Introductory text

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^f1, and in particular Article 23 thereof,

Whereas:

The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on honeybee health^f2 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.

In 2009 the EFSA project ‘Bee mortality and bee surveillance in Europe’^f3 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.

In order to improve the availability of data on bee mortality the Commission decided to assist and support certain surveillance studies in Member States on honeybee losses.

Commission Implementing Decision 2012/362/EU^f4 granted a financial contribution to the voluntary surveillance study programs 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 for the season 2012–2013.

The studies provide for three field visits in the apiaries to be carried out before winter, after winter and during the productive season.

It is important in this type of study to have comparable data in relation with the losses which are collected in different years. This is particularly valid for surveillance studies on honeybee losses because the climatic conditions alter significantly the results. Therefore, such studies if conducted only for one year can only give partial data which do not offer enough grounds to draw conclusions or trends on such losses.

For the reasons explained above, it is opportune to continue the voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses in the season starting with the pre-winter control in fall 2013, to be finalised with the post-winter and full productive season controls in 2014.

The studies to be carried out in the season 2013–2014 are based on the document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’^f5 produced by the EU reference laboratory (EURL) for bee health listed in Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council^f6, which provides guidance to Member States to elaborate their voluntary surveillance studies programs.

The same Member States which took part to the first voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses in 2012–2013 were invited to send to the Commission their programs for the season 2013–2014 based on the technical document of the EURL for bee health.

Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom have drawn up voluntary surveillance study programs 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.

A financial contribution should be granted as from 1 July 2013 to the voluntary surveillance study programs 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.

Under Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005^f7, 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.

The payment of the financial contribution should be subject to the condition that the surveillance study programs planned have actually been carried out and that the authorities supply all the necessary information to the Commission and to the EURL for bee health.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: