Wednesday 4 July 2012

Common organisation of agricultural markets and specific provisions for certain agricultural products ***I

P7_TA(2012)0280

European Parliament legislative resolution of 4 July 2012 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (COM(2010)0799 – C7–0008/2011 – 2010/0385(COD))

2013/C 349 E/25

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2010)0799),

having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 42 and Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0008/2011),

having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of Protocol (No 2) on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, by the Polish Diet and the Polish Senate and by the Swedish Parliament, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,

having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 15 March 2011 (1) ,

having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A7-0322/2011),

Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

(1) OJ C 132, 3.5.2011, p. 89.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

P7_TC1-COD(2010)0385

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 4 July 2012 with a view to the adoption of Regulation …/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 42 and Article 43(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (2),

Whereas:

(1) 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) (3) has been amended several times. Further amendments are needed as a consequence of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, in order to align the powers conferred on the European Parliament and the Council, and in particular those conferred on the Commission to Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (the Treaty). In view of the scope of those amendments, it is appropriate to repeal Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 and to replace it with a new Single CMO Regulation. In the interest of technical simplification, it is appropriate to incorporate Council Regulation (EEC) No 922/72 of 2 May 1972 laying down general rules for granting aid in respect of silkworms for the 1972/73 rearing year (4) in this Regulation. Regulation (EEC) No 922/72 should therefore be repealed as well.

(2) By virtue of Article 43(3) of the Treaty, the Council shall adopt measures on fixing prices, levies, aid and quantitative limitations. In the interest of clarity, where Article 43(3) of the Treaty applies, this Regulation should explicitly refer to the fact that measures will be adopted by the Council on that basis. [Am. 1]

(3) This Regulation should contain all the basic elements of the Single CMO. The fixing of prices, levies, aid and quantitative limitations is in certain cases inextricably linked to those basic elements.

(4) The Commission should have In order to ensure the proper functioning of this Regulation, the power to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty in order to supplement or amend on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of supplementing or amending certain non-essential elements of this Regulation. The elements for which that power may be exercised should be defined, as well as the conditions to which that delegation is to be subject. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. Due attention should be paid to regional and local authorities, island, sparsely populated and mountainous regions and outermost regions, so as not to aggravate the constraints that such regions already face in the present crisis. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council. [Am. 2]

(5) The use of an urgency procedure should be reserved for exceptional cases where this proves to be necessary in order to react efficiently and effectively against threats of market disturbance or where market disturbances are occurring. The choice of an urgency procedure should be justified and the cases in which the urgency procedure should be used should be specified.

(6) Pursuant to Article 291 of the Treaty Member States should be responsible for implementing the common organisation of agricultural markets (hereinafter CMO) established in this Regulation. In order to ensure that the CMO is implemented in the Member States in a uniform manner and to avoid unfair competition or discrimination between operators, the Commission should be able to adopt implementing acts in accordance with Article 291(2) of the Treaty. The Commission should, therefore, be granted implementing powers under that provision, in particular as regards the uniform conditions under which market intervention measures apply, the uniform conditions for implementing aid schemes and for applying rules concerning marketing and production, and rules related to trade with Third countries. The Commission should also define the minimum characteristics for checks which Member States must apply.

(7) In addition, in order to ensure the efficiency of the schemes established by the Single CMO, the Commission should be given the necessary powers for market management measures and daily management tasks. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the Single CMO, powers should also be conferred on the Commission for regulating certain issues of a rather technical character and for adopting rules on notifications, information and reporting, procedures and technical criteria related to products and operators eligible for market support. Additionally, in order to ensure the proper working of the CMO, the Commission should also determine, in particular, dates, time limits, operative events for exchange rates, representative periods and interest rates and, as regards aid schemes, the Commission should be empowered, in particular, with the legal basis to fix aid and to adopt rules on the management, monitoring and evaluation of programmes, the publicising of the benefit of aids paid and rules related to the implementation of plans for social schemes. The Commission should be empowered to define procedures related to the payment of aid and advances of aid.

(8) Furthermore, in order to achieve the aims of the Single CMO and to respect its principles, the Commission should be entrusted with the power to adopt rules, including on the management of schemes aimed at limiting the production of milk, sugar and wine, inspections and checks and should also have the power to fix the amount of securities, to determine the rules and procedures regarding the recovery of undue payments and to adopt the rules on contracts related to market support.

(9) Further, in the wine sector, the Commission should also be entrusted with the power to ensure that applications for designations of origin, geographical indications, as well as traditional terms, satisfy the conditions laid down by this Regulation to ensure uniform application across the Union. As regards presentation and labelling of the products of the wine sector, the Commission should be given the competence to adopt all necessary rules related to procedures, notifications and technical criteria.

(10) In order to ensure the achievement of the objectives of the legislative framework established by this Regulation, the Commission should also have permanent monitoring powers related to certain activities of producer organisations, producer groups, interbranch organisations and operator organisations. Moreover, in order to preserve the structure defined by the Single CMO and its essential parameters, the Commission should be given the competence to adopt all necessary rules related to exceptional market measures and exceptional management measures, intended to solve urgent and unforeseen problems occurring in one or more Member States.

(11) Save where explicitly provided otherwise, In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. should adopt Those implementing acts powers should be exercised in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council on [title of Regulation] of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (5). [Am. 3]

(12) In respect of certain measures under this Regulation which require swift action or which consist in the mere application of general provisions to specific situations without involving discretion, the Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing acts without the assistance of the Committee application of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. [Am. 4]

(13) The Commission should further be empowered to carry out certain administrative or management tasks which do not entail the adoption of delegated or implementing acts.

(14) Replacement by a new Single CMO Regulation should not lead to calling into question the policy decisions that have been taken over the years in the common agricultural policy (hereinafter CAP). The purpose of this Regulation should, therefore, essentially be the alignment to the Treaty of the powers conferred on the Commission. It should not, therefore, repeal or change existing provisions for which existing justification remains valid, unless those provisions have become obsolete, nor should it provide for new rules or measures. The exceptions to this approach concern the distribution of food products to the most deprived persons in the Union, and aid granted in the framework of the German alcohol monopoly. Provisions on marketing standards reflect proposals made in the context of a comprehensive review of quality policy.

(15) Marketing years should be fixed for cereals, rice, sugar, dried fodder, seeds, olive oil and table olives, flax and hemp, fruit and vegetables, bananas, milk and milk products, and silkworms, mainly adapted to the biological production cycles of each of those products.

(16) In order to stabilise the markets and to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, a differentiated system of price support for the different sectors has been developed, in parallel to the introduction of direct support schemes, taking account of the different needs in each of these sectors on the one hand and the interdependence between different sectors on the other. Those measures take the form of public intervention or, as the case may be, the payment of aid for the private storage of products of the cereals, rice, sugar, olive oil and table olives, beef and veal, milk and milk products, pigmeat and sheepmeat and goatmeat sectors. Given the objectives of the subsequent amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, in particular by Council Regulation (EC) No 72/2009 of 19 January 2009 on modifications to the Common Agricultural Policy by amending Regulations (EC) No 247/2006, (EC) No 320/2006, (EC) No 1405/2006, (EC) No 1234/2007, (EC) No 3/2008 and (EC) No 479/2008 and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 1883/78, (EEC) No 1254/89, (EEC) No 2247/89, (EEC) No 2055/93, (EC) No 1868/94, (EC) No 2596/97, (EC) No 1182/2005 and (EC) No 315/2007 (6), and on the basis of the justification presented therein, there is, therefore, a need to maintain price support measures where they are foreseen in the instruments as they were developed in the past, without making any substantial changes as compared to the previous legal situation.

(17) For the sake of clarity and transparency, the provisions governing those measures should be made subject to a common structure, whilst maintaining the policy pursued in each sector. For that purpose it is appropriate to distinguish between reference prices and intervention prices.

(18) The CMOs for cereals, beef and veal, and milk and milk products contained provisions according to which the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 37(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community, had the power to change the price levels. Given the sensitivity of the price systems it should be made clear that the possibility under Article 43(2) of the Treaty to change price levels exists with regard to all sectors covered by this Regulation.

(19) Reference prices should be fixed for standard qualities of white sugar and raw sugar. Such standard qualities should be average qualities representative of sugar produced in the Union and defined on the basis of criteria used by the sugar trade. It should also be possible to review the standard qualities to take account, in particular, of commercial requirements and developments in technical analysis.

(20) To ensure reliable information on Union market prices for sugar, a price reporting system should be provided for by this Regulation, on the basis of which market price levels for white sugar should be determined.

(21) On the basis of the amendments introduced by Regulation (EC) No 72/2009 the system of intervention for cereals, rice, butter, and skimmed milk powder is opened during certain periods of the year. In respect of the beef and veal sector the opening and closing of public intervention should be dependent on market price levels during a certain period.

(22) The price level at which buying-in under public intervention should be carried out was, in the past, decreased in the CMOs for cereals, rice and beef and veal and fixed along with the introduction of direct support schemes in those sectors. Aid under those schemes on the one hand and intervention prices on the other are, therefore, closely linked. For the products of the milk and milk products sector, that price level was fixed in order to promote consumption of the products concerned and improve their competitiveness. Those policy decisions still remain valid.

(23) This Regulation should provide for the possibility of disposal of products bought into public intervention. Such measures should be taken in a way that avoids market disturbances and that ensures equal access to the goods and equal treatment of purchasers.

(24) The objectives of the CAP as defined in Article 39(1) of the Treaty include stabilising the markets as well as ensuring that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices. Over the years the food distribution scheme has successfully underpinned the fulfilment of both objectives. It should continue to guarantee the aims of the CAP and help achieve cohesion objectives. However, successive reforms of the CAP have resulted in a progressive reduction in intervention stocks, as well as the range of products available. Consequently, market purchases should also be made a permanent source of supply for the scheme.

(25) In order to ensure sound budgetary management and to fully benefit from the cohesive dimension of the Union scheme, a fixed ceiling of Union aid should be provided for and provision should be made for Member States to co-finance the food distribution programme. Furthermore, experience has shown that a longer term perspective is required for the scheme. The Commission should therefore establish three-year-plans for the implementation of the scheme and Member States should prepare national food distribution programmes setting out their objectives and priorities for the scheme, including nutritional considerations. In addition, Member States should undertake adequate administrative and physical checks and provide penalties in case of irregularities in order to ensure that the three-year plan is implemented in accordance with the applicable rules.

(26) In order to ensure a transparent, coherent and efficient operation of the most deprived scheme the Commission should adopt the procedures for the adoption and revision of three-year plans and should proceed to the adoption of those plans and, where necessary, their revisions. The Commission should also adopt provisions on additional elements to be included in the three-year plans, rules for the supply of products as well as procedures and time limits applicable to withdrawals of intervention products, including transfers between Member States and rules on the format of national food distribution programmes and annual implementation reports. Furthermore, in order to ensure uniformity in the implementation of the three year plans by Member States, the Commission should adopt the procedures for the reimbursement of costs of the charitable organisations that Member States chose to consider eligible including time limits and financial ceilings, the conditions pertaining to the invitation to tender and the conditions applicable to food products and their supply. Moreover, rules should be adopted laying down the obligations of Member States concerning checks, procedures and deadlines for payments, reductions for their non-respect as well as accounting provisions and the tasks to be fulfilled by national intervention bodies including in the case of transfers between Member States.

(27) In order to contribute to balancing the milk market and to stabilising market prices, this Regulation provides for the granting of aid for private storage in respect of certain butter products. Moreover, the Commission should be empowered to decide to grant aid for private storage for white sugar, certain kinds of olive oil and of certain beef and veal products, pigmeat, and sheepmeat and goatmeat.

(28) The Union scales for the classification of carcasses in the beef and veal, pigmeat and sheepmeat and goatmeat sectors are essential for the purposes of price recording and for the application of the intervention arrangements in those sectors. Moreover, they pursue the objective of improving market transparency.

(29) Restrictions to free circulation resulting from the application of measures intended to combat the spread of animal diseases could cause difficulties on the market in certain products in one or more Member States. Experience shows that serious market disturbances such as a significant drop in consumption or in prices may be attributed to a loss in consumer confidence due to public health or animal health risks.

(30) The exceptional market support measures for beef and veal, milk and milk products, pigmeat, sheepmeat and goatmeat, eggs and poultrymeat should be directly related to or consequent upon health and veterinary measures adopted in order to combat the spread of disease. They should be taken at the request of Member States in order to avoid serious disruption on the markets concerned.

(31) The possibility for the Commission to adopt special intervention measures where this proves to be necessary in order to react efficiently and effectively against threats of market disturbances in the cereals sector and in order to prevent large-scale application of public intervention in certain regions of the Union in the rice sector or to make up for paddy rice shortages following natural disasters should be provided for.

(32) A minimum price should be fixed for quota beet corresponding to a standard quality which should be defined, in order to ensure a fair standard of living for the Union growers of sugar beet and sugar cane.

(33) Specific instruments are needed to ensure a fair balance of rights and obligations between sugar undertakings and sugar beet growers. Therefore, the standard provisions governing the interprofessional agreements should be established.

(34) The diversity of natural, economic and technical situations makes it difficult to provide for uniform purchase terms for sugar beet throughout the Union. Agreements within the trade already exist between associations of sugar beet growers and sugar undertakings. Therefore, framework provisions should define only the minimum guarantees required by both sugar beet growers and the sugar industry to ensure a smooth functioning of the sugar market with the possibility to derogate from some rules in the context of an agreement within the trade.

(35) The production charge provided for in the sugar sector to contribute to the financing of the expenditure occurring should be provided for in this Regulation.

(36) To maintain the structural balance of the markets in sugar at a price level close to the reference price, the possibility to decide to withdraw sugar from the market for as long as it takes for the market to rebalance should be provided for.

(37) As regards live plants, beef and veal, pigmeat, sheepmeat and goatmeat, eggs and poultrymeat provision should be made for the possibility of adopting certain measures to facilitate the adjustment of supply to market requirements. Such measures may contribute to stabilising the markets and to ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community concerned.

(38) In the sugar sector the quantitative limitation of production has been an essential market policy instrument. The reasons which in the past led the Community to adopt production quota systems in the sugar sector remain valid.

(39) The sugar quota scheme under this Regulation should in particular maintain the legal status of the quotas in so far as, according to the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the system of quotas constitutes a mechanism for regulating the market in the sugar sector aiming to ensure the attainment of public interest objectives.

(40) This Regulation should provide for the possibility to adjust sugar quotas in order to reflect Member States' decisions regarding the reallocation of national quotas.

(41) In the light of the need to allow for a certain amount of national flexibility in relation to the structural adjustment of the processing industry and of beet and cane growing during the period in which the quotas are to be applied, the possibility for Member States to be allowed to alter the quotas of undertakings within certain limits whilst not restricting the operation of the restructuring fund as an instrument should be provided for.

(42) In order to avoid that surplus sugar distorts the sugar market, the Commission should be enabled, according to certain criteria, to provide for carrying forward the surplus sugar, isoglucose or inulin syrup to be treated as quota production of the following marketing year. Moreover, if, for certain quantities, the applicable conditions are not met, provision is also made for a levy on the surplus in order to avoid the accumulation of those quantities threatening the market situation.

(43) The milk quota system should be maintained until its expiration in 2015, including the application of a levy to quantities of milk collected or sold for direct consumption above a certain guarantee threshold.

(44) The distinction between deliveries and direct sales of milk should be maintained and the scheme should be applied on the basis of individual representative fat contents and a national reference fat content. Farmers should be authorised under certain conditions to temporarily transfer their individual quota. Moreover the principle should be maintained that when a farm is sold, leased or transferred by inheritance, the corresponding quota is transferred to the purchaser, tenant or heir together with the relevant land, while the exceptions to the principle that quotas are tied to farms in order to continue the restructuring of milk production and improve the environment should be maintained. In line with the various types of transfer of quotas and using objective criteria, rules authorising Member States to place part of the transferred quantities in the national reserve should be provided for.

(45) The surplus levy payable on milk and other milk products should be set at a dissuasive level and be payable by the Member States as soon as the national quota is exceeded. The Member State should then divide the burden of payment among the producers who have contributed to the overrun. Those producers should be liable vis-à-vis the Member State for payment of their contribution to the levy due by virtue of the fact of having overrun their available quantity. Member States should pay to the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) the levy corresponding to the overrun of their national quota, reduced by a flat-rate amount of 1 % in order to take account of cases of bankruptcy or the definitive inability of certain producers to make their contribution to the payment of the levy due.

(46) The main purpose of the milk quota system of reducing the imbalance between supply and demand on the respective market and the resulting structural surpluses, thereby achieving a better market equilibrium, appeared to reduce market orientation because it distorted farmers' response to price signals and prevented efficiency gains in the sector by slowing down restructuring. The phasing-out of dairy quotas by annual increases of 1 % has been provided per marketing year from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014. In the context of the restructuring of the sector, Member States should be permitted until 31 March 2014 to grant an additional national aid within certain limits. The quota increases incorporated in Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 248/2008 (7), and the 1 % annual increase, along with the other changes which reduce the likelihood of the surplus levy being incurred mean that only Italy would be at risk of the levy being incurred on the basis of current production patterns if annual increases of 1 % were applied from the 2009/2010 period until 2013/2014. Therefore, taking into account the current production patterns in all Member States, the increase in quota has been frontloaded for Italy in order to avoid this risk.

(47) Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 provides for different kinds of aid schemes. The scheme for dried fodder and for flax and hemp provided for processing aids for these sectors as a means to govern the internal market in respect of the sectors concerned. As a result of the amendments made by Regulation (EC) No 72/2009 and pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 of 19 January 2009 establishing common rules for direct support schemes for farmers under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1290/2005, (EC) No 247/2006, (EC) No 378/2007 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (8), aid will continue to be provided for dried fodder until 1 April 2012, and long flax fibre, short flax fibre and hemp fibre until the marketing year 2011/2012. The system of potato starch quotas provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 72/2009, and the related minimum price applies only to the end of the 2011/12 marketing year.

(48) To contribute to balancing the milk market and to stabilise the market prices for milk and milk products, measures are needed to increase the possibility of disposing of milk products. This Regulation should provide for the grant of aids for the marketing of certain milk products with a view to specific uses and destinations. Moreover, it should provide that, in order to stimulate the consumption of milk by young people, the Union should defray a part of the expenditure occasioned by granting aid for the supply of milk to pupils in schools.

(49) The possibility should be provided for of the granting of a production refund in cases where, with regard to the manufacturing of certain industrial, chemical or pharmaceutical products, the need arises to take measures aimed at making available certain sugar products.

(50) In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, the hops area payment was decoupled from 1 January 2010. In order to allow the hop producer organisations to continue their activities as before, a specific provision should be made for equivalent amounts to be used in the Member State concerned for the same activities.

(51) Union financing, consisting of the percentage of direct aid that Member States are allowed to withhold in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, is required to encourage approved operator organisations to draw up work programmes for the purpose of improving the production quality of olive oil and table olives. In that context, this Regulation should provide for Union support to be allocated in accordance with the priorities given to the activities undertaken within the work programmes in question.

(52) This Regulation distinguishes between on the one hand fruit and vegetables, which includes fruit and vegetables for marketing and fruit and vegetables intended for processing, and on the other hand processed fruit and vegetables. Rules on producer organisations, operational programmes and Union financial assistance only apply to fruit and vegetables and fruit and vegetables solely intended for processing.

(53) Producer organisations are the basic actors in the fruit and vegetables regime. In the face of ever greater concentration of demand, the grouping of supply through these organisations continues to be an economic necessity in order to strengthen the position of producers in the market. Such grouping should be effected on a voluntary basis and prove its utility by the scope and efficiency of the services offered by producer organisations to their members. Since producer organisations act exclusively in the interests of their members, they should be deemed as acting in the name and on behalf of their members in economic matters.

(54) The production of fruit and vegetables is unpredictable and the products are perishable. Even limited surpluses can significantly disturb the market. Therefore, measures for crisis management should be put in place. In order to provide for increased attractiveness of producer organisations, those measures should be integrated into operational programmes.

(55) The production and marketing of fruit and vegetables should take full account of environmental concerns, including cultivation practices, the management of waste materials and the disposal of products withdrawn from the market, in particular as regards the protection of water quality, the maintenance of biodiversity and the upkeep of the countryside.

(56) Producer groups in the fruit and vegetables sector in Member States which acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004 or after that date, in certain outermost regions of the Union or in the smaller Aegean Islands and wishing to acquire the status of producer organisations in accordance with this Regulation should be allowed the benefit of a transitional period during which national and Union financial support can be given against certain commitments by the producer group.

(57) In order to give producer organisations in the fruit and vegetables sector greater responsibility for their financial decisions in particular and to gear the public resources assigned to them towards future requirements, terms should be set for the use of these resources. Joint financing of operational funds set up by producer organisations is an appropriate solution. Additional scope for financing should be permitted in particular cases. Operational funds should only be used to finance operational programmes in the fruit and vegetables sector. In order to control Union expenditure, there should be a cap on assistance granted to producer organisations that establish operational funds.

(58) In regions where the organisation of production in the fruit and vegetables sector is weak, the grant of additional, national, financial contributions should be allowed. In the case of Member States which are at a particular disadvantage with regard to structures, those contributions should be reimbursable by the Union.

(59) In order to simplify and reduce the cost of the scheme, the procedures and rules for the eligibility of expenditure under operational funds should, where possible, be aligned with those of rural development programmes by requiring Member States to establish a national strategy for operational programs.

(60) It is desirable to address the low consumption of fruit and vegetables amongst children by durably increasing the share of fruit and vegetables in the diets of children at the stage when their eating habits are being formed. Provision should therefore be made for Union aid to co-finance the supply to children in educational establishments of products of the fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables, and bananas sector, and certain related costs linked to logistics and distribution, equipment, publicity, monitoring and evaluation. In order to ensure orderly implementation Member States wishing to make use of the school fruit scheme should draw up a prior strategy, including amongst others the list of products eligible, selected on the basis of objective criteria including seasonality, availability, or environmental concerns.

(61) In order to ensure a sound budgetary management of the school fruit scheme, a fixed ceiling of Union aid and maximum co-financing rates should be provided for. Union aid should not be used to replace funding for any national existing school fruit scheme. In the light of budgetary constraints, Member States should nonetheless be able to replace their financial contribution to the school fruit scheme with contributions from the private sector. In order to make their scheme effective, Member States should provide for accompanying measures for which Member States should be allowed to grant national aid.

(62) It is important to provide for support measures in the wine sector which are liable to strengthen competitive structures. While those measures should be financed and defined by the Union, it should be left to Member States to select the appropriate set of measures to meet the needs of their regional bodies, taking their particularities into account, where necessary, as well as to integrate them into national support programmes. Member States should be responsible for the implementation of such programmes.

(63) One key measure eligible for national support programmes should be the promotion and marketing of Union wines in third countries. Restructuring and conversion activities should continue to be covered on account of their positive structural effects on the wine sector. Support should also be available for investments in the wine sector which are geared towards improving the economic performance of the enterprises as such. Support for by-product distillation should be a measure available to Member States which desire to use such an instrument to ensure the quality of wine, while preserving the environment.

(64) Preventive instruments such as harvest insurance, mutual funds and green harvesting should be eligible for support under the wine support programmes so as to encourage a responsible approach to crisis situations.

(65) For various reasons Member States may prefer granting decoupled aid under the Single Payment Scheme to farmers. This possibility should therefore be open to Member States, and because of the particularities of the Single Payment Scheme any such transfer should be irreversible and reduce correspondingly the budget available for the national support programmes for wine in subsequent years.

(66) Support for the wine sector should also come from structural measures under Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (9). In order to increase the financial means available under Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, a gradual transfer of funds to the budget under that Regulation should be put into place where the relevant amounts are sufficiently important.

(67) In order to improve the operation of the market for wines, Member States should be able to implement decisions taken by inter-branch organisations. The scope of such decisions should, however, exclude practices which could distort competition.

(68) The surplus production of wine in the Union has been made worse as a result of violations of the transitional prohibition on new plantings. A significant number of unlawful plantings exist in the Union, which constitutes a source of unfair competition, exacerbates the problems of the wine sector and must be dealt with.

(69) While the transitional prohibition on new plantings has had some effect on the balance between supply and demand in the wine market, it has at the same time created an obstacle for competitive producers who wish to respond flexibly to increased demand. As a market balance has not yet been found, and as the accompanying measures such as the grubbing-up scheme need time to take effect, it is expedient to keep the prohibition on new plantings in place until 31 December 2015, at which juncture, however, it should be definitely lifted in order to permit competitive producers to respond freely to market conditions. However, Member States should be given the possibility to extend the prohibition for their territories until 31 December 2018 if they consider doing so necessary.

(70) In order to improve the management of wine-growing potential and to promote the efficient use of planting rights and thus to further mitigate the effect of the transitional restriction on plantings, some flexibility such us the systems of national or regional reserves should continue to exist.

(71) The proper working of the single market would be jeopardised by the granting of national aids. The provisions of the Treaty governing State aids should in principle apply to the products of the wine sector covered by the CMO for wine. However, the provisions on the grubbing-up premium and certain measures under the support programmes should not by themselves preclude the granting of national aid for the same purposes.

(72) To make provision for the incorporation of the wine sector into the Single Payment Scheme, all actively cultivated wine-growing areas should be made eligible for the Single Payment Scheme provided for in Regulation (EC) No 73/2009.

(73) Beekeeping, being a sector of agriculture, is characterised by the diversity of production conditions and yields and the dispersion and variety of economic operators, both at the production and marketing stages. Moreover, in view of the spread of varroasis in several Member States in recent years and the problems which that disease causes for honey production, action by the Union continues to be necessary as varroasis cannot be completely eradicated and is to be treated with approved products. Given such circumstances and in order to improve the production and marketing of apiculture products in the Union, national programmes should be drawn up every three years, comprising technical assistance, control of varroasis, rationalisation of transhumance, management of the restocking of hives in the Union, and cooperation on research programmes on beekeeping and apiculture products with a view to improving the general conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture products. Those national programmes should be partly financed by the Union.

(74) Union aid for silkworm rearing should be granted per box of silkworm eggs used.

(75) The application of standards for the marketing of agricultural products can contribute to improving the economic conditions for the production and marketing as well as the quality of such products. The application of such standards is therefore in the interest of producers, traders and consumers.

(76) Following the Communication from the Commission on agricultural product quality policy (10) and subsequent debates, it is deemed appropriate to maintain marketing standards by sectors or products, in order to take account of the expectations of the consumers and to contribute to the improvement of the economic conditions for the production and marketing of agricultural products as well as to their quality.

(77) In order to guarantee that all products are of sound, fair and marketable quality, and without prejudice to provisions adopted in the food sector and, in particular, general food law contained in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety (11) and principles and requirements thereof, a basic general marketing standard as envisaged in the aforementioned Communication of the Commission should be appropriate for products not covered by marketing standards by sectors or products. When such products conform to an applicable international standard, as appropriate, those products should be considered as conforming with the general marketing standard.

(78) For some sectors and/or products, definitions, designations and/or sales descriptions are an important element for the determination of conditions of competition. Therefore, it is appropriate to lay down definitions, designations and sales descriptions for those sectors and/or products, which should only be used in the Union for the marketing of products which comply with the corresponding requirements.

(79) Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 has maintained the sectoral approach provided by the previous CMOs on the marketing standards. It is appropriate to introduce provisions of a horizontal nature.

(80) Under Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 the Commission has, so far, been entrusted with the adoption of the provisions on marketing standards for certain sectors. Given their detailed technical character and the need to constantly improve their effectiveness and to adapt them to evolving trade practices, it is appropriate to extend this approach to all marketing standards, while specifying the criteria to be taken into account in setting out the relevant rules.

(81) Marketing standards should apply to enable the market to be supplied with products of standardised and satisfactory quality. They should relate, in particular, to definitions, grading into classes, presentation and labelling, packaging, production method, conservation, transport, information on producers, content of certain substances, related administrative documents, storage, certification and time limits.

(82) In particular, taking into account the interest of consumers to receive adequate and transparent product information, it should be possible to determine appropriate indications of place of farming, on a case by case approach at the appropriate geographical level, while taking into account the specificities of some sectors, in particular concerning processed agricultural products.

(83) When defining the marketing standards by sectors or products, the Commission should take into account the expectations of the consumers, the specificity of each sector and recommendations of international bodies.

(84) Moreover, provision should be made for the adoption of special measures, when needed, in particular relating to methods of analysis, in order to avoid abuses as regards the quality and authenticity of the products presented to consumers.

(85) In order to guarantee compliance with the marketing standards, checks and penalties should be provided for in case of non-compliance with the obligations in that respect. Member States should assume the responsibility of such checks.

(86) Marketing standards should, in principle, apply to all products marketed in the Union.

(87) It is appropriate to provide for special rules in respect of products imported from third countries according to which special provisions in force in certain third countries may justify derogations from the marketing standards if their equivalence to Union legislation is guaranteed.

(88) As regards spreadable fats it is appropriate to introduce the possibility for Member States to maintain or adopt certain national rules on quality levels.

(89) Provisions concerning wine should be applied in the light of the agreements concluded under Article 218 of the Treaty.

(90) It is appropriate to lay down rules for the classification of wine grape varieties, according to which Member States producing more than 50 000 hectolitres per year continue to be responsible for classifying the wine grape varieties from which wine may be made on their territories. Certain wine grape varieties should be excluded.

(91) It is appropriate to determine certain oenological practices and restrictions for the production of wine, in particular as regards coupage and the use of certain types of grape must, grape juice and fresh grapes originating in third countries. In order to meet the international standards, for further oenological practices the Commission should as a general rule base itself on the oenological practices recommended by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

(92) For the wine sector, Member States should be allowed to limit or to exclude the use of certain oenological practices and be allowed to keep more stringent restrictions for wines produced in their territory, as well as experimental use of unauthorised oenological practices under conditions to be defined.

(93) The concept of quality wines in the Union is based, inter alia, on the specific characteristics attributable to the wine's geographical origin. Such wines are identified for consumers via protected designations of origin and geographical indications. In order to allow for a transparent and more elaborate framework underpinning the claim to quality by the products concerned, a regime should be established under which applications for a designation of origin or a geographical indication are examined in line with the approach followed under the Union's horizontal quality policy applicable to foodstuffs other than wine and spirits in Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 of 20 March 2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (12).

(94) In order to preserve the particular quality characteristics of wines with a designation of origin or a geographical indication, Member States should be allowed to apply more stringent rules in that respect.

(95) To qualify for protection in the Union, designations of origin and geographical indications for wine should be recognised and registered at Union level. To ensure that the respective names meet the conditions laid down by this Regulation, applications should be examined by the national authorities of the Member State concerned, subject to compliance with minimum common provisions, including a national objection procedure. The Commission should subsequently scrutinise applications to ensure that there are no manifest errors and the Union law and the interest of stakeholders outside the Member State of application are taken into account.

(96) Protection should be open to designations of origin and geographical indications of third countries where they are protected in their country of origin.

(97) The registration procedure should enable any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest in a Member State or a third country to exercise his rights by notifying his objections.

(98) Registered designations of origin and geographical indications should enjoy protection against uses which unduly take advantage of the reputation that complying products command. So as to promote fair competition and not to mislead consumers, this protection should also affect products and services not covered by this Regulation, including those not found in Annex I to the Treaty.

(99) Certain terms are traditionally used in the Union and convey information to consumers about particularities and quality of wines complementing the information conveyed by designations of origin and geographical indications. So as to ensure the working of the internal market and fair competition and to avoid consumers being misled, those traditional terms should be eligible for protection in the Union.

(100) The description, designation and presentation of products of the wine sector covered by this Regulation can have significant effects on their marketability. Differences between the laws of the Member States on the labelling of products of the wine sector may impede the smooth functioning of the internal market. Rules should therefore be laid down which take into account the legitimate interests of consumers and producers. For this reason, it is appropriate to provide for Union rules on labelling.

(101) When surpluses of milk products build up or are likely to occur, creating or likely to create a serious imbalance in the market, aid should be granted for Union-produced skimmed milk and skimmed-milk powder intended for use as feedingstuffs. The rules concerning the use of casein and caseinates in the manufacture of cheese are intended to counter adverse effects that may result from that aid scheme, taking into account the vulnerability of cheese to substitution operations with casein and caseinates, thereby contributing to stabilise the market.

(102) This Regulation focuses on various kinds of organisations in order to achieve policy aims in particular with a view to stabilising the markets in, and of improving and guaranteeing the quality of, the products concerned through joint action. The relevant provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 are based on organisations which are recognised by the Member States or, under certain conditions, by the Commission. Those provisions should be maintained.

(103) In order to further boost, in the fruit and vegetable sector, the impact of producer organisations and associations thereof and in order to ensure the market as much stability as is desirable, Member States should be allowed, under certain conditions, to extend the rules to non-member producers in their region, particularly rules on production, marketing and environmental protection, adopted for its members by the organisation or association for the region concerned.

(104) For the fruit and vegetable sector in particular it should, be possible to grant specific recognition to those organisations which provide proof of sufficient representativeness and carry out practical action in regard to the objectives of Article 39 of the Treaty. The provisions on extending the rules adopted by producer organisations and their associations and on sharing the costs resulting from such extension should, given the similarity of the objectives pursued, also apply to interbranch organisations. A similar approach should apply to interbranch organisations in the tobacco sector.

(105) In order to ensure the rational development of production and so to ensure a fair standard of living for dairy farmers, their bargaining power vis-à-vis processors should be strengthened which should result in a fairer distribution of value-added along the supply chain. Therefore, in order to realise these objectives of the common agricultural policy, a provision should be adopted pursuant to Articles 42 and 43(2) of the Treaty to allow producer organisations constituted by dairy farmers or their associations to negotiate contract terms, including price, jointly for some or all of its members' production with a dairy. In order to maintain effective competition on the dairy market, this possibility should be subject to appropriate quantitative limits. Such producer organisations should therefore also be eligible for recognition under the CMO.

(106) Rules have been introduced at EU level for interbranch organisations in some sectors. These organisations can play useful roles in allowing dialogue between actors in the supply chain, and in promoting best practice and market transparency. Such rules should equally be applied in the milk and milk products sector, along with the provisions clarifying the position of such organisations under competition law whilst ensuring that they do not distort competition or the internal market or affect the good functioning of the common market organisation.

(107) In certain sectors apart from those for which current rules provide for the recognition of producer or interbranch organisations, Member States may wish to recognise such kinds of organisations based on national law as far as this is compatible with Union law.

(108) A single market involves a trading system at the external borders of the Union. That trading system should include import duties and export refunds and should, in principle, stabilise the Union market. The trading system should be based on the undertakings accepted under the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations.

(109) Monitoring trade flows is foremost a matter of management which should be addressed in a flexible way. The decision on the introduction of licence requirements should be made taking account of the need for licences for the management of the markets concerned and, in particular, for monitoring the imports of the products in question.

(110) For the most part, the customs duties applicable to agricultural products under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements are laid down in the Common Customs Tariff. However, for some products of the cereals and rice sectors, the introduction of additional mechanisms makes it necessary to provide for the possibility to adopt derogations.

(111) In order to prevent or counteract adverse effects on the Union market which could result from imports of certain agricultural products, imports of such products should be subject to payment of an additional duty, if certain conditions are fulfilled.

(112) It is appropriate, under certain conditions, to open and administer import tariff quotas resulting from international agreements concluded in accordance with the Treaty or from other acts.

(113) The import levies on mixtures aim to ensure the proper working of the duty system for imports of mixtures of cereals, rice and broken rice.

(114) This Regulation determines a traditional supply need for sugar for refining for a marketing year. To ensure supply for the refining industry in the Union, import licences for sugar for refining should be reserved for full time refiners during the first three months of each marketing year, within the limits set out by the traditional supply need.

(115) In order to prevent illicit crops from disturbing the CMO for hemp for fibre, this Regulation should provide for checks on imports of hemp and hemp seed to ensure that such products offer certain guarantees with regard to the tetrahydrocannabinol content. In addition, imports of hemp seed intended for uses other than sowing should continue to be subject to a control system which makes provision for the authorisation of the importers concerned.

(116) The customs duty system makes it possible to dispense with all other protective measures at the external borders of the Union. The internal market and duty mechanism could, in exceptional circumstances, prove to be inadequate. In such cases, in order not to leave the Union market without defence against disturbances that might ensue, the Union should be able to take all necessary measures without delay. Such measures should comply with the international commitments of the Union.

(117) The possibility of prohibiting the use of inward and outward processing arrangements should be provided for. It is thus appropriate to enable suspension of the use of inward and outward processing arrangements in such situations.

(118) Provisions for granting refunds on exports to third countries, based on the difference between prices within the Union and on the world market, and falling within the limits set by the commitments made within the WTO, should serve to safeguard the Union's participation in international trade in certain products falling within this Regulation. Subsidised exports should be subject to limits in terms of value and quantity.

(119) Compliance with the limits in terms of value should be ensured at the time when the export refunds are fixed through the monitoring of payments under the rules relating to the EAGF. Monitoring can be facilitated by the compulsory advance fixing of export refunds, while allowing the possibility, in the case of differentiated refunds, of changing the specified destination within a geographical area to which a single export refund rate applies. In the case of a change of destination, the export refund applicable to the actual destination should be paid, with a ceiling on the amount applicable to the destination fixed in advance.

(120) Compliance with the quantity limits should be ensured by a reliable and effective system of monitoring. To that end, the granting of export refunds should be made subject to an export licence. Export refunds should be granted up to the limits available, depending on the particular situation of each product concerned. Exceptions to that rule should be permitted only for processed products not listed in Annex I to the Treaty, to which volume limits do not apply. Provision should be made for a derogation from strict compliance with management rules where exports benefiting from export refunds are not likely to exceed the quantity laid down.

(121) In the case of the export of live bovine animals, provision should be made whereby export refunds are granted and paid only if the provisions established in Union legislation concerning animal welfare, in particular those concerning the protection of animals during transport, are respected.

(122) Agricultural products may in certain cases benefit from special import treatment in third countries if the products comply with certain specifications and/or price conditions. Administrative cooperation between the authorities in the importing third country and the Union is necessary to ensure the correct application of such a system. To that end the products should be accompanied by a certificate issued in the Union.

(123) Exports of flowering bulbs to third countries are of considerable economic importance to the Union. The continuation and development of such exports may be ensured by stabilising prices in this trade. This Regulation should therefore provide for minimum export prices for the products in question.

(124) In accordance with Article 42 of the Treaty the provisions of the chapter of the Treaty relating to rules on competition shall apply to production of and trade in agricultural products only to the extent determined by Union legislation within the framework of Article 43(2) and (3) of the Treaty and in accordance with the procedure laid down therein. The provisions on state aid had been largely declared applicable. The application in particular of the Treaty rules applying to undertakings was furthermore defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 1184/2006 of 24 July 2006 applying certain rules on competition to the production of, and trade in, agricultural products (13). In line with the objective of creating one comprehensive set of market policy rules it is appropriate to provide for the rules concerned in this Regulation.

(125) The rules on competition relating to the agreements, decisions and practices referred to in Article 101 of the Treaty and to the abuse of dominant positions should be applied to the production of, and trade in, agricultural products, in so far as their application does not impede the functioning of national organisations of agricultural markets or jeopardise the attainment of the objectives of the CAP.

(126) A special approach is warranted in the case of farmers' organisations the particular objective of which is the joint production or marketing of agricultural products or the use of joint facilities, unless such joint action excludes competition or jeopardises the attainment of the objectives of Article 39 of the Treaty.

(127) In order both to avoid compromising the development of a CAP and to ensure legal certainty and non-discriminatory treatment of the undertakings concerned, the Commission should have the sole power, subject to review by the Court of Justice, to determine whether agreements, decisions and practices referred to in Article 101 of the Treaty are compatible with the objectives of the CAP.

(128) The proper working of the single market based on common prices would be jeopardised by the granting of national aid. Therefore, the provisions of the Treaty governing State aid should, as a general rule, apply to the products covered by this Regulation. In certain situations exceptions should be allowed. Where such exceptions apply, the Commission should, however, be in a position to draw up a list of existing, new or proposed national aids, to make appropriate observations to the Member States and to propose suitable measures to them.

(129) Since their accession, Finland and Sweden may, due to the specific economic situation of the production and marketing of reindeer and reindeer products, grant aids in that regard. Moreover, Finland may, subject to authorisation by the Commission, grant aid respectively for certain quantities of seeds and for certain quantities of cereal seed produced solely in Finland, because of its specific climatic conditions.

(130) In order to address justified cases of crisis even after the end of the transitional crisis distillation support measure provided for under the support programmes in 2012, Member States should be able to provide aid for crisis distillation within an overall budgetary limit of 15 % of the respective value of the Member State's relevant yearly budget for its national support programme. Any such aid should be notified to the Commission and approved under this Regulation before it is granted.

(131) In Member States with a significant reduction of sugar quota, sugar beet growers will face particularly severe adaptation problems. In such cases the transitional Union aid to sugar beet growers provided for in Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 will not suffice to fully address the beet growers' difficulties. Therefore, Member States having reduced their quota by more than 50 % of the sugar quota fixed on 20 February 2006 in Annex III to Council Regulation (EC) No 318/2006 of 20 February 2006 on the common organisation of the markets in the sugar sector (14) should be authorised to grant State aid to sugar beet growers during the period of application of the transitional Union aid. To ensure that Member States do not grant State aid exceeding the needs of their sugar beet growers, the determination of the total amount of the State aid concerned should continue to be made subject to Commission approval, except in the case of Italy where the maximum need for the most productive sugar beet growers to adapt to the market conditions after the reform has been estimated at EUR 11 per tonne of sugar beet produced. Moreover, due to the particular problems expected to arise in Italy, the provision for arrangements allowing sugar beet growers to benefit directly or indirectly from the State aid granted should be maintained.

(132) In Finland sugar beet growing is subject to particular geographical and climatic conditions which will adversely affect the sector beyond the general effects of the sugar reform. That Member State should therefore be authorised, on a permanent basis, to grant its sugar beet growers an adequate amount of State aid.

(133) The specific rules on the aid Germany granted in the framework of the German Alcohol Monopoly were due to expire on 31 December 2010. The volumes sold by the Monopoly decreased since 2003 and distilleries and their raw material supplying small and medium sized farms have made efforts to prepare for their entry into the free market. However, as more time is needed to facilitate this adaptation an extension of the phasing out of the Monopoly and the aid for these beneficiaries is needed until 31 December 2013. Some small scale flat-rate distilleries, distillery users, and fruit cooperative distilleries contributing by using local raw materials in particular to the preservation of the traditional landscapes and biodiversity should continue to be able to benefit from the aid granted under the Monopoly until 31 December 2017, at which date the Monopoly should be abolished. For that purpose, Germany should present an annual phasing-out plan from 2013.

(134) If a Member State wishes to support, on its territory, measures promoting the consumption of milk and milk products in the Union, provision should be made for the possibility of financing such measures by a promotional levy on milk producers at national level.

(135) In the absence of EU legislation on formalised, written contracts, Member States may, within their own contract law systems, make the use of such contracts compulsory provided that in doing so EU law is respected and in particular that the proper functioning of the internal market and the common market organisation is respected. Given the diversity of situations across the EU in this context, in the interests of subsidiarity, such a decision should remain with Member States. However, to ensure appropriate minimum standards for such contracts and good functioning of the internal market and the common market organisation, some basic conditions for the use of such contracts should be laid down at EU level. Since some dairy co-operatives may have rules with similar effect in their statues, in the interests of simplicity they should then be exempted from a requirement for contracts. In order to ensure that any such system is effective where intermediate parties collect milk from farmers to deliver to processors, it should apply equally in such a case.

(136) Adequate information is needed about the present state of the market in hops within the Union and the prospects for its development. Provision should therefore be made for the registration of all supply contracts regarding hops produced within the Union.

(137) For a better management of wine-growing potential Member States should communicate to the Commission an inventory of their production potential based on the vineyard register. To encourage Member States to communicate the inventory, support for restructuring and conversion is limited to those Member States which have communicated the inventory. So that the information necessary for making the relevant policy and administrative choices is available, producers of grapes for wine making, of must and of wine should submit harvest declarations. Member States should be able to require merchants of grapes for wine making to declare each year the quantities marketed from the latest harvest. Producers of must and wine, and merchants other than retailers, must declare their stocks of must and wine.

(138) In order to provide for a satisfactory level of traceability of the products concerned, in particular in the interest of consumer protection, provision should be made for all the wine sector products covered by this Regulation to have an accompanying document when circulating within the Union.

(139) It is appropriate to provide, under certain conditions and for certain products, for measures to be taken in cases where disturbances are occurring or are likely to occur due to significant changes in the internal market prices or as regards quotations or prices on the world market.

(140) Member States' authorities should be responsible for ensuring compliance with this Regulation, and arrangements should be made for the Commission to be able to monitor and ensure in particular such compliance in the wine sector.

(141) It is necessary to establish a framework of specific measures for ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin so that economic data can be collected and statistical information analysed for the purpose of monitoring the market. In so far as the market in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin is linked to the market in ethyl alcohol in general, information also needs to be made available concerning the market in ethyl alcohol of non-agricultural origin.

(142) Expenditure incurred by the Member States as a result of the obligations arising from the application of this Regulation should be financed by the Union in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (15).

(143) In order to increase the financial means available for the wine sector under Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, a gradual transfer of funds to the budget under that Regulation should be put into place where the relevant amounts are sufficiently important.

(144) The Commission should be authorised to adopt the necessary measures to solve specific practical problems in case of emergency.

(145) Since the common markets in agricultural products are continuously evolving, the Member States and the Commission should keep each other informed of relevant developments and adopt the means of notification of the relevant developments and adopt the means of notification of the relevant information.

(146) In order to avoid abuse of any of the advantages provided for in this Regulation, such advantages should not be granted or, as the case may be, should be withdrawn, in cases where it is found that the conditions for obtaining any of those advantages have been created artificially, contrary to the objectives of this Regulation.

(147) To guarantee compliance with the obligations laid down by this Regulation, there is a need for checks and the application of administrative measures and administrative penalties in case of non-compliance, and rules related to the lodging and releasing of securities to guarantee the sound management of single common market management under the CAP. Those provisions should include the recovery of undue payments and the reporting obligations of the Member States resulting from the application of this Regulation.

(148) Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 several sectoral market management measures will expire in 2012. After the repeal of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, the relevant provisions should continue to apply until the end of the schemes concerned.

(149) In order to ensure legal certainty as regards the application of marketing rules, the Commission should determine the date on which certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 cease to apply to the sector concerned.

(150) In order to ensure a smooth transition from the arrangements provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards the fruit and vegetables sectors and the provisions of this Regulation, the Commission should be empowered to adopt transitional measures.

(151) This Regulation should apply from its entry into force. However, the provision creating the general marketing standard should only apply from [one year the after entry into force of the Regulation.

(152) As regards contractual relations and producer and interbranch organisations in the milk and milk products sectors, the measures set out in this Regulation, are justified in the current economic circumstances of the dairy market and the structure of the supply chain. They should therefore be applied for a sufficiently long duration (both before and after the abolition of milk quotas) to allow them to have full effect. However, given their far-reaching nature, they should nevertheless be temporary in nature, and be subject to review to see how they have operated and whether they should continue to apply. This should be dealt with in Commission reports on the development of the milk market, and covering in particular potential incentives to encourage farmers to enter into joint production agreements, to be submitted by 30 June 2014 and 31 December 2018,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

PART I

INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS

Article 1

Scope

1. This Regulation establishes a common organisation of the markets for the products of the following sectors, as provided further in Annex I:

(a) cereals, Part I of Annex I;

(b) rice, Part II of Annex I;

(c) sugar, Part III of Annex I;

(d) dried fodder, Part IV of Annex I;

(e) seeds, Part V of Annex I;

(f) hops, Part VI of Annex I;

(g) olive oil and table olives, Part VII of Annex I;

(h) flax and hemp, Part VIII of Annex I;

(i) fruit and vegetables, Part IX of Annex I;

(j) processed fruit and vegetables, Part X of Annex I;

(k) bananas, Part XI of Annex I;

(l) wine, Part XII of Annex I;

(m) live plants and products of floriculture, Part XIII of Annex I (hereinafter referred to as the live plants sector);

(n) raw tobacco, Part XIV of Annex I;

(o) beef and veal, Part XV of Annex I;

(p) milk and milk products, Part XVI of Annex I;

(q) pigmeat, Part XVII of Annex I;

(r) sheepmeat and goatmeat, Part XVIII of Annex I;

(s) eggs, Part XIX of Annex I;

(t) poultrymeat, Part XX of Annex I;

(u) other products, Part XXI of Annex I.

2. This Regulation establishes specific measures for the following sectors as listed and, as the case may be, as further defined in Annex II:

(a) ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, Part I of Annex II (hereinafter referred to as the agricultural ethyl alcohol sector);

(b) apiculture products, Part II of Annex II (hereinafter referred to as the apiculture sector);

(c) silkworms, Part III of Annex II.

3. In respect of potatoes, fresh or chilled of CN code 0701, Chapter II of Part IV shall apply.

Article 2

Definitions

1. For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions concerning certain sectors as set out in Annex III shall apply.

2. For the purposes of this Regulation:

(a) ‘farmer’ shall mean a farmer as defined in Article 2(a) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009;

(b) ‘paying agency’ shall mean the body or the bodies assigned by a Member State in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005;

(c) ‘intervention price’ shall mean the price at which products shall be bought-in under public intervention.

Article 3

Marketing years

The following marketing years shall be established:

(a) 1 January to 31 December of a given year for the banana sector;

(b) 1 April to 31 March of the following year for: (i) the dried fodder sector; (ii) the silkworm sector;

(c) 1 July to 30 June of the following year for: (i) the cereals sector; (ii) the seeds sector; (iii) the olive oil and table olives sector; (iv) the flax and hemp sector; (v) the milk and milk products sector;

(d) 1 August to 31 July of the following year for the wine sector;

(e) 1 September to 31 August of the following year for the rice sector;

(f) 1 October to 30 September of the following year for the sugar sector.

In order to take into account the specificities of the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors, the Commission shall adopt , if necessary, delegated acts in accordance with Article 321 fixing fix the marketing years for those products by means of delegated acts. [Am. 5]

Article 4

Delegated powers

In order to take into account the specificities of each sector and to address changes in the market situation, the Commission may, by means of delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 321 , update the definitions set out in Part I of Annex III.

Article 5

Implementing powers

The Commission may, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a): [Am. 6]

(a) fix the conversion rates for rice at various stages of processing, the processing costs and the value of by-products;

(b) adopt all necessary measures regarding the application of conversion rates.

PART II

INTERNAL MARKET

TITLE I

MARKET INTERVENTION

CHAPTER I

Public intervention and private storage

Section I

Introductory provisions on public intervention and private storage

Article 6

Scope

1. This Chapter lays down the rules concerning, where applicable, buying-in under public intervention and the granting of aids for private storage with regard to the following sectors:

(a) cereals;

(b) rice;

(c) sugar;

(d) olive oil and table olives;

(e) beef and veal;

(f) milk and milk products;

(g) pigmeat;

(h) sheepmeat and goatmeat.

2. For the purposes of this Chapter:

(a) ‘cereals’ shall mean cereals harvested in the Union;

(b) ‘milk’ shall mean cow's milk produced in the Union;

(c) ‘cream’ shall mean cream obtained directly and exclusively from milk.

Article 7

EU origin

Without prejudice to Article 6(2) only products originating in the Union shall be eligible for buying-in under public intervention or for the granting of aid for the private storage thereof.

Article 8

Reference prices

1. For products subject to the intervention measures referred to in Article 6(1) the following reference prices shall be fixed:

(a) as regards the cereals sector, EUR 101,31/tonne;

(b) as regards paddy rice, EUR 150/tonne for standard quality as defined in point A of Annex IV;

(c) as regards sugar: (i) for white sugar: EUR 404,4/tonne as from the marketing year 2009/2010; (ii) for raw sugar: EUR 335,2/tonne as from the marketing year 2009/2010.

(d) as regards the beef and veal sector, EUR 2 224/tonne for carcasses of male bovine animals of grade R3 as laid down in the Union scale for the classification of carcasses of adult bovine animals as referred to in Article 34(1)(a);

(e) as regards the milk and milk products sector: (i) EUR 246,39 per 100 kg for butter; (ii) EUR 169,80 per 100 kg for skimmed milk powder;

(f) as regards the pigmeat sector, EUR 1 509,39/tonne for pig carcasses of standard quality defined in terms of weight and lean meat content in accordance with the Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses as referred to in Article 34(1)(b), as follows: (i) carcasses weighing from 60 to less than 120 kg: grade E as laid down in point B II of Annex V; (ii) carcasses weighing from 120 to 180 kg: grade R as laid down in point B II of Annex V.

2. The reference prices for cereals and rice set out in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1 respectively, shall relate to the wholesale stage for goods delivered to the warehouse, before unloading. Those reference prices shall be valid for all Union intervention centres referred to in Article 30.

3. The reference prices laid down in points (i) and (ii) of paragraph 1(c) shall apply to unpacked sugar, ex factory of standard quality as defined in point B of Annex IV.

4. Reference prices fixed in paragraph 1 of this Article may be changed in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 43(2) of the Treaty in the light of developments in production and the markets.

Article 9

Price reporting in the sugar market

The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , set up an information system on prices in the sugar market, including a system for the publication of price levels for the sugar market.

The system shall be based on information submitted by undertakings producing white sugar or by other operators involved in the sugar trade. This information shall be treated with confidentiality.

The Commission shall ensure that the information published does not permit the identification of prices of individual undertakings or operators.

Section II

Public intervention

Subsection I

General provisions

Article 10

Products eligible for public intervention

Public intervention shall be applicable in respect of the following products subject to the conditions laid down in this Section and further requirements and conditions to be determined by the Commission by means of delegated acts and implementing acts pursuant to Article 31 and Article 32:

(a) common wheat, durum wheat, barley, maize and sorghum;

(b) paddy rice;

(c) fresh or chilled meat of the beef and veal sector falling within CN codes 0201 10 00 and 0201 20 20 to 0201 20 50;

(d) butter produced directly and exclusively from pasteurised cream in an approved undertaking in the Union of a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 82 % and a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 %;

(e) skimmed milk powder of top quality made from milk in an approved undertaking in the Union by the spray process, with a minimum protein-content of 34,0 % by weight of the fat free dry matter.

Subsection II

Opening of buying-in

Article 11

Public intervention periods

Public intervention shall be available:

(a) for cereals, from 1 November to 31 May;

(b) for paddy rice, from 1 April to 31 July;

(c) for beef and veal, throughout any marketing year;

(d) for butter and skimmed milk powder, from 1 March to 31 August.

Article 12

Opening of public intervention

1. During the periods referred to in Article 11, public intervention:

(a) shall be open for common wheat;

(b) shall be open for durum wheat, barley, maize, sorghum, paddy rice, sugar, butter and skimmed milk powder up to the intervention limits referred to in Article 13(1);

(c) shall be opened for beef and veal by the Commission, by means of implementing acts adopted without the assistance of the Committee referred to in the application of Article 323(1) 323 , if the average market price for beef and veal over a representative period in a Member State or in a region of a Member State recorded on the basis of the Union scale for the classification of carcasses as referred to in Article 34(1) is below EUR 1560/tonne , particular attention being paid to the principles of territorial cohesion so as to take account of the impact on regional markets, the economies of which largely depend on this type of product . [Am. 7]

2. Public intervention for beef and veal, referred to in point (c) of paragraph 1, shall be closed by the Commission, by means of implementing acts without the assistance of the Committee referred to in Article 323(1) adopted without the application of Article 323 , where, over a representative period, the conditions provided for in that point are no longer fulfilled.

Article 13

Intervention limits

1. Buying –in under public intervention shall be carried out within the following limits:

(a) for durum wheat, barley, maize, sorghum and paddy rice, 0 tonnes for the periods referred to in Article 11(a) and (b) respectively;

(b) for butter, 30 000 tonnes for each period referred to in Article 11(d);

(c) for skimmed milk powder, 109 000 tonnes for each period referred to Article 11(d).

2. For the products referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission may, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , decide to continue public intervention beyond the amounts referred to in that paragraph if the market situation and, in particular, the development of market prices, so requires.

Subsection III

Intervention prices

Article 14

Intervention prices

1. The intervention price:

(a) for common wheat shall be equal to the reference price for a maximum quantity offered of 3 million tonnes per intervention period as fixed in Article 11(a);

(b) for butter shall be equal to 90 % of the reference price for amounts offered within the limit in Article 13(1)(b);

(c) for skimmed milk powder shall be equal to the reference price for amounts offered within the limit in Article 13(1) (c).

2. The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , determine the intervention prices and the quantities for intervention for the following products, through tendering procedures:

(a) common wheat for amounts in excess of the maximum quantity offered of 3 million tonnes per intervention period as fixed in Article 11(a);

(b) durum wheat, barley, maize, sorghum and paddy rice, in application of Article 13(2);

(c) beef and veal;

(d) butter for amounts offered in excess of the limit in Article 13(1)(b), in application of Article 13(2), and

(e) skimmed milk powder for amounts offered in excess of the limit in Article 13(1) (c), in application of Article 13(2).

In special circumstances, the Commission may, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , restrict tendering procedures to, or the intervention prices and the quantities for intervention may be fixed per Member State or region of a Member State on the basis of recorded average market prices.

3. The maximum buying-in price determined in accordance with tendering procedures under paragraph 2 shall not be higher:

(a) for cereals and paddy rice, than the respective reference prices;

(b) for beef and veal, than the average market price recorded in a Member State or a region of a Member State increased by an amount to be determined by the Commission, by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , on the basis of objective criteria;

(c) for butter, than 90 % of the reference price;

(d) for skimmed milk powder, than the reference price.

4. The intervention prices referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall be:

(a) for cereals, without prejudice to price increases or reductions for quality reasons, and

(b) for paddy rice, increased or decreased accordingly if the quality of the products offered to the paying agency differs from the standard quality, defined in point A of Annex IV. Moreover, in order to ensure that production is orientated towards certain varieties, the Commission may, by means of delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 321 , fix increases and reductions of the intervention price.

Subsection IV

Disposal from intervention

Article 15

General principles

Disposal of products bought in under public intervention shall take place in such a way as to avoid any disturbance of the market, to ensure equal access to the goods and equal treatment of purchasers and in compliance with the commitments resulting from agreements concluded in accordance with Article 218 of the Treaty.

Article 16

Sugar disposal

As regards sugar bought-in under public intervention, paying agencies may sell it only at a price which is higher than the reference price fixed for the marketing year in which the sale takes place.

However, in order to respond to particular opportunities to dispose of intervention stocks without disturbing the market, the Commission may, by delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 321 , decide that paying agencies:

(a) may sell the sugar at a price equal to or lower than the reference price referred to in the first paragraph if the sugar is intended: (i) for use as animal feed, or (ii) for export, either without further processing or after processing into products listed in Annex I to the Treaty or into goods listed in Part III of Annex XVII to this Regulation, or (iii) for industrial use referred to in Article 55;

(b) are to make unprocessed sugar held by them available, for human consumption on the internal market of the Union, to charitable organisations — recognised by the Member State concerned or by the Commission in cases where a Member State has not recognised any such organisation — at a price which is lower than the current reference price or free of charge for distribution as part of individual emergency aid operations.

Subsection V

Distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union

Article 17

Scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union

1. A scheme is established whereby food products may be distributed to the most deprived persons in the Union through organisations designated by Member States. For that purpose, products in intervention stocks shall be made available or, where intervention stocks suitable for the food distribution scheme are not available, food products shall be purchased on the market.

For the purposes of the scheme provided for in the first subparagraph 'most deprived persons' means physical persons, whether individuals, families or groups composed of such persons, whose social and financial dependence is recorded or recognised on the basis of eligibility criteria adopted by the national competent authorities, or is judged to be so on the basis of the criteria used by the designated organisations and which are approved by those competent authorities.

2. Member States wishing to participate in the scheme provided for in paragraph 1 shall submit to the Commission food distribution programmes containing the following:

(a) details of their main characteristics and objectives,

(b) the organisations designated,

(c) the requests for quantities of food products to be distributed during a three-year period and other relevant information.

Member States shall choose the food products on the basis of objective criteria, including nutritional values and suitability for distribution. For that purpose, Member States may give preference to food products of EU origin.

3. Based on requests notified by Member States pursuant to the first subparagraph of paragraph 2 and other information considered relevant, the Commission shall adopt three-year plans.

Each three-year plan shall set out annual financial allocations by the Union per Member State and minimum annual financial contributions of Member States. Allocations for the second and third year of the programme shall be indicative.

Member States participating in the scheme shall confirm every year the requests referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 2. Following these confirmations, the Commission shall decide each subsequent year, on the definitive allocations, within the limits of the appropriations available in the budget.

When products included in the three-year plan are not available in intervention stocks in the Member State where such products are required, the three-year plan shall provide for their transfer from Member States where they are available in intervention stocks.

A three-year plan may be revised in the light of any relevant developments affecting its execution.

4. The organisations designated by the Member States as referred to in paragraph 1 cannot be commercial undertakings.

The food products shall be released free of charge to those organisations.

The distribution of the food products to the most deprived persons shall be:

(a) free of charge, or

(b) at a price which is in no case greater than that justified by the costs incurred by the designated organisations in implementing the operation, other than the costs that may be covered under points (a) and (b) of the second subparagraph of paragraph 7.

5. Member States participating in the scheme shall:

(a) submit to the Commission an annual report on implementation of the scheme;

(b) keep the Commission informed in a timely manner on developments affecting the implementation of the food distribution programmes.

6. The Union shall co-finance the eligible costs under the scheme. This co-financing shall neither:

(a) exceed EUR 500 millions per budget year in total; nor

(b) exceed 75 % of the eligible costs, or 90 % of the eligible costs in the Member States eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund for the period 2007-2013, as listed in Annex I to Commission Decision 2006/596/EC (16).

7. Eligible costs under the scheme shall be:

(a) the cost of products released from intervention stocks,

(b) the cost of food products purchased on the market, and

(c) the costs of transporting products in intervention stocks between Member States, when required.

Within the financial resources available to implement the three-year plan in each Member State, the national competent authorities may consider eligible the following costs:

(a) costs of transport of food products to the storage depots of the designated organisations;

(b) the following costs incurred by the designated organisations, to the extent that they are directly linked with the implementation of the plan: (i) administrative costs; (ii) transport costs between the storage depots of the designated organisations and the points of final distribution, and (iii) storage costs.

8. Member States shall carry out administrative and physical checks to ensure the implementation of the plan in compliance with the applicable rules and shall lay down the penalties applicable in cases of irregularities.

9. The indication "European Union aid" accompanied by the emblem of the European Union shall be clearly marked on the packing of food distributed through the plans as well as in the distribution points.

10. The Union scheme shall be without prejudice to any national schemes whereby food products are distributed to most deprived persons, in conformity with Union law.

Article 18

Delegated powers

1. In order to ensure the efficient use of the budget assigned to the scheme provided for in Article 17, the Commission shall, by means of delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 321 , define the method for calculating the overall allocation of resources including the distribution of intervention products and financial means for the purchase of food products on the market among Member States. It shall also define the accounting value of products released from intervention stocks as well as the method to be used for any reallocation of resources among Member States as a result of a three-year plan revision.

2. In order to ensure the effective and efficient use of the budget assigned to the scheme provided for in Article 17, and to safeguard the rights and obligations of operators, the Commission shall, by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 321 , adopt provisions requiring the use of tendering procedures for all operations relating to the execution of the food distribution programmes, provisions on securities to be lodged by participants in tenders, and provisions on sanctions, reductions and exclusions to be applied by the Member States especially with regard to the non respect of time-limits for withdrawal of products from intervention stocks and in the case of serious shortcomings or irregularities in the execution of the three-year plan.

Article 19

Implementing powers

The Commission shall, by means of implementing acts in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a) , adopt provisions for the uniform implementation of the three-year plan and the national food distribution programmes referred to in Article 17. Those acts shall concern:

(a) detailed rules and procedures for the adoption and revision of the three-year plans, including applicable deadlines;

(b) the adoption of the three-year plans and their revisions as well as the definitive allocations referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 17(3);

(c) provisions on additional elements that three-year plans shall consist of, rules for the supply of food products, as well as the procedures and time limits applicable to withdrawals of intervention products and transfers between Member States;

(d) provisions on the format of annual reports on implementation as well as of the national food distribution programmes;

(e) detailed rules applying to the reimbursement of the costs provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 17(7) including financial ceilings and time limits;

(f) uniform conditions pertaining to tender invitations including conditions applicable to food products and their supply;

(g) provisions on administrative and physical checks to be undertaken by the Member states;

(h) uniform provisions concerning payment procedures and deadlines and reductions applicable in case of non-respect, accounting provisions and procedures for transfers between Member States including the description of tasks to be fulfilled by concerned national intervention bodies;

(i) uniform conditions for the implementation of Article 17(9).]

Section III

Private storage

Subsection I

Mandatory aid

Article 20

Eligible products

Aid for private storage shall be granted for the following products subject to the conditions set out in this Section and to further requirements and conditions to be adopted by the Commission by means of delegated acts and implementing acts pursuant to Articles 31 and 32 in respect of:

(i) unsalted butter produced from cream or milk in an approved undertaking in the Union of a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 82 %, a maximum milk solids-non-fat content, by weight, of 2 % and a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 %,

(ii) salted butter produced from cream or milk in an approved undertaking in the Union of a minimum butterfat content, by weight, of 80 %, a maximum milk solids-non-fat content, by weight, of 2 %, a maximum water content, by weight, of 16 % and a maximum salt content, by weight, of 2 %.

Article 21

Conditions and aid-level for butter

Measures on the fixing of aid for butter shall be taken by the Council in accordance with Article 43(3) of the Treaty. Aid amounts for private storage for butter shall be fixed by the Commission by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a), taking into account storage costs and the likely trends in prices for fresh butter and butter from stocks.

Where, at the time of removal from storage, an adverse change, unforeseeable at the time of entry into storage, occurs on the market, the Commission may increase the amount of the aid by means of implementing acts adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 323(1a). [Am. 8]

Subsection II

Optional aid

Article 22

Eligible products

1. Aid for private storage may be granted in respect of the following products subject to the conditions set out in this Section and to further requirements and conditions to be adopted by the Commission by means of delegated and implementing acts pursuant to Articles 31 and 32:

(a) white sugar;

(b) olive oil;

(c) fresh or chilled meat of adult bovine animals presented in the form of carcasses, half-carcasses, compensated quarters, forequarters or hindquarters, classified in accordance with the Union scale for the classification of carcasses of adult bovine animals as referred to in Article 34(1)(a);

(d) pigmeat;

(e) sheepmeat and goatmeat.

In order to take account of the specificities of meat of adult bovine animals, the Commission may, by means of delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 321 , amend the list of products laid down in point (c) of the first subparagraph if the market situation so requires.