Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 establishing an integrated administrative and control system for certain Community aid schemes ('integrated system`) (96/C 176/05) COM(96) 174 final - 96/0122(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 29 April 1996) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas Article 6 (2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 of 27 November 1992 (1), provides that area aid applications must be submitted during the first quarter of the year; whereas, however, the Commission may allow a Member State to fix a date for the submission of area aid applications between 1 April and the dates referred to in Articles 10, 11 and 12 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 of 30 June 1992 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (2), whereas, in the light of experience, it should be possible for Member States to set the deadline for the submission of applications on their own responsibility without seeking the authorization of the Commission, taking into account in particular the time required for all relevant data to be available for the proper administrative and financial management of the aid and for checks to be carried out;

Whereas Article 13 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 provides that all the elements of the integrated system are to apply from 1 January 1996 at the latest; whereas, in view of experience gained, notably in setting up alphanumeric identification systems for agricultural parcels and databases, this deadline should be postponed for one year;

Whereas, given the considerable investment required to ensure that the integrated system is established definitively, provision should be made to prolong by one year the period for which the Community financial contribution may be granted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 is hereby amended as follows:

1. Article 6 (2) is replaced by the following:

'2. Area aid applications must be submitted by a date to be set by the Member State which may not be later than the dates referred to in Articles 10, 11 and 12 of Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92.

In all cases, the date shall be set bearing in mind, inter alia, the period required for all relevant data to be available for the proper administrative and financial management of the aid and for the checks provided for in Article 8 to be carried out.` 2. Article 10 (2) is amended as follows:

(a) The first subparagraph is replaced by the following:

'The Community's financial contribution shall be granted for a period of five years from 1992, within the limits of the appropriations allocated for this purpose.`

(b) The third subparagraph is replaced by the following:

'The total amount shall be shared among the Member States as follows:>TABLE>

3. Article 13 (1) (b) is replaced by the following:

'(b) as regards the other elements referred to in Article 2, at the latest from:

- 1 January 1998 in the case of Austria, Finland and Sweden, and

- 1 January 1997 in the case of the other Member States.`

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 1 (2) shall apply from 1 January 1996.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

(1) OJ No L 355, 5. 12. 1992, p. 1. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No 3235/94 (OJ No L 338, 28. 12. 1994, p. 16).

(2) OJ No L 181, 1. 7. 1992, p. 12. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1664/95 (OJ No L 158, 8. 7. 1995, p. 13).