L 176/42 15.7.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities II (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 29 June 2000 on a financial contribution from the Community towards the expenditure incurred by Member States in collecting data, and for financing studies and pilot projects for carrying out the common fisheries policy (2000/439/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (4 The action taken by the Commission to assist the collec- tion of these data through annual calls for proposals financed as FIFG innovative measures has reached a level of stability. This action should be consolidated, there- fore, on a multiannual basis. Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), (5) A financial reference, within the meaning of point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 May 1999, is included in this Decision for the entire duration of the period for which financial assistance is to be provided, without thereby affecting the powers of the budgetary authority as defined by the Treaty. Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (%), Whereas: (1)  Article 16 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20 December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture (}), provides that the situa- tion as regards fishery resources, and its economic impli- (6) ) In order to guarantee the necessary financial resources, cations, needs to be assessed regularly. the preparation of the national programmes and the corresponding Commission decision to co-finance them (2  Regulation (EC) No 1543/2000 () establishes a should take place the year before their execution. Community framework for the collection and manage- ment of the fisheries data needed to conduct the ommon fisheries policy (CFP). ¢ isheries policy (CFF) (7) Provision should be made to ensure, in 2001, the collec- tion of basic data needed to conduct the CFP. (3) By collecting these data, Member States are carrying out a task which is beneficial to the Community in that it contributes to the more efficient management of the common resources. While implementation of the (8)  The methods used to collect and process the basic data programmes is the responsibility of the Member States, on fisheries should be compared, and ways should be they should therefore qualify for a contribution from the sought of improving them. The quality of the results Community towards certain costs incurred in collecting obtained should be examined and assessed regularly. and managing the said data. () O] C 56 E, 29.2.2000, p. 29. (¥ Opinion delivered on 2 March 2000 (not yet published in the Offi- (9) Financial assistance should therefore be granted to cial Journal). (*) OJ L 389, 31.12.1992, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1181/98 (O] L 164, 9.6.1998, p. 1 ). (*) See page 1 of this Official Journal. explore the possibilities and usefulness of extending the scope of the Community framework for the collection and management of basic data.