Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 247/2006 of 30 January 2006 laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union^f1 and in particular the first sentence of the first subparagraph of Article 17(3),

Whereas:

Growing conditions in the French overseas departments require special measures concerning crop production. Those measures include expensive plant health measures.

Commission Decision 2007/609/EC of 10 September 2007 on the definition of the measures eligible for Community financing in the programmes for the control of organisms harmful to plants and plant products in the French overseas departments, in the Azores and in Madeira^f2 defines the measures eligible for Community financing under programmes for the control of organisms harmful to plants and plant products in the French overseas departments, the Azores and Madeira.

The French authorities have submitted to the Commission a programme for 2008 providing for plant health measures in the French overseas departments. That programme specifies the objectives to be achieved, the expected deliverables, the measures to be carried out, their duration and their cost with a view to a possible Community financial contribution. The measures provided for in that programme fulfill the requirements of Decision 2007/609/EC.

In accordance with Article 3(2)(a) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy^f3, planthealth measures are to be financed from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund. For the purposes of financial control of those measures Articles 9, 36 and 37 of that Regulation apply.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: