Annexes to COM(2018)441 - Programme for single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and European statistics - Main contents

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

dossier	COM(2018)441 - Programme for single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and European ...
document	COM(2018)441
date	April 28, 2021

ANNEX I

ELIGIBLE ACTIONS IMPLEMENTING THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(2)(E) RELATED TO THE PLANT, ANIMAL, FOOD AND FEED AREAS

The following actions implementing the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e) shall be eligible for funding:

Implementation of veterinary and phytosanitary emergency measures.

1.1.

Veterinary and phytosanitary emergency measures to be taken as a result of the official confirmation of the occurrence of one of the animal diseases or zoonoses listed in Annex III or of the official confirmation of the presence of plant pests or if there is a direct threat to the human, animal or plant health status of the Union.

The measures referred to in the first paragraph shall be implemented immediately and their application shall comply with the provisions laid down in relevant Union law.

1.2.

As regards phytosanitary emergencies, the following measures taken by Member States against an outbreak of pests in a particular area:

(a)	eradication and prevention measures against a Union quarantine pest, taken by the competent authority of a Member State pursuant to Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 or pursuant to the Union measures adopted in accordance with Article 28(1) or (3) of that Regulation;

(b)

eradication and prevention measures taken by the competent authority of a Member State pursuant to Article 29(1) or 30(4) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 against a pest not listed as a Union quarantine pest but which may qualify as a Union quarantine pest in accordance with the criteria referred to in that Regulation;

(c)

additional protective measures taken against the spread of a pest, against which Union measures have been adopted in accordance with Article 28(1) and Article 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, other than the eradication and prevention measures referred to in points (a) and (b) of this point, where those measures are essential to protect the Union against further spread of that pest.

1.3.

Union funding may also be provided for the following measures:

1.3.1.

Protection or prevention measures taken in the case of a direct threat to the health status of the Union as a result of the occurrence or development, in the territory of a third country, a Member State or an overseas country or territory, of one of the animal diseases or zoonoses listed in Annex III as well as protection measures or other relevant activities, taken in support of the plant health status of the Union;

1.3.2.

Measures referred to in this Annex carried out by two or more Member States which collaborate closely to control an animal disease or plant pest outbreak;

1.3.3.

The establishment of stocks of biological products intended for the control of the animal diseases and zoonoses listed in Annex III, where the Commission, at the request of a Member State, considers establishment of such stocks necessary in that Member State;

1.3.4.

The establishment of stocks of biological products or the acquisition of vaccine doses if the occurrence or the development in a third country or Member State of one of the animal diseases or zoonoses listed in Annex III might constitute a threat to the Union.

1.3.5.

In the event of a suspected outbreak of an animal disease or the appearance of plant pests, intensified checks and monitoring within the Union and at its external borders, where needed.

1.3.6.

Measures to monitor the appearance of known as well as emerging, previously unknown animal diseases and plant pests.

1.4.

Eligible costs

1.4.1.

Veterinary emergency measures

The following costs incurred by the Member States in carrying out the veterinary emergency measures may qualify for funding:

(a)	costs of compensation to owners for the value of their animals slaughtered or culled, limited to the market value that such animals would have had if they had not been affected by the disease;

(b)	costs of slaughtering or culling the animals and related transport costs;

(c)	costs of compensation to owners for the value of their destroyed products of animal origin, limited to the market value of those products immediately before any suspicion of the disease arose or was confirmed;

(d)	costs of cleaning, desinsectisation and disinfection of holdings and equipment, based on the epidemiology and characteristics of the pathogen;

(e)	costs for the transport and the destruction of the contaminated feeding stuffs and, where it can not be disinfected, contaminated equipment;

(f)	costs of purchase, storage, administration or distribution of vaccines and baits as well as the costs of inoculation itself, if the Commission decides or authorises such actions;

(g)	costs of transport and disposal of carcasses;

(h)	in exceptional and duly justified cases, costs of serological and virological tests for surveillance and pre-moving tests in restricted zones and any other costs essential for the eradication of the disease.

1.4.2.

Phytosanitary emergency measures

The following costs incurred by Member States in carrying out the emergency measures in the plant health field may qualify for grants:

(a)	costs of personnel, regardless of their status, directly involved in the measures, as well as costs of renting equipment, of consumables and of any other necessary materials, of treatment products, of sampling and of laboratory tests;

(b)	costs of service contracts with third parties to execute part of the measures;

(c)	costs of compensating the operators or owners concerned for the treatment, the destruction and subsequent removal of plants, of plant products and of other objects, and for the cleaning and disinfection of premises, land, water, soil, growing media, facilities, machinery and equipment;

(d)

costs of compensating the owners concerned for the value of the destroyed plants, plant products or other objects subject to the measures referred to in Articles 17, 28(1), 29(1) and 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, limited to the market value that such plants, plant products and other objects would have had if they had not been affected by those measures; the salvage value, if any, shall be deducted from the compensation; and

(e)	in exceptional and duly justified cases, the costs incurred in carrying out necessary measures other than those referred to in points (a) to (d).

The compensation to operators or owners referred to in point (c) shall only be eligible if the measures have been carried out under the supervision of the competent authority.

Implementation of annual and multiannual national veterinary and phytosanitary programmes

2.1.

Annual and multiannual national veterinary and phytosanitary programmes for the eradication, control and surveillance of animal diseases and zoonoses listed in Annex III and of plant pests have to be implemented in compliance with the provisions laid down in the relevant Union law.

The conditions for the actions to qualify for funding shall be set out in the work programme referred to in Article 16.

National programmes shall be submitted to the Commission by 31 May of the year preceding the planned implementation period.

The Commission shall communicate to Member States by 30 November each year:

(a)	the list of national programmes technically approved and proposed for co-financing;

(b)	the provisional amount allocated to each programme;

(c)	the provisional maximum level of the Union financial contribution for each programme; and

(d)	any provisional conditions to which the Union financial contribution may be subject.

The Commission shall approve the national programmes and the associated funding by 31 January each year by means of a grant agreement in relation to the measures implemented and the costs incurred.

Following the submission of intermediate financial reports by the beneficiaries by 31 August of the implementing year, the Commission may, if necessary, amend the grant agreements in relation to the whole eligibility period.

2.2.

Eligible costs

2.2.1.

The following costs incurred by the Member States in implementing the national veterinary programmes may qualify for Union co-financing:

(a)	costs of sampling animals;

(b)

costs of tests, provided that they are limited to:

(i)	costs of test kits, reagents and consumables which are identifiable and specifically used for carrying out those tests;

(ii)	costs of personnel, regardless of their status, directly involved in carrying out the tests;

(c)	costs of compensation to owners for the value of their animals slaughtered or culled, limited to the market value that such animals would have had if they had not been affected by the disease;

(d)	costs of slaughtering or culling of the animals;

(e)	costs of compensation to owners for the value of their destroyed products of animal origin, limited to the market value of those products immediately before any suspicion of the disease arose or was confirmed;

(f)	costs of purchase, storage, inoculation, administration or distribution of vaccine doses or vaccine and baits used for the programmes;

(g)	costs of cleaning, disinfection, desinsectisation of the holding and equipment based on the epidemiology and characteristics of the pathogen; and

(h)	in exceptional and duly justified cases, the costs incurred in carrying out necessary measures other than those referred to in points (a) to (g).

For the purposes of point (c), the salvage value of the animals, if any, shall be deducted from the compensation.

For the purposes of point (d), the salvage value of heat-treated non-incubated eggs shall be deducted from the compensation.

2.2.2.

The following costs incurred by the Member States in implementing the national phytosanitary programmes may qualify for Union co-financing:

(a)	costs for sampling;

(b)	costs for visual examinations;

(c)

costs of tests, provided that they are limited to:

(i)	the costs of test kits, reagents and consumables which are identifiable and specifically used for carrying out the tests;

(ii)	the costs of personnel, regardless of their status, directly involved in carrying out the tests;

(d)	costs of personnel, regardless of their status, directly involved in the measures, as well as costs of renting equipment, of consumables and of any other necessary materials, of treatment products, of sampling and of laboratory tests;

(e)	costs of service contracts with third parties to execute part of the measures;

(f)	costs of compensating the operators or owners concerned for the treatment, the destruction and subsequent removal of plants, of plant products and of other objects, and for the cleaning and disinfection of premises, land, water, soil, growing media, facilities, machinery and equipment;

(g)

(h)	in exceptional and duly justified cases, the costs incurred in carrying out necessary measures other than those referred to in points (a) to (g).

The compensation to operators and owners referred to in point (f) shall only be eligible if the measures have been carried out under the supervision of the competent authority.

2.3.

If the occurrence or the development of one of the animal diseases or zoonoses listed in Annex III is likely to constitute a threat to the health status of the Union and in order to protect the Union from the introduction of one of those diseases or zoonoses or if protection measures are necessary in support of the plant health status of the Union, Member States may include in their national programmes measures that are to be implemented in territories of third countries in cooperation with the authorities of those countries. Alternatively, Union funding may under the same circumstances and for the same objective be directly awarded to third countries’ competent authorities.

2.4.

As regards phytosanitary programmes, Union funding may be awarded to Member States for the following measures:

(a)

surveys, over specific periods of time, checking at least for the presence of:

—

any Union quarantine pest, and signs or symptoms of any pest subject to the measures referred to in Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 or to measures adopted pursuant to Article 30(1) of that Regulation, pursuant to Article 22(1) of that Regulation or, where applicable, pursuant to Articles 47 to 77 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625;

—	priority pests pursuant to Article 24(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031;

(b)	surveys, over specific periods of time, checking at least for the presence of any pests, other than the pests referred to in point (a), which might represent an emerging risk for the Union, and of which the entry or spread might have a significant impact on Union territory;

(c)	eradication and prevention measures against a Union quarantine pest, taken by the competent authority of a Member State pursuant to Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 or pursuant to the Union measures adopted in accordance with Article 28(1) or (3) of that Regulation;

(d)

eradication and prevention measures taken by the competent authority of a Member State pursuant to Article 29(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 against a pest, not listed as a Union quarantine pest, which may qualify as a Union quarantine pest in accordance with the criteria referred to in that Regulation;

(e)

additional protective measures taken against the spread of a pest, against which Union measures have been adopted pursuant to Articles 28(1) and 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, other than the eradication and prevention measures referred to in points (c) and (d) of this point and the containment measures referred to in point (f) of this point, where those measures are essential to protect the Union against further spread of that pest;

(f)

measures to contain a pest, against which Union containment measures have been adopted pursuant to Article 28(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 or Article 30(3) of that Regulation, in an infested area from which that pest cannot be eradicated, where those measures are essential to protect the Union against further spread of that pest.

The work programmes referred to in Article 16(4) shall determine the list of plant pests to be covered under these measures.

Implementation of phytosanitary programmes for the control of pests in the outermost regions of the Union referred to in Article 355(1) TFEU which are excluded from the territorial scope of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, in line with the objectives set out in Article 24 of Regulation (EU) No 228/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1). Those programmes shall concern activities necessary to ensure the correct implementation in those regions of the rules in force there on the control of pests, whether they are Union rules or national rules.

4.	Activities to support the improvement of the welfare of animals, including measures to ensure compliance with animal welfare standards and traceability including during animal transport.

5.	Support for European Union reference laboratories, referred to in Article 92 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625, and the European Union reference centres referred to in Articles 95 and 97 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and in Article 29 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012.

During a period of up to three years after the designation of the European Union reference laboratory of the specific area, where appropriate and in line with Article 10(1), obtaining accreditation regarding test and diagnostic methods at national plant health reference laboratories and national animal health reference laboratories.

7.	Implementation of coordinated control programmes and organisation of information and data collection, referred to in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

8.	Activities for preventing food waste and combating food fraud.

9.	Activities supporting sustainable food production and consumption, including short supply chains.

10.

Development of data-bases and computerised information management systems necessary for the effective and efficient implementation of the legislation related to the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e) and having a proven added value for the Union as a whole; as well as implementation of new technologies to improve traceability of products.

11.	Training of the staff of the competent authorities responsible for official controls and other parties involved in the management or prevention of animal diseases or plant pests, as referred to in Article 130 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

12.	Payment of travel, accommodation and daily subsistence expenses incurred by Member States’ experts as a result of the Commission appointing them to assist its experts as provided for in Articles 116(4) and 120(4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.

13.

Performance of technical and scientific work necessary to ensure the correct implementation of the legislation in the area related to the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e) and the adaptation of that legislation to scientific, technological and societal developments, including studies and coordination activities necessary for the prevention of the appearance of emerging plant pests and animal diseases.

14.	Activities carried out by the Member States or international organisations with the aim of achieving the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e) in support of the development and implementation of the rules related to that objective.

15.	Performance of projects organised by one or more Member States with the aim of improving, through the use of innovative techniques and protocols, the efficient implementation of the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e).

16.

Implementation of information and awareness raising initiatives by the Union and Member States with the aim of ensuring improved, compliant and sustainable food production and consumption, including food waste prevention contributing to the circular economy and food fraud prevention activities, as well as other initiatives contributing to a high level of health for plants and animals, and food and feed safety, as part of the implementation of the rules in the area of the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(e).

17.	Implementation of measures to protect human, animal and plant health and animal welfare, in respect of animals, animal products, plants, plant products and other relevant objects arriving from third countries at a Union border.

(1) Regulation (EU) No 228/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 March 2013 laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 247/2006 (OJ L 78, 20.3.2013, p. 23).

ANNEX II

ELIGIBLE ACTIONS IMPLEMENTING THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE REFERRED TO IN ARTICLE 3(2)(f) ON EUROPEAN STATISTICS

The implementation of Union policies requires high-quality, comparable and reliable statistical information about the economic, social, territorial and environmental situation in the Union. Additionally, European statistics enable European citizens to understand and to participate in the democratic process and debate about the present state and future of the Union.

Together with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, and especially with reference to the professional independence of statistical institutes and the other statistical principles laid down in Article 2 of that Regulation, the Programme is intended to provide the overall framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics for 2021-2027. European statistics are to be developed, produced and disseminated under that framework and in accordance with the principles of the European statistics Code of Practice. That framework should respect the quality criteria referred to in Article 12(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 through close and coordinated cooperation within the European Statistical System (ESS).

European statistics developed, produced and disseminated under this framework, will contribute to the implementation of the Union’s policies as set out in the TFEU and further reflected in the Commission’s strategic priorities.

Through the Programme, the ESS will aim to maintain and improve its level of excellence in the statistical field. Likewise, the annual work programmes will aim to achieve the best possible output, taking into account the available resources at the regional, national and the Union level.

Continuous research and innovation are considered as key drivers in modernising European statistics and in improving the quality of European statistics. Therefore investment through the multiannual work programme should concentrate on the development of new methods and methodologies as well as exploring new data sources for producing statistics.

In implementing the specific objective referred to in Article 3(2)(f), the following actions shall be carried out:

Economic and Monetary Union, globalisation and trade

(1)	providing high-quality statistics underpinning the Excessive Deficit Procedure, and, where feasible, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Technical support instrument, and underpinning the Union’s annual cycle of economic monitoring and guidance;

(2)	providing and where necessary, enhancing the Principal European Economic Indicators;

(3)	providing statistics and methodological guidance on the statistical treatment of the investment and budgetary instruments in supporting economic convergence, financial stability and job creation;

(4)	providing statistics for own resource purposes and remunerations and pensions of Union staff;

(5)	better measuring of trade in goods and services, foreign direct investment, global value chains and the impact of globalisation on the Union economies.

Internal market, innovation and digital transformation

(1)	providing high quality and reliable statistics for the internal market and key areas of innovation and research;

(2)	providing more and timelier statistics on collaborative economy and the impact of digitalisation on Union businesses and citizens;

(3)	providing statistics to support the European defence policy, subject to feasibility studies and duly taking into account the sensitivity of statistical data.

Social dimension of Europe

(1)

providing high quality, timely and reliable statistics to support the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Union Skills Policy, including statistics on the labour market, employment, education and training, income, living conditions, poverty, inequality, social protection, gender based violence, undeclared work, and satellite accounts on skills;

Where the development of new statistics is necessary, the data availability and the feasibility of producing statistics on satellite accounts on skills and on undeclared work need to be further examined within the ESS;

(2)	providing statistics related to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

(3)	enriching statistics on migration in particular on the situation and integration of migrants and the education needs and qualification levels of asylum seekers;

(4)	developing modernised post-2021 Population and Housing Census programmes and population statistics;

(5)	providing and regularly updating projections and breakdown on the Union population.

Sustainable development, natural resources and environment

(1)	monitoring the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

(2)

providing high-quality statistics underpinning the European Green Deal including further developing statistics in support of the Energy Strategy, the circular economy, climate-related statistics and the plastics strategy;

Where the development of new statistics and indicators for the topics mentioned in the indent above is necessary, the data availability and the feasibility for producing statistics and indicators shall be further examined within the ESS;

(3)	providing key environmental statistics and indicators, including on waste, water, biodiversity, forests, land use and land cover, as well as environmental economic accounts;

(4)	providing freight and passengers’ transport statistics to support the policies of the Union;

(5)	developing further indicators to monitor intermodality and modal shift towards more environmentally friendly transport modes;

(6)	providing timely and relevant data for the needs of the Common Agricultural Policy, Common Fisheries policy and policies related to the environment, food security and animal welfare.

Economic, social and territorial cohesion

(1)	providing timely and comprehensive statistical indicators on regions, including the Union outermost regions, cities and rural areas, to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of territorial development policies and to evaluate the territorial impacts of sectoral policies;

(2)	increasingly using geospatial data and systematically integrating and mainstreaming geospatial information management into statistical production;

(3)

examining within the ESS the feasibility of providing and then supporting the development of:

(a)	indicators on anti-money laundering;

(b)	indicators on the fight against financing of terrorism;

(c)	police and security statistics.

Better communication of European statistics and its values by promoting it as a trustworthy source in tackling disinformation

(1)	systematically promoting European statistics as a trustworthy source of evidence and facilitating fact checkers, researchers and public authorities in their use of European statistics in tackling disinformation;

(2)	enhancing the existent dialogue with producers and with users of European statistics in order to improve and promote the use of European statistics by setting and implementing actions to increase statistical literacy for the benefit of the Union citizens, including entrepreneurs;

(3)	making it easier for users to access and understand statistics, including by providing attractive and interactive visualisations, more tailored services like on-demand data, and self-service analytics;

(4)	further developing and monitoring the quality assurance framework for European statistics, including through peer reviews of the Members States’ compliance with the European statistics Code of Practice;

(5)	providing access to micro-data for research purposes in accordance with Article 23 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 while safeguarding the highest standards in the protection of data and statistical confidentiality.

Reaping the benefits of data revolution and moving to trusted smart statistics

(1)	stepping-up the exploitation of new digital data sources in a multisource environment to produce new smart statistics in near real-time with trusted algorithms that are fit for purpose;

(2)	developing novel approaches to use privately held data through the adoption of privacy-preserving computation and secure multiparty computation methods;

(3)	promoting cutting-edge research and innovation in official statistics, including by making use of collaborative networks and providing European Statistical Training Programmes.

Expanded partnerships and statistical cooperation

(1)	strengthening the ESS partnership and cooperation with the European System of Central Banks;

(2)	fostering partnerships with public and private data holders and the technology sector to facilitate access to data for statistical purposes, the integration of data from multiple sources and the use of latest technologies;

(3)	enhancing cooperation with research and academia, in particular as regards the use of new data sources, data analytics and the promotion of statistical literacy;

(4)	continuing the cooperation with international organisations and third countries for the benefit of global official statistics.

ANNEX III

LIST OF ANIMAL DISEASES AND ZOONOSES

(1)	Animal diseases referred to in Article 5(1), Article 9(1)(a), (b) and (c) and Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429;

(2)	Zoonoses and zoonotic agents referred to in Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 and in Directive 2003/99/EC;

(3)	Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies as referred to in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001.

ANNEX IV

INDICATORS

Objective

Indicator

Objectives laid down in Article 3(2)(a)

1.	Number of new complaints in the area of free movement of goods and services, as well as Union legislation on public procurement.

2.	Services Trade Restrictiveness Index.

3.	Number of visits to the Your Europe portal.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(a)(ii)

1.	Number of cases of non-compliance in the area of goods, including online sales.

2.	Number of joint market surveillance campaigns.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(b)

1.	Number of SMEs and clusters and business network organisations, as well as business support organisations, receiving support from the programme, in particular for internationalisation, digitalisation and sustainability.

2.	Number of companies supported having concluded business partnerships.

3.	Number of entrepreneurs benefitting from mentoring and mobility schemes, including young, new and female entrepreneurs, as well as other specific target groups.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(c)(i)

1.	Share of implementation of European standards as national standards by Member States in total amount of active European standards.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(c)(ii)

1.	Percentage of international financial reporting and auditing standards endorsed by the Union

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(d)(i)

1.	Consumer condition index.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(d)(ii)

1.	Number of position papers and responses to public consultations in the field of financial services from beneficiaries.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(e)

1.	Number of successfully implemented national veterinary and phytosanitary programmes, including the number of successfully implemented emergency measures on plant pests and animal diseases.

Objective laid down in Article 3(2)(f)

1.	Impact of statistics published on the internet: number of web mentions and positive/negative opinions.