1.For the purposes of Article 103e(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, the degree of organisation of producers in a region of a Member State shall be calculated as the value of fruit and vegetable production that was obtained in the region and marketed by producer organisations, associations of producer organisations and producer groups divided by the total value of the fruit and vegetable production that was obtained in that region.
2.The degree of organisation of producers in a region of a Member State shall be considered as particularly low where the average of the degrees, calculated as provided for in paragraph 1 for the last three years for which the data are available is less than 20 %.
Only fruit and vegetable production generated in the region referred to in this article may benefit from national financial assistance. For the purposes of this Chapter, a region shall be considered as a distinct part of the territory of a Member State, as a result of its administrative, geographical or economic characteristics.
1.Member States shall submit a request to the Commission for authorisation to grant national financial assistance pursuant to Article 103e(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 for operational programmes to be implemented in any given calendar year by 31 January of that year.
The request shall be accompanied by evidence showing that the degree of organisation of producers in the region concerned is particularly low, as defined in Article 91 of this Regulation, that only products of the fruit and vegetables sector produced in that region benefit from assistance, as well as details of the producer organisations concerned, the amount of assistance concerned and the proportion of financial contributions being made pursuant to Article 103b(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007.
2.The Commission shall approve or refuse the request within three months of its submission. If the Commission does not reply within this period the request shall be considered to have been approved.
If the request is incomplete, the three-month period is suspended and the Member State is informed about the non-compliance found. The suspension shall take effect from the date on which the Member State is informed of the suspension and shall last until a complete request is received.
A producer organisation wishing to apply for national financial assistance shall, if necessary, amend its operational programme pursuant to Articles 65 or 66.
1.Producer organisations shall apply for the national financial assistance, and Member States shall pay the aid, in accordance with Articles 69 and 70.
2.Member States may adopt additional rules on the payment of the national financial assistance, including the possibility of advance and partial payments.
1.Member States may request Union reimbursement of approved national financial assistance actually paid to producer organisations, before 1 January of the second year following the year of implementation of the programme.
The request shall be accompanied by evidence showing that the conditions set out in Article 103e(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 have been fulfilled in three of the previous four years, as well as details of the producer organisations concerned, the amount of assistance actually paid and a description of the operational fund broken out between total amount, contributions from Union, Member State (national financial assistance) and producer organisations and members.
2.The Commission shall take a decision to approve or refuse the request. The request shall be refused where the rules on the authorisation and reimbursement of national financial assistance have not been complied with or where the rules on producer organisations, the operational fund and operational programmes laid down in this Regulation or Regulation (EC) 1234/2007 have not been respected by the requesting Member State.
3.Where Union reimbursement of the assistance has been approved, the eligible expenditure shall be declared to the Commission in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 5 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 883/2006(1).
4.The proportion of Union reimbursement of national financial assistance shall not exceed 60 % of the national financial assistance granted to the producer organisation.