Council Regulation (EC) No 615/2008 of 23 June 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 laying down specific measures for agriculture in favour of the smaller Aegean islands and amending Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers
Date: 2008-06-23
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Aegean Sea, agricultural product, aid system, aid to agriculture, island region, less-favoured agricultural area, production aid, support policy

28.6.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 168/1

(Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory)

I

REGULATIONS

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 615/2008

of 23 June 2008

amending Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 laying down specific measures for agriculture in favour of
the smaller Aegean islands and amending Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules
for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support
schemes for farmers

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(4)

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

establishing the European

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

(5)

Whereas:

Article 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 (2)
lays down the scope of application of the Regulation and
gives the definition of the smaller islands. Experience
from the application of that Regulation shows that the
scope of the Regulation should be adapted.

aiming at

supply arrangements

Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 introduces
specific
easing the
problems deriving from the particular geographical
situation of some of the Aegean islands imposing addi-
tional transport costs in supplying products which are
essential for human consumption, for processing or as
agricultural inputs. These essential products are included
in Annex I to the Treaty. Therefore, Article 3 should be
amended in order to include reference to the Annex I in
question, thus limiting the scope of the Article to these
products only.

(1)

(2)

(3)

Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 introduces
measures to assist local agricultural products in general,
thus having a wider scope than Article 3. Therefore,
Article 7 should be amended to include a reference to
Title II of Part Three of
thus covering
products of the soil, of stock farming and of fisheries
and products of first-stage processing directly related to
these products.

the Treaty,

issues

Article 9(e) of Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 refers,
among other
to be included in the support
programme, to provisions for checks and administrative
penalties. However, national provisions on checks and
administrative penalties
subject of
cannot be
in the framework of the Community support
approval
programme
smaller Aegean islands. These
national measures may only be communicated to the
Commission in accordance with Article 16 of that Regu-
lation. Therefore, Article 9(e) should be amended in order
to exclude any provisions for checks and administrative
penalties to be included in the programme submitted by
the competent authorities of Greece.

the

the

for

(6)

Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 should therefore be
amended accordingly.

Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 provides for
the procedure for adoption of detailed rules for the appli-
cation of Chapter II of Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006.
As a similar provision is laid down in Article 14 of the
said Regulation concerning the implementation of the
Regulation in its entirety, Article 6 should therefore be
deleted.

(7)

Most of the measures referred to in Chapter III of Regu-
lation (EC) No 1405/2006 constitute direct payments
and should as such be referenced in Council Regulation
(EC) No 1782/2003 (3). Due to an error, the entry for the
Aegean Islands was incorrectly deleted from Annex I to
Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 by Article 20(3) of Regu-
lation (EC) No 1405/2006. Annex I should therefore be
corrected with effect
from the date of application of
Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006,

(1) Opinion of 5 June 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal).
(2) OJ L 265, 26.9.2006, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 479/2008 (OJ L 148, 6.6.2008, p. 1).

L 168/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.6.2008

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

5. Article 9(e) shall be replaced by the following:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1405/2006 is amended as follows:

1. Article 1(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘(e)

the steps taken to ensure the support programme is
including
implemented effectively and appropriately,
the
and
for
evaluation;’.

publicity, monitoring

arrangements

‘1.
This Regulation lays down specific measures on agri-
culture to remedy the difficulties caused by the remote and
insular nature of
the smaller Aegean islands, hereafter
referred to as the “smaller islands”.’;

2. Article 3(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.
Specific supply arrangements are hereby introduced for
the agricultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (“the
agricultural products”), which are essential
in the smaller
for the manufacture of
islands for human consumption,
other products or as agricultural inputs.’;

3. Article 6 shall be deleted;

4. Article 7(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.
The support programme shall contain the measures
needed to ensure continuity and development of local lines
of agricultural production in the smaller islands within the
scope of Title II of Part Three of the Treaty.’;

Article 2

In Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 the following
entry shall be inserted after POSEI:

‘Aegean Islands

III

Chapter
of
Regulation (EC) No
1405/2006 (*******)

Direct payments within the
meaning of Article 2 of
under
this
Regulation,
measures
in
the programmes

established

(*******) OJ L 265, 26.9.2006, p. 3.’

Article 3

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

However, Article 2 shall apply with effect from 1 January 2007.

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

Done at Luxembourg, 23 June 2008.

For the Council
The President

I. JARC