Commission Regulation (EC) No 544/2001 of 20 March 2001 laying down rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 as regards additional financial assistance to operational funds
Date: 2001-03-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EAGGF Guarantee Section, common organisation of markets, financial aid, fruit, producer organisation, vegetable

L 81/20

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21.3.2001

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 544/2001

of 20 March 2001

laying down rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 as regards additional
financial assistance to operational funds

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28
October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in
fruit and vegetables (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
2826/2000 (2), and in particular Article 48 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Article 15(6) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 provides
for Member States to be authorised to pay producer
organisations national financial assistance in addition to
the operational fund. Member States may request partial
reimbursement by the Community of
this additional
assistance.

The way that aid is to be financed, as set out in Article
52 of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96, was amended with
effect on 1 January 2000 by Council Regulation (EC) No
1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural devel-
opment from the European Agricultural Guidance and
Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing
certain Regulations (3). That aid is to be regarded in
future as intervention intended to stabilise the agricul-
tural market within the meaning of Article 1(2)(b) of
Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999
on the financing of the common agricultural policy (4).

(3)

Under the circumstances, detailed rules should be laid
down to bring the way of financing into line with this
new situation. The provisions should relate in particular

to setting the level of Community assistance available at
a comparative level to that previously available via the
Community support framework.

As the provision of Article 56 of Regulation (EC) No
1257/1999 has been applied as from 1 January 2000, it
is appropriate to apply the provisions of this Regulation
to assistance paid for annual periods starting from said
date.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,

(4)

(5)

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Expenditure referred to in the second subparagraph of Article
15(6) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 is financed by EAGGF
Guarantee at a level of 50 % of the financial assistance granted
to the producer organisation.

Article 2

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

It shall apply to aid paid in respect of annual periods
commencing after 1 January 2000.

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

Done at Brussels, 20 March 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2.
(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.
(4) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 103.