COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2022/526

of 1 April 2022

derogating from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 in respect of school year 2021/2022 as regards on-the-spot checks on the premises of aid applicants or educational establishments for the purposes of the school scheme

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

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 (1), and in particular Article 62(2), first subparagraph, points (a), (b) and (c), thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Article 10(3) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 (2) lays down the minimum percentage of the on-the-spot checks to be carried out on the premises of aid applicants dealing with the supply and distribution of products and with accompanying educational measures in the framework of the scheme referred to in Article 23 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) (the ‘school scheme’). Article 10(3), fourth subparagraph, of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 provides that, where the aid applicant is not an educational establishment, the on-the-spot check carried out on the premises of the applicant is to be supplemented by on-the-spot checks on the premises of at least two educational establishments or at least 1 % of the educational establishments recorded by the applicant in accordance with Article 6 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/40 (4), whichever is the greater.

(2) Due to the measures in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the closure of educational establishments and the restrictions of access of external visitors to their premises, Member States may encounter difficulties with the planning and execution of timely on-the-spot checks on the premises of aid applicants or educational establishments in school year 2021/2022. Therefore, it is appropriate to provide that where Member States are not in a position to carry out those on-the-spot checks as required by Article 10(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39, they may decide to carry such on-the-spot checks remotely, for instance via videoconferences.

(3) Article 10(6) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 lays down the rules and methods applicable to the reporting of the checks and their results. In order to ensure transparency, Member States should justify the need for the derogation provided for in this Regulation and report on its use in the control report to be drawn up for each on-the-spot check carried out remotely.

(4) It is therefore appropriate to derogate from certain provisions of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 in respect of school year 2021/2022.

(5) 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:

Article 1 1. By way of derogation from Article 10(3), second to fifth subparagraphs, of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39, where due to the measures put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic Member States are not in a position to carry out on-the-spot checks on the premises of aid applicants or educational establishments in respect of school year 2021/2022, those checks may be carried out remotely. 2. By way of derogation from Article 10(6) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39, where the on-the-spot checks are carried out remotely in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, the competent control authority shall also include a justification on the need for such derogation and report on its use in the control report.

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 1 April 2022. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 549.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 of 3 November 2016 on rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to Union aid for the supply of fruit and vegetables, bananas and milk in educational establishments (OJ L 5, 10.1.2017, p. 1).

(3) 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 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671).

(4) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/40 of 3 November 2016 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to Union aid for the supply of fruit and vegetables, bananas and milk in educational establishments and amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014 (OJ L 5, 10.1.2017, p. 11).