Article 11U.K.Simplification of procedures
1.Save as otherwise provided in Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013, Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 or this Regulation, Member States may permit or require that any kind of communications under this Regulation both from the beneficiary to the authorities and vice versa be made by electronic means, provided that this does not cause any discrimination between beneficiaries and that appropriate measures are taken to ensure in particular that:
the beneficiary is unambiguously identified;
the beneficiary complies with all requirements under the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned;
the transmitted data is reliable in view of the proper management of the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned; where use is made of the data contained in the computerised database for animals as defined in point (9) of the second subparagraph of Article 2(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014, that database shall offer the level of assurance and implementation necessary for the proper management of the direct payment scheme or rural development measure involved;
where accompanying documents cannot be transmitted electronically, such documents are received by the competent authorities within the same time limits as for transmission by non-electronic means.
2.With regard to the submission of aid applications or payment claims, Member States may, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 1, provide for simplified procedures where data is already available to the authorities, in particular where the situation has not changed since the latest submission of an aid application or payment claim under the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned in accordance with Article 72(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. Member States may decide to use data derived from data sources at the disposal of national authorities for the purposes of the aid applications and payment claims. In that case Member State shall ensure that those data sources offer the level of assurance necessary for the proper management of the data in order to guarantee the reliability, integrity and security of that data.
3.Where possible, the competent authority may request the information required in any supporting documents to be submitted together with the aid application or payment claim directly from the source of the information.