Regulation (EC) No 797/2004 replacing Council Regulation (EC) No 1221/972 lays down measures for the purpose of improving the conditions under which beekeeping products is produced and marketed. In the interest of clarity, it should be repealed Commission Regulation (EC) No 2300/97 of 20 November 1997 on detailed rules to implement Council Regulation (EC) No 1221/97 laying down general rules for the application of measures to improve the production and marketing of honey3 and it should be replaced by a new Regulation.

Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 797/2004 states that Member States may establish apiculture programmes. It is necessary to specify the basic elements that these programmes are required to contain and the time limit for their transmission to the Commission.

The Community's financial contribution to national programmes should be restricted, by reference to each Member State's share of the total number of hives in the Community.

The Member States are to monitor programmes implemented pursuant to this Regulation. Those monitoring measures are to be notified to the Commission.

Consistency between measures of apiculture programmes and other measures under the various Community policies must be ensured during the implementation of programmes. In particular, any over-compensation owing to the combination of aid and any other inconsistency in the definition of measures must be avoided.

In order to allow certain flexibility in the implementation of the programme, the financial limits notified for each measure may vary by certain percentage without, however, exceeding the overall ceiling for the annual programme. If use is made of the flexibility allowed in implementation of the programme, the Community financial contribution must not exceed the limit of 50 % of the expenditure actually borne by the Member State concerned.

In order to allow more flexibility in the implementation of the programme, the measures of the programmes could be adapted during the implementation of the programme, however modified actions must be the same as measures provide for in Council Regulation (EC) No 797/2004.

Rules should be adopted for setting the conversion rates to be applied to the financing of national programmes.

Rules concerning its content should be laid down to ensure that the studies referred to in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 797/2004 are carried out and up to date in a consistent fashion.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Eggs and Poultrymeat Committee,