6.7.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 176/65 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 4 July 2012 concerning a financial contribution by the Union to certain Member States to support voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses (notified under document C(2012) 4396) (Only the Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish texts are authentic) (2012/362/EV) 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 ('), and in particular Article 23 thereof, (6) Member States were invited to send to the Commission their programmes for surveillance studies based on the technical document of the EURL for bee health. Twenty Member States have sent their proposals for the surveillance studies. These proposals have been tech- nically and financially evaluated to assess their conformity with the technical document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance project on honey bee colony losses’. (7) Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Whereas: France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United (1)  The Communication from the Commission to the Kingdom have drawn up surv.eilla.nce stu dy programmes European Parliament and the Council on honeybee on honeybt?e clolony losse.s in_ line - ith the tf:chnlcal health (%) gives an overview of the Commission’s ﬁocumer}l)t Bas1ls forla P I,IOt sdur\;lelllance proiezlt ](E)[IJI actions already undertaken and ongoing as regards fioney. | e colony fosses and have requeste honeybee health in the EU. The main subject issue of inancial support. the Communication is the increased mortality of bees observed worldwide. (8) A financial contribution should be granted as from 20 In 2009 the EFSA project ‘Bee mortality and bee 1 April 2012 t}? thg Voluln tarylsurvellllanie Smdg surveillance in Europe’ concluded that the surveillance Erogralmmes on Orlley ce colony losses implemente systems in the EU are, in general, weak and that there y Belgium, Denmar D Gerrpany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, is a lack of data at Member States level and a lack of France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, comparable data at EU level. Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. (3) In order to improve the availability of data on bee ) ) mortality it is appropriate to assist and support certain ©)  Under Council Regulauon. (EC). No 12902005 of surveillance studies in Member States on honeybee losses. 21 June 2005 on the f{nanc1r1g of the common agricultural policy (), veterinary measures are to be financed under the European Agricultural Guarantee (4 Commission Implementing Decision 2011/881/EU of Fund. For financial- control purposes, Articles 9, 36 and 21 December 2011 concerning the adoption of a 37 of that Regulation are to apply. financing decision to support voluntary surveillance studies on honeybee colony losses (}) set aside EUR 3750 000 as contribution of the European Union for ) ) o the implementation of the surveillance studies on (10) The. payment of the. fmanaal contrlbuﬂop should be honeybee colony losses. subject to the condition that the surveillance study programmes planned have actually been carried out and that the authorities supply all the necessary (5)  The EU reference laboratory (EURL) for bee health information to the Commission and to the EU presented the document ‘Basis for a pilot surveillance reference laboratory for bee health. project on honey bee colony losses’ (available at http:// ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/bees/bee_health_en. htm) providing guidance to Member States to elaborate ) ) ) o ) their surveillance studies. (11)  The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, () O] L 155, 18.6.2009, p. 30. () COM(2010) 714 final. - () O] L 343, 23.12.2011, p. 119. () OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 1.