(1)

The validity of the current ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for indoor and outdoor paints and varnishes, and of the related assessment and verification requirements, set out in Commission Decision 2014/312/EU (2) expires on 28 May 2018.

(2)

An assessment has been carried out confirming the relevance and appropriateness of the current ecological criteria, as well as of the related assessment and verification requirements, established by Decision 2014/312/EU. It is therefore appropriate to prolong the period of validity of those criteria and assessment and verification requirements.

(3)

Decision 2014/312/EU should therefore be amended accordingly.

(4)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010,

(1)

The total amount of the annual supervisory fees to be levied under Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1163/2014 (ECB/2014/41) should cover, but not exceed, the expenditure incurred by the European Central Bank (ECB) in relation to its supervisory tasks in the relevant fee period. This expenditure primarily consists of costs directly related to the ECB's supervisory tasks, such as direct supervision of significant entities, oversight of the supervision of less significant entities and performance of horizontal tasks and specialised services. It also includes costs indirectly related to the ECB's supervisory tasks, such as services provided by the ECB's support business areas, including premises, human resources management, administrative services, budgeting and controlling, accounting, legal, communication and translation services, internal audit, and statistical and information technology services.

(2)

To calculate the annual supervisory fees payable in respect of significant supervised entities and significant supervised groups, and less significant supervised entities and less significant supervised groups, the total costs should be split on the basis of the expenditure allocated to the relevant functions that perform the direct supervision of significant supervised entities and significant supervised groups and the indirect supervision of less significant supervised entities and less significant supervised groups.

(3)

The total amount of the annual supervisory fees for 2018 should be calculated as the sum of: (a) the estimated annual costs of supervisory tasks for 2018, based on the approved ECB budget for 2018, taking into account any developments in the estimated annual costs expected to be incurred by the ECB that were known at the time this Decision was adopted; and (b) the surplus or deficit from 2017.

(4)

The surplus or deficit should be determined by deducting the actual annual costs of the supervisory tasks incurred for 2017, as reflected in the ECB's Annual Accounts for 2017 (3), from the estimated annual costs levied for 2017 set out in the Annex to Decision (EU) 2017/760 of the European Central Bank (ECB/2017/11) (4).

(5)

In accordance with Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1163/2014 (ECB/2014/41), fee amounts related to previous fee periods that were not collectible, interest payments received in accordance with Article 14 and amounts received or refunded in accordance with Article 7(3) of that Regulation, if any, should also be taken into account in the estimated annual costs of supervisory tasks for 2018,

(1)

For the implementation of Protocol No 2 to the Agreement, domestic reference prices have been fixed by the Contracting Parties.

(2)

Actual prices have changed on the domestic markets of the Contracting Parties as regards raw materials for which price compensation measures are applied.

(3)

It is therefore necessary to update the reference prices and amounts listed in Tables III and IV of Protocol No 2 accordingly,

(a)

Table III is replaced by the text set out in Annex I to this Decision;

(b)

in Table IV, point (b) is replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Decision.