:

(i)

to contribute to a high level of safety of food and food production systems and of other products which may affect the safety of food, while improving the sustainability of food production;

(ii)

to contribute to achieving a higher animal health status for the Union and to support the improvement of the welfare of animals;

(iii)

to contribute to the timely detection of pests and their eradication where those pests have entered the Union;

(iv)

to contribute to improving the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of official controls and other activities carried out with a view to the effective implementation of and compliance with the Union rules referred to in Article 1.

2. In order to measure the attainment of the specific objectives referred to in paragraph 1(b) the following indicators shall be used:

(a) for the specific objective in paragraph 1(b)(i), a reduction in the number of cases of diseases in humans in the Union which are linked to food safety or zoonoses;

(b) for the specific objective in paragraph 1(b)(ii):

(i)

an increase in the number of Member States or their regions which are free from animal diseases in respect of which a financial contribution is granted;

(ii)

an overall reduction of disease parameters such as incidence, prevalence and number of outbreaks;

(c) for the specific objective in paragraph 1(b)(iii):

(i)

the coverage of the Union territory by surveys for pests, in particular for pests not known to occur in the Union territory and pests considered to be most dangerous for the Union territory;

(ii)

the time and success rate for the eradication of those pests;

(d) for the specific objective in paragraph 1(b)(iv), a favourable trend in the results of controls in particular areas of concern carried out and reported on by Commission experts in the Member States.

CHAPTER II Forms of financing and general financial provisions

Article 3 Forms of financing

1. Union financing for the expenditure referred to in Article 1 shall be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.

2. When grants are awarded to the competent authorities of the Member States, they shall be considered to be identified beneficiaries within the meaning of Article 128(1) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012. Such grants may be awarded without a call for proposals.

3. The Union financial contribution for the measures referred to in this Regulation may also take the form of voluntary payments to international organisations, of which the Union is a member or in whose work it participates, that are active in the areas covered by the rules referred to in Article 1.

Article 4 Budget

1. The ceiling for the expenditure referred to in Article 1 for the period 2014 to 2020 shall be EUR 1 891 936 000 in current prices.

2. The ceiling referred to in paragraph 1 may also cover expenses relating to preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities which are required for the management and the achievement of the objectives, of the expenditure referred to in Article 1, in particular regarding studies and meetings of experts, the expenses linked to IT networks focusing on information processing and exchange, and all other costs of technical and administrative assistance incurred by the Commission for the management of that expenditure.

3. The ceiling may also cover the technical and administrative assistance expenses necessary to ensure the transition from actions adopted before to actions adopted after the entry into force of this Regulation. If necessary, appropriations may be entered in the budget beyond 2020 to cover similar expenses in order to enable the management of actions not yet completed by 31 December 2020.

Article 5 Maximum rates of grants

1. Where the Union financial contribution takes the form of a grant, it shall not exceed 50 % of the eligible costs.

2. The maximum rate referred to in paragraph 1 may be increased to 75 % of the eligible costs in respect of:

(a) cross-border activities implemented together by two or more Member States in order to control, prevent or eradicate pests or animal diseases;

(b) Member States whose gross national income per inhabitant based on the latest Eurostat data is less than 90 % of the Union average.

3. The maximum rate referred to in paragraph 1 may be increased to 100 % of the eligible costs where the activities benefitting from the Union contribution concern the prevention and control of serious human, plant and animal health risks for the Union, and:

(a) are designed to avoid human casualties or major economic disruptions for the Union as a whole;

(b) are specific tasks which are indispensable for the Union as a whole as laid down by the Commission in the work programme adopted in accordance with Article 36(1); or

(c) are implemented in third countries.