Wednesday, 24th September 2008
Use of the European Fisheries Fund by fisheries offenders
On the basis of Article 72 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 on the European Fisheries Fund, it is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that Member States have smoothly functioning management and control systems so that Community funds are efficiently and correctly used. At the same time, paragraph 91 of Special Report No 7/2007 from the Court of Auditors says that several Member States lack a central computerised repository for all the information relating to fisheries offences and perpetrators of them, particularly those convicted in the Courts.
Could the Commission clarify:
a) if it has ever investigated which Member States have central repositories for information relating to fisheries offences and perpetrators of them?
b) if it has ever investigated how Member States without a central repository prevent convicted offenders from receiving aid from the European Fisheries Fund?
Can the Commission clarify the measures it has taken if Member States management and control systems seem unable to prevent convicted offenders from receiving aid from the European Fisheries Fund?
