THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2328/2003, (EC) No 861/2006, (EC) No 1198/2006 and (EC) No 791/2007 and Regulation (EU) No 1255/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1), and in particular Article 107(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014(2) sets out the data which the Member States are to record and provide to the Commission in order to permit the monitoring and evaluation of operations supported under shared management by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
(2) According to Article 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014, those data are to be updated at the time of approval and completion of each operation. By contrast, the report on the progress in implementing the operational programme, required by Article 50 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3), is to be sent by the Member States on an annual basis with the data updated annually by the end of the previous year. Additionally, there are also differences in the data content of the two reports that impose unnecessary administrative burden on Member States when preparing those reports.
(3) In order to increase consistency between the different reports and thus simplify the fulfilment of reporting obligations, data required by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014 should likewise be updated on an annual basis and should concern the same set of operations and data covered by the implementation report referred to in Article 50 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
(4) Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014 sets out the information to be sent by Member States. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1242/2014(4) sets out rules on the presentation of relevant cumulative data on operations. In order to clarify that these Regulations refer to the same reporting obligations by Member States, a clear link should be established between the two Regulations and the reporting obligations imposed by them.
(5) Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1243/2014 of 20 November 2014 laying down rules pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund with regard to the information to be sent by Member States, as well as on data needs and synergies between potential data sources (OJ L 334, 21.11.2014, p. 39).
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320).
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1242/2014 of 20 November 2014 laying down rules pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund with regard to the presentation of relevant cumulative data on operations (OJ L 334, 21.11.2014, p. 11).