THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007(1), and in particular Article 38, Article 174(1)(d), Article 181(3), and Article 182(1) and (4) thereof,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008(2), and in particular Article 58(4)(a), Article 62(2)(a) to (d) and (h) and Article 64(7)(a) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 has replaced Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007(3) and lays down new rules concerning the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors. It also empowers the Commission to adopt delegated and implementing acts in that respect. Those acts should replace some of the provisions of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011(4). That Regulation is amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891(5).
(2) In order to optimise the allocation of financial resources and to improve the quality of the strategy, provisions should be laid down establishing the structure and content of the national strategy for sustainable operational programmes and the national framework for environmental actions. The environmental actions that may be included in that national framework and the requirements to be complied with should be established to facilitate the drafting and implementation of those actions.
(3) Furthermore, rules should be provided regarding the content of the operational programmes, the documents to be submitted, time limits for submission and implementation periods of operational programmes.
(4) To ensure the correct application of the aid scheme for producer organisations, provisions on information to be included in the applications for aid as well as procedures for the payment of aid should be laid down. To prevent cash-flow difficulties, a system of advance payments accompanied by appropriate securities should be made available to producer organisations. For similar reasons, an alternative system should be available for the reimbursement of expenditure already incurred.
(5) As the production of fruit and vegetables is unpredictable and the products are perishable, the surplus on the market, even if it is not too great, can significantly disturb the market. Therefore, implementing rules relating to crisis prevention and management measures need to be laid down.
(6) Detailed rules concerning the national financial assistance which Member States may grant in regions of the Union where the degree of organisation of producers is particularly low should be laid down. Procedures should be provided for the approval of such national financial assistance as well as for the approval and the amount of the reimbursement by the Union. In addition, the proportion of reimbursement should be laid down.
(7) Provisions concerning the type and format of certain information to be provided for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2103, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 and this Regulation should be laid down. Those provisions should cover information from producers and producer organisations to the Member States and from the Member States to the Commission.
(8) Provisions should be laid down as regards the administrative and the on-the spot checks necessary to ensure the proper application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 in the fruit and vegetables sector.
(9) For the purposes of Article 59(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, rules on the correction of obvious errors in aid applications, notifications, claims or requests need to be laid down.
(10) Rules should be laid down concerning financial contributions from producers who do not belong to producer organisations, associations of producer organisations or inter-branch organisations for which rules are made binding that are agreed within organisations or associations that are considered to be representative in a specific economic area.
(11) Standard import values should be calculated on the basis of the weighted average of the average representative prices of imported products sold on Member State's import markets, using the data on these prices and on imported quantities of the products concerned notified by Member States to the Commission pursuant to Article 74 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891. Provisions should be laid down concerning cases in which no average representative prices are available for products of a given origin.
(12) Detailed rules concerning the import duty which can be imposed on certain products in addition to that provided for in the Common Customs Tariff should be laid down. Provision should be made that additional import duty may be imposed if import volumes of the products concerned exceed trigger levels determined for the product and the period of application. Goods en route to the Union are exempt from the additional import duty and, therefore, specific provisions for such goods should be adopted.
(13) This Regulation should enter into force on and apply from the seventh day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
(14) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Regulation: power to modify conferred (E.) (11.11.2020 for specified purposes, 11.1.2021 in so far as not already in force) by Agriculture Act 2020 (c. 21), ss. 15, 57(1)(b)(c)(6)
Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1).
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 of 7 June 2011 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 in respect of the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors (OJ L 157, 15.6.2011, p. 1).
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 of 13 March 2017 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors and supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to penalties to be applied in those sectors and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 (see p. 4 of this Official Journal).