Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) N° 1259/1999 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy
Date: 2000-12-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: aid to agriculture, approximation of laws, common agricultural policy, support price

C 120 E/146

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

24.4.2001

Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 establishing common
rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy

(2001/C 120 E/09)

COM(2000) 841 final (cid:151) 2000/0335(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 15 December 2000)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) For direct payments under the various income support
statistics
in the common agricultural policy,
schemes
show that a high number of farmers receive very small
amounts. The aid schemes make no distinction between
farmers
receiving small amounts and those receiving
larger amounts, the eligibility conditions and administrative
and control provisions being the same.

(2) Setting up a simplified aid scheme for farmers receiving
small amounts can contribute to reducing the adminis-
trative burden at the level of farmers, national adminis-
trations and the Commission. It is appropriate to test the
efficiency of such a scheme for a trial period. Farmers
entitled to small amounts or willing to accept a smaller
amount of aid should receive, during a minimum period,
one global payment per year, under simplified conditions.
Due to its temporary nature, participation in the scheme
shall be on a voluntary basis both for Member States and
farmers in the Member States that decide to apply the
scheme.

should be allowed to make

(3) In order to simplify administrative procedures, Member
combined
States
payments
to participating farmers, covering the aids
granted under this simplified scheme and those granted
under other support schemes.

single

(4) Taking into account that the scheme is on a trial basis, it is
appropriate to provide the Commission with the necessary
flexibility to implement the scheme and if necessary to
schemes covered by the
change or enlarge the aids
scheme. To achieve the aim of simplification,
it may
in certain well
moreover be necessary to derogate,
defined and justified cases,
existing rules
provided for in the relevant regulations concerning the
support aids.

from the

(5) Council Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 (1) establishes
common rules
the
common agricultural policy. It is therefore appropriate to
amend it to include this simplified scheme.

schemes under

for direct

support

(6) Since the measures necessary for the implementation of
this Regulation are management measures within the
meaning of Article 2 of Council Decision 1999/468/EC
of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the
conferred on the
exercise of
Commission (2),
the
management procedure provided for in Article 4 of that
Decision,

they should be adopted by use of

implementing powers

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 is amended as follows:

1. The following Article 2a shall be inserted:

(cid:145)Article 2a

1.
For the years 2002 to 2005 a simplified scheme is
established under which Member States may decide that
the payments under the following support schemes are
made under
laid down in the present
Article and the rules adopted for its implementation:

the conditions

(cid:151) arable crops area payments including set-aside payments
and including durum wheat supplement and special aid,
as provided for in Articles 2 and 5 of Regulation (EC)
No 1251/1999 (3),

(cid:151) grain legumes area aid as provided for in Article 1 of

Regulation (EC) No 1577/96 (4),

(cid:151) rice area aid as provided for in Article 6 of Regulation

(EC) No 3072/95 (5),

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 113.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 206, 16.8.1996, p. 4.
(5) OJ L 329, 30.12.1995, p. 18.

24.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 120 E/147

(cid:151) special premium; suckler cow premium, including when
paid for heifers and including the additional national
suckler cow premium when co-financed; additional
payments as provided for in Articles 4, 6 and 10 of
Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 (1),

2. Article 11 shall be replaced by the following:

(cid:145)Article 11

Detailed rules

(cid:151) ewe and she-goat premium and LFA supplements as
(EC)

of Regulation

in Article

5

provided
No 2467/98 (2).

for

The regulations mentioned in the first subparagraph are
hereinafter referred to as (cid:147)the relevant regulations(cid:148).

Participation in the simplified scheme shall be on a
2.
voluntary basis. Applicants shall have access to the scheme
if they have received aid under at least one of the support
schemes covered by it during each of
the three years
preceding the year of application. Farmers receiving early
retirement aid under Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 may
not participate in the scheme.

1.
The Commission shall be assisted by the Management
Committee for cereals instituted by Article 23 of Council
Regulation (EC) No 1766/92 (4) or, where appropriate, by
other relevant management committees instituted by other
regulations on the common organisation of agricultural
markets.

the
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph,
management procedure laid down in Article 4 of Decision
1999/468/EC shall apply, in compliance with Article 7(3)
thereof.

The period provided for in Article 4(3) of Decision

3.
1999/468/EC shall be one month.

The amount which a farmer may receive under the

3.
scheme shall be the highest of:

In accordance with paragraph 2, the Commission shall

4.
adopt:

(a) the average of the amounts received under the relevant
regulations during the three years preceding the year of
application,

(b) the total amount received under the relevant regulations

in the year preceding the year of application.

Area aids for flax and hemp provided for in Article 4 of
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1308/70 (3) shall be included
in the calculation.

The amount referred in paragraph 3 shall be no more
4.
than EUR 1 000. However, applicants who would be entitled
to receive higher amounts under the relevant regulations
may choose to enter the simplified scheme if they agree
to receive no more than EUR 1 000.

Aid under the simplified scheme shall be paid once a year,
starting from the year in which application for participation
in the scheme is made, until 2005.

5. Member States may decide to combine payments
under
the Simplified Scheme with payment under any
other support scheme.(cid:146)

(cid:151) detailed rules for the application of Article 2a including
any modification to the list of support schemes covered
by the simplified scheme as well as any derogations
from the relevant regulations, which are necessary to
achieve the aim of simplification, notably those related
to eligibility conditions, dates of
application and
payment and control provisions,

(cid:151) amendments to the Annex as may become necessary
taking into account the criteria set out in Article 1, and

(cid:151) where appropriate, detailed rules for the application of
the measures
this Regulation including,
necessary to avoid Articles 3 and 4 being circumvented,
as well as those concerning Article 7.(cid:146)

in particular,

Article 2

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

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

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 312, 20.11.1998, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 146, 4.7.1970, p. 1.

(4) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 21.