The regions referred to in Article 52(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 F7are the regions defined by the relevant authority F38prior to exit day, in accordance with objective and non-discriminatory criteria such as the agronomic and socioeconomic characteristics and the regional agricultural potential, or the institutional or administrative structure. Such regions may differ from regions established under other support schemes provided for in Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.

When defining the specific types of farming or specific agricultural sectors referred to in Article 52(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, F8the relevant authority shall take into account in particular the relevant production structures and conditions of the region or sector concerned.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F9The eligibility criteria for coupled support measures means the criteria defined by the relevant authority with the framework set out in Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 and the conditions laid down in this Regulation.

Areas and yields and number of animals referred to in Article 52(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 shall be F10jointly agreed by the relevant authorities for each constituent nation at regional or sector level. They shall reflect the maximum yields, area cultivated or number of animals reached in the targeted region or sector in at least one year in the period of five years preceding the year of the decision referred to in Article 53(1) of that Regulation.

F1The annual payment shall be expressed as the per unit amount of support. It may be either one of the following amounts, or, when the area or the number of animals eligible for the support does not exceed the area or the number of animals fixed as referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, an amount between them:

1. (a)

   the ratio between the amount fixed for the financing of the measure as notified according to point (3)(i) of Annex I to this Regulation F35as it had effect immediately before exit day and the area or the number of animals eligible for the support in the year in question;

2. (b)

   the ratio between the amount fixed for the financing of the measure as notified according to point (3)(i) of Annex I to this Regulation F36as it had effect immediately before exit day and the area or the number of animals fixed as referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph.

F2Without prejudice to Article 52(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, for the per unit amount of support referred to in the second subparagraph of this paragraph, F11the relevant authority may decide, prior to exit day, to apply modulated per unit amounts in respect of certain categories of farmers or at farm level in order to take into account economies of scale resulting from the size of the production structures in the targeted specific type of farming or specific agricultural sector, or, if the measure targets a region or an entire sector, in the region or sector concerned. F12...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Where the coupled support measure concerns bovine animals and/or sheep and goats, F14... the requirements to identify and register animals provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council28 or Council Regulation (EC) No 21/200429 respectively F15shall apply.

F16...

F6By 15 September 2015, Member States shall notify the Commission of the dates referred to in the second subparagraph.

F17The relevant authority may not grant area-related coupled support for areas that are not eligible areas within the meaning of Article 32(2), (3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013. F18...

Without prejudice to the requirements set out in Chapter I of Title IV of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, F19the relevant authority may decide, if jointly agreed by the relevant authorities for each constituent nation, to use the amounts fixed in accordance with Article 53 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 for the purpose of financing one or several other support measures under Chapter I of Title IV of F20that Regulation in respect of the same claim year.

A transfer of funds between support measures shall not result in a support measure notified to the Commission F21before exit day pursuant to Article 54 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 F22as it existed immediately before exit day and Article 67(1) and (2) of this Regulation F23as it existed immediately before exit day becoming void.

Where the area or the number of animals eligible for support under a voluntary coupled support measure in the claim year concerned equals to or exceeds the area or the number of animals referred to in Article 52(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 as notified in accordance with point (3)(j) of Annex I to this Regulation F32as it had effect immediately before exit day, the support measure shall not benefit from a transfer of funds from any other support measure(s).

Where the area or the number of animals eligible for support under a voluntary coupled support measure in the claim year concerned is lower compared to the area or the number of animals referred to in Article 52(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 as notified in accordance with point (3)(j) of Annex I to this Regulation F33as it had effect immediately before exit day, a transfer of funds shall not result in the per unit amount becoming lower than the ratio between the amount fixed for the financing as notified in accordance with point (3)(i) of that Annex F34as it had effect immediately before exit day and the area or the number of animals referred to in Article 52(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.

Where F24the relevant authority grants coupled support for protein crops while using the possibility provided for in Article 53(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, a transfer of funds shall not result in the support available for protein crops to be less than 2 % of the annual national ceiling set out in Annex II to that Regulation.

A decision to transfer funds between support measures shall be taken before the date of the first payment or payment of advances to farmers in respect of the voluntary coupled support. However, in respect of transfers from and to measures for which no payment has been made yet, such decision may be taken after that date, but no later than:

1. (a)

   the last day of the month in which the first payment or payment of advances to farmers in respect of the voluntary coupled support is made;

2. (b)

   30 November where such first payment or payment of advances is made in the period from 16 to 31 October.

The F25relevant authority intending to take a decision to transfer funds between support measures shall inform farmers of a possible transfer before the date of opening of the application period.

For the purposes of Article 52(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, measures provided for in Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council30 shall be considered as ‘other F26... measures and policies’.

F27The relevant authority shall ensure consistency between:

1. (a)

   coupled support measures and measures implemented under other F28... measures and policies;

2. (b)

   different coupled support measures;

3. (c)

   coupled support measures and measures funded by state aids.

F27The relevant authority shall ensure that coupled support measures do not interfere with the proper functioning of other measures mentioned in the first subparagraph.

Where support under a certain coupled support measure may also be granted under another coupled support measure, or under a measure implemented under other F29... measures and policies, F30the relevant authority shall ensure that the farmer concerned may receive support aiming at the objective referred to in Article 52(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 under only one such measure per sector, region, specific type of farming or specific agricultural sector that is targeted in accordance with Article 52(3) of that Regulation.