The European Transparency Initiative is one of the ways the Commission seeks to further strengthen public trust in the EU Institutions through increased openness and accessibility. The Commission believes that high standards of transparency are part of the legitimacy of any modern administration. The European public is entitled to expect efficient, accountable and service-minded public institutions and that the power and resources entrusted to political and public bodies are handled with care and never abused for personal gain.Against this background, the European Commission proposed the European Transparency Initiative in a Green Paper in 2006¹ followed by a Communication in 2007².

The Council endorsed the initiative by Articles 30(3) and 53b §2 d)³ of the Financial Regulation⁴, which require Member states to provide information on how EU funds under shared management are spent, in particular through the ex-post publication of beneficiaries.As regards the publication of beneficiaries of the European Fisheries Fund, this obligation is further specified by the Commission Regulation (EC) No 498/2007⁵.

ANNEX 1: INDICATIVE TABLE FOR SETTING THE LIST OF BENEFICIAIRIES OF EU FUNDING THROUGH THE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT FOR FISHERIES GUIDANCE AND THE EUROPEAN FISHERIES FUND 

* Data on beneficiaries is not available at this stage, since the measures have not yet been launched.

 ¹Green Paper of the Commission "European Transparency Initiative" of 3 May 2006, COM (2006)194.
²Communication from the Commission - Follow-up to the Green Paper 'European Transparency Initiative' of 21 March 2007, COM (2007)127.
³Article 53b §2 d) reads as follow: "Without prejudice to complementary provisions included in relevant sector-specific regulations, and in order to ensure in shared management that the funds are used in accordance with the applicable rules and principles, the Member States shall take all the legislative regulatory and administrative or other measures necessary for protecting the Communities' financial interests. To this effect they shall in particular: ensure, by means of relevant sector-specific regulations and in conformity with Article 30(3), adequate annual ex post publication of beneficiaries of funds deriving from the budget."
⁴Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) N°1605/2002 applicable to the general budget of the European Communities as lately amended by Council Regulation (EG) N° 1995/2006, OJ L 390 of 13.12.2006, p.1.
⁵Commission Regulation (EC) No 498/2007 of 26March 2007 laying down rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 on the European Fisheries Fund, OJ L 120, 10.5.2007, p.1