This Regulation lays down the detailed rules for the granting of Community financial assistance for the operation of Community reference laboratories (‘laboratories’), as provided for in Article 28 of Decision 90/424/EEC and Article 32 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, and for the organisation of workshops.
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1754/2006 of 28 November 2006 laying down detailed rules for the granting of Community financial assistance to Community reference laboratories for feed and food and the animal health sector
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1754/2006 of 28 November 2006 laying down detailed rules for the granting of Community financial assistance to Community reference laboratories for feed and food and the animal health sector
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field(1), and in particular Article 28(2) thereof,
Whereas:
Community reference laboratories fulfil the tasks and obligations laid down in Community veterinary legislation and in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules(2) in order to assist the Community.
Pursuant to Article 32(7) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, Community reference laboratories may be granted a Community financial contribution in accordance with Article 28 of Decision 90/424/EEC.
The eligibility criteria for the expenditure of the Community reference laboratories receiving financial assistance pursuant to Article 28 of Decision 90/424/EEC and the procedures for the submission of expenditure and the conduct of audits were set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 156/2004(3).
The level of the annual Community financial assistance for the operation of certain laboratories is decided upon each year by specific decisions in the field of veterinary public health, animal health and residues.
Since a number of changes are to be made to Regulation (EC) No 156/2004, that Regulation should be replaced in the interest of clarity, while taking account of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004.
These changes concern in particular the introduction of a partnership agreement defining the respective roles and responsibilities of each of the parties, and of a specific agreement, an update of the provisions relating to VAT and the updating of expenditure relating to missions and workshops.
This partnership agreement must run for five years in order to enable an operational network of national reference laboratories to be set up in new fields, new methods of analysis to be developed and the performance of national reference laboratories to be evaluated correctly.
A sound financial management justifies the application of this Regulation from the beginning of 2007. However, the laboratories must be given the opportunity to modify the estimated operating budget for 2007 in line with the provisions of this Regulation.
For financial control purposes, Articles 9, 36 and 37 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy(4) are applicable.
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1 Subject
Article 2 Framework partnership agreement
The relationship between the Commission and the laboratory shall be laid down in a partnership agreement. The partnership agreement shall run for five years and be supported by a multi-annual work programme.
Article 3 Planned activities and estimated budget
1.
The Community reference laboratories shall, by 1 September of each calendar year ‘n’, set out the Community activities planned in the course of the calendar year ‘n + 1’, and shall submit to the Commission the estimated budget concerning the expenditure on these activities.
For the 2007 financial year, the estimated budget drawn up in accordance with the provisions of Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 156/2004 shall be deemed to have been submitted in accordance with this Regulation. The laboratories may, up until 15 December 2006, introduce changes to this estimated budget in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation.
2.
The laboratories shall provide the estimated budget in computerised form in accordance with Annex I.