1.A separate section of the national framework referred to in Article 36(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, shall indicate the requirements laid down in Article 28 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council(1) to be fulfilled by the environmental actions selected under an operational programme.
The national framework shall set out a non-exhaustive list of environmental actions and the conditions thereof applicable in the Member State for the purposes of Article 33(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.
The list referred to in the second subparagraph may include the following types of environmental actions:
(a)actions that are identical to agri-environment-climate or organic farming commitments as referred to in Articles 28 and 29 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013, respectively, and which are provided for under the rural development programme of the Member State concerned;
(b)investments beneficial for the environment;
(c)other actions beneficial for the environment, including those which do not relate directly or indirectly to a particular parcel but that are linked to the fruit and vegetables sector, provided they contribute to soil protection, water or energy saving, improvement or maintenance of water quality, habitats or biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation and reduction or improved management of waste.
For each environmental action referred to in points (b) and (c) of the third subparagraph, the national framework shall indicate:
(a)the justification of the action, on the basis of its environmental impact; and
(b)the specific commitment(s) entailed.
The national framework shall include at least one action on the application of integrated pest management practices.
2.Environmental actions which are identical to agri-environmental-climate or organic farming commitments supported under a rural development programme shall have the same duration as those commitments. Where the duration of the action exceeds the duration of the initial operational programme, the action shall be continued in a subsequent operational programme.
Member States may authorise shorter durations for environmental actions or even their discontinuance in duly justified cases, and in particular taking into account the results of the evaluation in the last but one year of the implementation of the operational programme referred to in Article 57(3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891.
3.Investments beneficial for environment made at the premises of producer organisations, associations of producer organisations or subsidiaries complying with the 90 % requirement referred to in Article 22(8) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891, or at the premises of their producer members shall be eligible for support if they:
(a)could achieve a reduction in the current use of production inputs, emission of pollutants or waste from the production process; or
(b)could achieve replacement of the use of fossil energy sources with renewable energy sources; or
(c)could achieve a reduction in the environmental risks linked to the use of certain production inputs, including plant protection products or fertilisers; or
(d)lead to improvement of the environment; or
(e)are linked to non-productive investments needed to achieve the objectives of an agri-environmental-climate or organic farming commitment, in particular where those objectives relate to the protection of habitats and biodiversity.
4.Investments referred to in point (a) of paragraph 3 shall be eligible for support if they provide for a reduction of at least 15 %, calculated over the fiscal depreciation period of the investment compared to the pre-existing situation, of:
(a)the use of production inputs that are non-renewable natural resources, such as water or fossil fuel, or possible source of environmental pollution, such as fertilisers, plant protection products or certain types of energy sources;
(b)the emission of air, soil or water pollutants from the production process; or
(c)the production of waste, including waste water, from the production process.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, Member States may accept investments that allow for a reduction of at least 7 %, calculated over the fiscal depreciation period of the investment compared to the pre-existing situation, provided that those investments allow for at least one additional environmental benefit.
The expected reduction and, where applicable, the expected additional environmental benefit, shall be demonstrated ex ante through project specifications or other technical documents to be presented by the producer organisation or association of producer organisations at the moment of the submission of the proposed operational programme or of the amendment of such a programme for approval, showing the results that could be obtained through the implementation of the investment, as attested by the technical documents or by an independent qualified body or expert agreed by the Member State.
Investments aimed to achieve a reduction in water use shall:
(a)provide for a reduction of at least 5 % in water use in drip irrigation or similar systems compared to the consumption prior to the investment; and
(b)not result in a net increase of the area under irrigation, unless the total water consumption for irrigation of the whole farm, including the increased area, does not exceed the average of water consumption of the previous 5 years prior to the investment.
5.Investments referred to in point (b) of paragraph 3 consisting of systems which generate energy shall be eligible for support if the amount of energy generated does not exceed the amount that can be used ex ante on a yearly basis for the actions related to fruit and vegetables by the producer organisation, association of producer organisations, subsidiary or the producer organisation's members that benefit from the investment.
6.Investments referred to in points (c) and (d) of paragraph 3 shall be eligible for support where they contribute to soil protection, water or energy saving, improvement or maintenance of water quality, habitats or biodiversity protection, climate change mitigation, and reduction or improved management of waste, although their contribution is not quantifiable.
The producer organisation or association of producer organisations shall provide evidence of the expected positive contribution to one or more environmental objectives at the moment of the submission for approval of the proposed operational programme or amendment of such a programme. The national competent authority may require that evidence to be provided in the form of project specifications attested by an independent qualified body or expert in the environmental fields concerned.
7.The following rules shall apply to environmental actions:
(a)various environmental actions may be combined provided that they are complementary and compatible. Where environmental actions other than investments in physical assets are combined, the level of support shall take account of the specific income foregone and additional costs resulting from the combination;
(b)commitments to limit the use of fertilisers, plant protection products or other inputs shall be accepted only if such limitations can be assessed in a way that provides assurance about compliance with those commitments;
(c)investments beneficial for the environment referred to in paragraph 3 shall be fully eligible for support.
Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 487).