Where a new Member State has made use of the option provided for by Article 143ba of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, it shall grant a separate sugar payment to farmers eligible under the single area payment scheme. This payment shall be granted on the basis of the criteria adopted by the relevant Member States in 2006 and 2007.

The separate sugar payment shall be granted within the limits of the ceilings set out in Annex XV.

By way of derogation from paragraph 2, each new Member State concerned may decide, by 31 March of the year in respect of which the separate sugar payment is granted and on the basis of objective criteria, to apply for the separate sugar payment a ceiling lower than that listed in Annex XV. Where the sum of the amounts determined in accordance with paragraph 1 exceeds the ceiling decided by the new Member State concerned, the annual amount to be granted to the farmers shall be reduced proportionally.