In order to ensure the orderly implementation of their School Fruit Scheme, Member States wishing to participate in the Scheme, at national or regional level, should draw up a prior strategy for its implementation. So as to ensure the added value of School Fruit Schemes set up under this Regulation, Member States should explain in their strategy how they will guarantee the added value of their scheme, especially where regular school meals are consumed at the same time as products financed under their School Fruit Scheme. Where Member States choose to implement more than one Scheme, they should draw up a strategy for each such Scheme.

A Member State's strategy should contain the key elements referred to in Article 103ga(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, namely the budget of its scheme, including the Community and national contribution, its duration, target group, eligible products and the involvement of relevant stakeholders, such as educational and health authorities, the private sector or the children's parents. A Member State's strategy should also describe the accompanying measures that should be adopted so as to ensure the Scheme's effectiveness.

Pursuant to Article 152(1) of the Treaty, a high level of health should be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Community policies. So as to ensure that the products eligible for aid offer a high level of health protection to children and to promote healthy eating habits, the Member States should exclude products with added sugar, fat, salt or sweeteners from their strategy, except where, in duly justified cases, Member States provide in their strategy that such products may be eligible under their scheme. In all cases, a Member State's list of eligible products should be endorsed by the competent national health authority.

School Fruit Schemes require accompanying measures in order to be effective. Accompanying measures should not be limited to certain geographical areas or educational establishments, excluding certain children from their scope. Therefore, Member States should aim to give most children of their scheme's target group access to accompanying measures.

In the interest of sound administration and budget management, Member States implementing a School Fruit Scheme should apply for Community aid on an annual basis.

For the sake of transparency, an indicative allocation of Community aid per Member State, calculated on the basis of the allocation key referred to in Article 103ga(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, should be provided for. In order to take demographic developments into account, the Commission should assess at least every three years whether that allocation is still up to date.

In order to maximise the full potential of available funds, Community aid that was indicatively attributed to Member States which did not notify their strategy to the Commission in time should be reallocated between the participating Member States that notified the Commission their willingness to use more than their initial allocation of Community aid.

Not only costs incurred for purchasing fruit and vegetables, processed fruits and vegetables and banana products, but also some related costs that are directly linked to the implementation of a School Fruit Scheme, should be eligible for Community aid, if provided for in a Member State's strategy. However, in order to preserve the effectiveness of the Scheme, only a small percentage of aid should be allocated to these related costs. For financial management and control purposes, these costs should represent fixed amounts, calculated on a pro rata basis.

In the interest of sound administration, budget management and supervision, the conditions for granting aid, the approval of aid applicants and the conditions for a valid aid application should be specified. As regards the payment of the aid, the requirements to be met by applicants should be specified and rules on the lodging of applications, on the checks and sanctions to be applied by the competent authorities and on the payment procedure should be laid down.

To protect the Community's financial interests, adequate control measures should be adopted to combat irregularities and fraud. These control measures should involve full administrative checking supplemented by on-the-spot checks. The scope, content, timing and reporting of such control measures should be specified so as to ensure an equitable and uniform approach between Member States, taking account of their different implementation of the scheme.

Amounts unduly paid should be recovered and sanctions should be determined in order to deter applicants from fraudulent behaviour and serious negligence.

In order to assess the effectiveness of the School Fruit Scheme, and to allow peer review and the exchange of best practices, Member States should monitor and evaluate the implementation of their School Fruit Scheme on a regular basis and send their results and findings to the Commission. Where fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables and banana products are not distributed free of charge to the target group of their scheme, Member States should assess the impact of a parental contribution on the effectiveness of their Scheme.

Experience has shown that the beneficiaries of projects co-financed with Community aid are not always sufficiently aware of the role played by the Community in the relevant project. The role of the Community in the School Fruit Scheme should therefore be clearly indicated in each participating educational establishment.

In order to allow the Member States sufficient time to set up their School Fruit Scheme, or to align their existing scheme with the new provisions, Member States may elaborate a strategy which contains only the main key element for the initial period from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010. They should also be able to postpone the adoption of accompanying measures during that transitional period.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets,