REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the measures concerning the apiculture sector of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products
Date: 2016-12-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, EU financing, EU programme, aid to agriculture, apiculture, common organisation of markets, honey, single market

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.12.2016  COM(2016) 776 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the implementation of the measures concerning the apiculture sector of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products  
 
 
Contents 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

3.4 

4. 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

4.4 

4.5 

5. 

5.1 

5.2 

6. 

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 3 

METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 4 

OVERVIEW OF THE EU APICULTURE SECTOR ................................................. 4 

Production and prices ................................................................................................... 4 

Trade ............................................................................................................................ 5 

Census of beehives ....................................................................................................... 6 

Census of beekeepers ................................................................................................... 6 

IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL APICULTURE PROGRAMMES ......................... 7 

Legal basis .................................................................................................................... 7 

Objectives and Measures .............................................................................................. 7 

Union Budget for national apiculture programmes and usage rate .............................. 9 

Allocation of the Union contribution per Member State ............................................. 9 

Expenditure incurred per type of measures ................................................................ 11 

MAIN CHANGES INTRODUCED BY THE REFORM OF THE CAP IN 2013 ............. 12 

Eligible measures ....................................................................................................... 13 

Method to determine the number of beehives and allocation of the EU budget ........ 13 

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 15 

2 

 
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The European Union (EU) apiculture sector is small compared to other agricultural sectors but 
provides part of pollination services to EU agriculture. 

EU beekeepers have to face many challenges in order to maintain their beehives  and honey 
production.  Increasing  costs,  strong  competition  with  cheap  honey  imports  from  third 
countries,  bees'  colonies  losses,  diseases,  beehives'  invaders  combined  with  a  deteriorating 
forage environment are putting pressure on the sector. 

Several tools are available in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to support the apiculture 
sector  and  mitigate  the  negative  impact  that  some  agricultural  activities  might  have  on 
managed pollinators. 

The  EU  has  been  supporting  directly  the  beekeeping  sector  since  19971.  Successive Market 
Regulations gave the possibility for Member States to draw up national programmes for their 
apiculture  sector.  The  objective  of  these  programmes  is  to  improve  general  conditions  for 
production  and  marketing  apiculture  products,  which  include  not  only  honey  but  also  royal 
jelly, pollen, propolis or beeswax. The programmes are co-financed by the European Union at 
a 50% rate and last for three years. 

Article 225 (a) of Council Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products2 states 
that the Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament and the Council every 
three years and for the first time by 21 December 2016 on the implementation of the measures 
concerning the apiculture sector as set out in Articles 55, 56 and 57, including on the latest 
developments on beehive identification systems. 

This report meets that obligation, covering apiculture years 2013, 2014 and 20153. As national 
apiculture programmes run for three years, these apiculture years correspond to the last year 
of  the  previous  triennal  apiculture  programmes  (2011-2013)  and  the  first  two  years  of  the 
current programme (2014-2016). This is the sixth report of the Commission to the European 
Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the apiculture programmes4. 

All  Member  States  notified  a  national  apiculture  programme  for  the  periods  2011-2013  and 
2014-2016. This shows the strong interest of Member States and the needs of the sector.  

During  the  three  apiculture  years  covered  by  this  report,  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1234/2007  establishing  a  common  organisation  of  agricultural  markets  and  on  specific 
provisions  for  certain  agricultural  products  (Single  CMO  Regulation)5  was  still  in  force; 
therefore the changes introduced regarding the apiculture sector by the reform of the CAP in 

1 

2 
3 

4 
5 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1221/97 of 25 June 1997 laying down rules for the application of measures 
to improve the production and marketing of honey, OJ L 173, 1.7.97, p. 1. 
OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671. 
Apiculture  years  2013,  2014,  and  2015  correspond  respectively  to  the  12  months  period  starting 
1.9.2012 ending 31.8.2013, starting 1.9.2013 ending 31.8.2014, and starting 1.9.2014 ending 31.8.2015. 
The previous report was published on 16.8.2013, COM(2013) 593 final. 
OL L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1. 

3 

 
 
 
                                                            
2013  were  not  yet  implemented.  Nevertheless,  this  report  presents  the  main  legislative 
changes  introduced  by  the  reform  of  the  CAP  as  well  as  the  latest  information  available 
regarding the developments on beehive identification systems. 

2.  METHODOLOGY 

This report is based on the following sources of information: 

- National apiculture programmes notified to the Commission by the Member States for the 
periods  2011-2013,  2014-2016  and  2017-2019.  Each  national  apiculture  programme  must 
include a study carried out by the Member State on the production and marketing structure of 
the beekeeping sector in its territory; 

-  Expenditures  of  the  Member  States  relating  to  the  measures  taken  under  their  national 
apiculture programmes notified to the Commission6; 

- Data on honey production and international trade from EUROSTAT, COMEXT, and FAO.  

Detailed  figures  and  summary  tables  on  the  honey  market  and  on  national  apiculture 
programmes are available on the Commission website7. 

3. 

OVERVIEW OF THE EU APICULTURE SECTOR 

3.1  Production and prices 

With a production of around 250 000 tonnes/year the  EU is the second world producer of 
honey after China. 

The EU does not produce enough honey to cover its own consumption. In 2015, the rate of 
self-sufficiency8 was around 60%. 

Member States with the largest honey production (RO, ES, HU, DE, IT) are located mainly in 
the Southern part of the Union where climatic conditions are more favourable to beekeeping. 

Overall,  EU  honey  production  has  been  increasing  slowly  with  annual  variations  depending 
on  climatic  conditions.  However,  keeping  this  level  of  production  may  be  becoming  harder 
for beekeepers  due to the  challenges they face in terms of bees' health and habitat loss as a 
result  of  agricultural  intensification.  Conditions  of  production  are  deteriorating,  costs  of 
production are increasing and growing imports of cheaper honey from third countries create a 
situation of increasing competition. 

Prices of honey vary greatly according to quality and point of sale. For multi-floral honey, the 
range of prices go from 2.54€/kg in Poland for multi-floral honey sold in bulk at wholesalers 
to 15.18€/kg for honey sold at the site of production in the United Kingdom. 

Figure 1: EU honey production in 2014 and 2015 

6 

7 

8 

As  notified  by  the  Member  States  to  the  Commission  in  accordance  with  Article  6  of  Commission 
Regulation (EC) No 917/2004 of 29 April 2004 on detailed rules to implement Council Regulation (EC) 
No 797/2004 on measures improving general conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture 
products, OJ L 163, 30.4.2004, p. 83. 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/honey/index_en.htm 

Self-sufficiency rate = The ratio of domestic honey production as ratio of total consumption 
= EU production/year divided by (EU imports/year+ EU production/year – EU exports/year) 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
Source: Member States' studies notified in the 2017-2019 national apiculture programmes 

3.2  Trade 

Imports 

The  EU  is  the  first  world  importer  of  honey.  EU  imports  have  been  increasing  year  after 
year. 

In  2015,  the  EU  imported  around  200  000  tonnes  of  honey,  representing  in  volume  around 
75%  of  EU  total  production.  Half  of  these  imports  came  from  China  (around  100  000 
tonnes). The other two main suppliers were Mexico and Ukraine. Honey imported from third 
countries is much cheaper than honey produced in the EU. In 2015, the average import unit 
price for Chinese honey was 1.64€/kg while the average EU price of multi-floral honey sold 
in bulk at wholesalers was 3.78€/kg. Due to higher production costs EU producers can hardly 
compete with imported honey. 

Exports 

EU Exports are negligible compared to imports. 

In 2015, the EU exported around 20 000 tonnes of honey, representing in volume around 8% 
of EU total production. The EU exports mainly to markets looking for high quality honey in 
Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the USA and Canada. In 2015, the average export unit price 
was 5.77€/kg of honey. 

5 

35,032,230,723,423,022,518,014,011,511,59,37,24,34,34,03,52,82,51,91,91,51,11,00,50,30,20,00,00510152025303540ROESHUDEITELFRPLPOHRBGCZATSKLTSEUKBELVDKFINLEECYIELUMTSIThousand TonnesEU Production : 240 000 Tonnes in 2014 and 268 000 Tonnes in 2015 20142015 
 
 
 
 
3.3  Census of beehives 

According  to  data  provided  in  the  2014-2016  programmes,  there  were  around  16  millions 
beehives in the EU. The five Member States with the largest numbers of beehives are mainly 
located in the South of the EU: Spain, France, Greece, Romania and Italy. 

The  Commission  does  not  have  new  data  on  the  number  of  beehives  compared  to  the  last 
report. Updated figures will not be available before 2017.  

Figure 2: Evolution of the number of beehives in the EU 

Source: Member State studies notified in national apiculture programmes 

3.4  Census of beekeepers 

According  to  data  provided  in  the  2017-2019  programmes,  there  were  around  600 000 
beekeepers  in  the  Union.  The  number  of  EU  beekeepers  has  been  decreasing.  Many 
beekeepers who leave the sector for reasons of age are not replaced by newcomers.  

Figure 3: Evolution of the number of beekeepers in the EU 

Source: Member States' studies notified in the national apiculture programmes 

The  situation  differs  greatly  accross  Member  States.  Germany  is  one  of  the  few  Member 
States  who  managed  to  stop  the  decline  in  the  number  of  beekeepers.  The  German 
Beekeepers'  Association  prioritized  a  recruitement  strategy  of  beekeepers  and  offered 
beginners' courses which led to an increase in the number of active beekeepers. Part of these 
actions were funded by the measure "technical assistance" of the programmes. 

6 

11.63113.60313.98515.70402.0004.0006.0008.00010.00012.00014.00016.00018.0002004-20062008-20102011-20132014-2016593.168624.872635.638631.236606.082 570.000580.000590.000600.000610.000620.000630.000640.0002004-20062008-20102011-20132014-20162017-2019 
 
 
 
In  2015,  96%  of  European  beekeepers  managed  less  than  150  beehives,  the  threshold  until 
which an apiary is regarded as "non-professional"; only 4% of beekeepers in the EU had more 
than  150  beehives  and  could  be  classified  as  "professional"  beekeepers.  This  threshold  is, 
however,  contested  by  some  beekeeping  associations  that  consider  40  hives  as  more 
appropriate. 

A large majority of EU beekeepers (72%) are members of Beekeeping Associations. 

4. 

IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL APICULTURE PROGRAMMES 

4.1  Legal basis 

During  the  2013,  2014  and  2015  apiculture  years  that  are  covered  by  this  report,  Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1234/2007  was  still  in  force;  therefore  the  changes  introduced 
regarding  the  apiculture  sector  by  the  reform  of  the  CAP    in  2013  were  not  yet 
implemented. 

The  provisions  of  Articles  55  to  57  of  the  new  Regulation  (EU)  No 1308/2013  replace  and 
repeal  the  provisions  of  Articles  105  to  110  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1234/2007.  However, 
Article 231 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 states that all multiannual programmes adopted 
before 1 January 2014 shall continue to be governed by the relevant provisions of Regulation 
(EC) No 1234/2007 until those programmes come to an end. The Legislator introduced this 
transitional  provision  to  ensure  continuity  in  on-going  programmes.  As  the  2011-2013  and 
2014-2016  apiculture  programmes  were  adopted  before  1  January  2014,  they  were  still 
governed  by  the  provisions  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  1234/2007  and  Commission  Regulation 
(EC) No 917/2004 on detailed rules to implement Council Regulation (EC) No 797/2004 on 
measures  improving  general  conditions  for  the  production  and  marketing  of  apiculture 
products9. 

4.2  Objectives and Measures 

The  objective  of  the  programmes  is  to  improve  the  general  conditions  for  production  and 
marketing apiculture products in the Union. 

Six measures are eligible for aid and can be included in national apiculture programmes. 

When drawing their programmes, Member States consult their beekeeping organisations and 
choose among a list of eligible measures the actions that they consider the most relevant. For 
example, for the 2014 and 2015 apiculture years, The Netherlands chose to implement only 
one measure: applied research. 

The six measures eligible have not changed since the latest report of the Commission in 2013 
and are the following: 

9 

OJ L 163, 30.4.2004, p. 83. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Technical  assistance  is  designed to  enhance  the  efficiency of  production  and  marketing  by 
introducing  better  techniques.  It  includes  the  organisation  of  basic  courses  for  new  entrants 
and continuing education for experienced beekeepers and those responsible for groupings or 
cooperatives;  training  courses  relate  in  particular  to  areas  such  as  breeding  and  disease 
prevention, collection and packaging, storage and transport of honey and marketing. Teaching 
apiaries  and  networks  of  beekeeping  consultants/technicians  allow  for  the  dissemination  of 
practical technical knowledge. The measure can also be used to support the modernisation of 
the sector through the purchase of extraction equipment by beekeepers. 

The  aim  of  varroasis  prevention  is  to  control  the  infestation  of  beehives  by  this  endemic 
parasite. Varroasis is a disease of honey bees caused by Varroa mites that is weakening the 
bees'  immune  system  and  increases  bees'  secondary  infections  by  viruses.  The  control  of 
varroasis  is  mainly  performed  by  decreasing  the  parasitic  load.  Varroasis  is  severely 
diminishing  honey  yield  in  the  EU,  leading  to  the  loss  of  bee  colonies  if  not  treated.  As 
varroasis is endemic in the EU and cannot be completely eradicated, the only way to avoid its 
consequences  is  to  treat  beeehives  with  approved  methods  and  products.  Some  financial 
contribution  is  necessary  to  help  producers  afford  the  increasing  expenditure  incurred  in 
treating beehives appropriately (products, equipment such as covering meshes).  

Aid  for  the  rationalisation  of  transhumance  is  intended  to  assist  with  managing  the 
movement  of  beehives  in  the  Union  and  with  providing locations  for  beekeepers  during the 
flowering  season.  Transhumance  management  can  be  facilitated  by  such  measures  as 
identification  of  beehives  and  frames,  a  transhumance  register,  investment  in  material 
facilitating  transhumance  and  mapping  of  flower  varieties.  In  several  Member  States, 
transhumance is crucial to meet the nutritional needs of bees and ensure pollination of plants.  

Support measures for carrying out analysis of honey are intended to improve the marketing 
of honey. Analysis of honey allow beekeepers to ensure that honey put on the market meets 
the physico-chemical characterictics laid down in Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to 
honey10;  analysis  on  the  botanical  origin  of  honey  provides  beekeepers  with  precise 
knowledge  of  harvested  honey,  enabling  them  to  get  a  higher  price  for  their  product.  The 
financial support for honey analysis is essential for making this service accessible to a large 
number of beekeepers. 

The restocking of beehives makes it possible to compensate partially for losses of bees, and 
therefore  avoid  drops  of  production;  this  can  include  funding  activities  to  promote  queens' 
production or purchasing of bee colonies. 

The possibility provided by the Regulation  for including specific  applied research  projects 
for  improving  honey  quality  in  apiculture  programmes,  and  dissemination  of  the  results  of 
such projects, can help increase producers' knowledge on specific practices of beekeeping. 

10 

OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 47. 

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                            
4.3  Union Budget for national apiculture programmes and usage rate 

Union funds dedicated to the apiculture sector are relatively small but increased every three 
years  in  order  to  take  into  account  the  growing  needs  of  the  sector,  the  good  uptake  of  the 
programmes  and  the  successive  enlargements  of  the  Union.  For  the  2017-2019  apiculture 
programmes, Union funds available will be increased to EUR 36 million per apiculture year. 

Table 1: Union funds available for national apiculture programmes 

Union funds available per 
apiculture year 

2013 apiculture 
year 
2011-2013 
programmes 

2014 apiculture 
year 
2014-2016 
programmes 

2015 apiculture 
year 
2014-2016 
programmes 

EUR 
Amount of Union funds used by 
Member States in EUR 
Usage rate 

32 000 000 
29 160 781 

33 100 000 
30 430 265 

33 100 000 
30 874 274 

91% 

92% 

93% 

All Member States11 notified a national apiculture programme for the periods 2011-2013 and 
2014-2016. 

The Union contribution to the apiculture programmes corresponds to 50% of the expenditure 
borne  by  the  Member  States.  Concretely,  it  means  that  for  the  2013  apiculture  year 
EUR 64 million  in  total  were  available  for  the  apiculture  sector:  EUR  32  million  from  the 
Union budget and EUR 32 million from the Member States' national budget. For the 2014 and 
2015  apiculture  years,  EUR  66.2  million  in  total  were  available  for  each  year:  EUR  33.1 
million  from  the  Union  budget  and  EUR  33.1  million  from  the  Member  States'  national 
budget. 

As  in  previous  years,  Member  States  used  almost  all  available  Union  funds  for  these 
programmes. The EU average usage rate is excellent : it was respectively 91%, 92% and 93% 
for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 apiculture years. 

4.4  Allocation of the Union contribution per Member State 

The  key  factor  for  the  allocation  of  the  Union  contribution  per  Member  State  is  the 
number of beehives on its territory. 

On  the  basis  of  Member  States’  expenditure  forecasts  notified  in  their  programmes,  Union 
funds  are  distributed  in  accordance  with  each  Member  State’s  share  in  the  total  number  of 
beehives in the Union.  

11 

27 Member States had a national apiculture programme in place for 2011-2013. After Croatia joined the 
European Union on 1 July 2013, 28 Member States had a national apiculture programme in place for 
2014-2016. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
Member States communicate the number of beehives present on their territory at the time of 
the submission of the apiculture programmes to the Commission. The number and breakdown 
of beehives per Member State and in the Union is published in a Commission Implementing 
Regulation amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 917/200412. 

The number of beehives in each Member State, calculated as a percentage of the total number 
of beehives in the EU, determines the theoretical maximum percentage of the budget to which 
each  Member  State  is  entitled.  In  case  a  Member  State  forecasts  less  expenditure  than  the 
maximum budget to which it is entitled, the amounts not requested by this Member State are 
redistributed between the others. 

As a result, Member States with the largest number of beehives are those getting the largest 
share  of  Union  funds.  For  2013,  2014  and  2015  apiculture  years,  Spain,  the  Member  State 
with  the  largest  number  of  beehives  in  the  Union  was  allocated  the  largest  share  of  Union 
funds. The five  Member States with the largest number of beehives (Spain, France, Greece, 
Romania and Italy) were allocated around half of total EU funds for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 
apiculture years. 

12 

For  the  2014-2016  programmes,  see  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  768/2013 
amending  Regulation  (EC)  914/2004  on  detailed  rules  to  implement  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 797/2004 on measures improving general conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture 
products, OJ L 214, 9.8.2013, p. 7. 
For  the  2011-2013  programmes,  see  Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  726/2010  of  12  August  2010 
amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  917/2004  on  detailed  rules  to  implement  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 797/2004 on measures improving general conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture 
products, OJ L 213, 13.8.2010, p. 29. 

10 

 
 
                                                            
Figure 4: Allocation of the Union contribution per Member State for the 2015 apiculture year 

4.5  Expenditure incurred per type of measures 

At  the  end  of  each  apiculture  year,  in  line  with  Article  6  of  Commission  Regulation  (EC) 
No 917/2004,  Member  States  notify  to  the  Commission  their  expenditure  per  type  of 
measures. 

The breakdown of expenditure per type of measures for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 apiculture 
years has basically not changed compared to the last report of the Commission. 

Combating  varroasis  and  technical  assistance  to  beekeepers  and  beekeepers' 
organisations (which accounted each for around 29% of total expenditure) were the two main 
used  measures.  This  reflects  the  needs  for  the  sector  to  continue  to  invest  in  beekeeping 
equipment,  to  constantly  update  beekeeping  practices  in  order  to  fight  against  diseases  and 
beehives' invaders, and to train new beekeepers. 

Rationalisation  of  transhumance  accounted  for  around  19  %  of  the  total  expenditure  and 
was  the  third  measure.  In  several  Member  States,  transhumance  is  an  essential  beekeeping 

11 

ES16,02%FR10,66%RO10,10%IT8,58%EL8,53%PL8,34%HU7,09%DE4,63%PT3,69%CZ3,52%BG3,43%HR3,20%AT2,45%UK1,78%Others7,97% 
 
 
 
 
 
practice, necessary to cover the nutritional needs of honeybees during the whole beekeeping 
season and to provide pollination services. 

Restocking  of  beehives  accounted  for  around  15%  of  total  expenditure  and  was  the  fourth 
measure,  followed  in  the  fifth  place  by  applied  research  (around  5%  of  total  expenditure) 
and in the sixth place by analysis of honey (around 3% of total expenditure). 

Figure 5: Expenditure incurred by type of measures for the 2015 apiculture year 

5. 

MAIN  CHANGES  INTRODUCED  BY  THE  REFORM  OF  THE  CAP  IN 
2013 

The  reform  of  the  CAP  in  2013  introduced  significant  changes  in  relation  to  apiculture 
programmes. These changes are reflected in Articles 55 to 57 on aid in the apiculture sector of  
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 which replace Articles 105 to 110 on apiculture of Regulation 
(EC)  No  1234/2007.  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  2015/136613  supplements 
Regulation  (EU)  No  1308/2013  on  apiculture  and  Commission  Implementing  Regulation 

13 OJ L 211, 8.8.2015, p. 3. 

12 

Technical Assistance A28,50%Varroasis Prevention B29,71%Rationalisation of Transhumance C19,57%Analyses of Honey D2,67%Restocking of Hives E14,57%Applied Research F4,99% 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
(EU) 2015/136814 lays down the rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 
with regard to aid in the apiculture sector. 

The main objectives of the CAP reform for the apiculture sector were: 
- to adapt eligible measures to the needs of the sector; 
-  to  ensure  a  sounder  allocation  of  the  EU  budget  by  improving  the  methods  used  by  the 
Member States to determine the number of beehives on their territories. 

5.1  Eligible measures 

Article  55(4)  of  Regulation  (EU)  No  1308/2013  modifies  the  list  of  eligible  apiculture 
measures; it extends the scope of several measures and adds two new measures. 

With the reformed CAP, there are now eight eligible measures for apiculture: 

(a) technical assistance to beekeepers and beekeepers' organisations; 
(b)  combating  beehive  invaders  and  diseases,  particularly  varroasis;  the  scope  of  this 
measure  was  extended  to  take  into  account  the  needs  of  the  sector  to  fight  against  the 
progression of Asian hornet (Vespa velutina)15, Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida)16 but also 
bees' diseases other than varroasis such as nosemosis or foolbrood.  
(c) rationalisation of transhumance; 
(d) measures to support laboratories for the analysis of apiculture products with the aim 
of  helping  beekeepers  to  market  and  increase  the  value  of  their  products;  the  scope  of 
this  measure was extended to  the analysis of other  apiculture products17  such  as  royal jelly, 
pollen,  propolis  or  beeswax.  This  is  important  to  support  the  development  of  quality 
apiculture products and provide an additional source of income for beekeepers. 
(e) measures to support the restocking of beehives in the Union; 
(f)  cooperation  with  specialised  bodies  for  the  implementation  of  applied  research 
programmes in the field of beekeeping and apiculture products; 
(g) market monitoring; this is a new measure which could be used for example to monitor 
honey and apiculture products' production and prices. 
(h) enhancement of product quality with a view to exploiting the potential of products on 
the market; this is a new measure which could be used for example to exploit the potential of 
royal jelly or pollen. 

5.2  Method  to  determine  the  number  of  beehives  and  allocation  of  the  EU 
budget 

14 OJ L 211, 8.8.2015, p. 9. 
15 http://presse.inra.fr/en/Resources/Press-releases/rapid-expansion-of-Asian-hornet 

16 http://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/live_animals/bees/small_hive_beetle_outbreaks/index_en.htm 

17 

Apiculture  products  covered  by  the  apiculture  programmes  are  listed  in  Part  XXII  of  Annex  I  to 
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and are honey, royal jelly, propolis and beeswax. 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
 
 
As  mentionned  before,  the  key  factor  for  the  allocation  of  the  Union  contribution  per 
Member State is the number of beehives on its territory. 

The 2013 CAP reform maintained that principle but the rules for determining the number of 
beehives  were  harmonized  (to  the  extent  possible  considering  the  wide  disparities  of  the 
beekeeping  sector  between  Member  States);  in  accordance  with  Article  4  of  Commission 
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1366, the Union contribution will be allocated in proportion 
to  the  average  total  number  of  beehives  during  the  two  calendar  years  immediately 
preceding the notification to the Commission of the national apiculture programmes. 

Up  to  the  2014-2016  programmes,  Member  States  had  only  the  obligation  to  notify  to  the 
Commission the number of beehives on their territories, every three years, when submitting 
their national apiculture programmes. There were significant differences in the way Member 
States  collected  the  information  on  their  number  of  beehives  in  particular  in  relation  to  the 
types  of  beehives  taken  into  account,  the  period  and  the  years  when  the  information  was 
collected and finally the method used to determine the numbers. This situation needed to be 
addressed in order to ensure a sounder allocation of Union funds. 

Articles  1,  2  and  3  of  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  (EU)  2015/1366  define  the  term 
"beehives",  require  that  Member  States  have  a  reliable  method  to  determine,  between 
1 September  and  31  December  each  year,  the  number  of  beehives  ready  for  wintering 
present in their territory and finally oblige Member States to notify each year their number 
of beehives starting from 2017. 

In  accordance  with  Article  2  and  point  (2)  of  the  Annex  to  Commission  Implementing 
Regulation (EU) 2015/1368, Member States submitted in their 2017-2019 national apiculture 
programmes  a  description  of  the  method  used  to  determine  the  number  of  beehives  in  their 
territories. 

The  description  of  the  method  used  in  each  Member  State  is  available  in  the  2017-2019 
apiculture  programmes  published  on  the  website  of  the  Commission.  A  summary  of  the 
methods is presented in table 2. 18 Member States will use a mandatory registration system 
while  10  Member  States  will  use  a  statistical  method  to  estimate  the  number  of  beehives 
based on sampling beekeepers registered by beekeeping organisations. 

In general, the mandatory registration of beehives is considered the most robust method but 
creates  more  administrative  burden  for  beekeepers  and  Member  States;  beekeepers  are 
obliged by national law to  register their  activity and declare their number of beehives  to  an 
administration. It is important to note that the six Member States with the largest number of 
beehives  (ES,  FR,  EL,  RO,  IT,  PL)  chose  mandatory  registration  of  beehives  whereas 
Member  States  with  a  less  important  apiculture  sector  opted  for  a  statistical  estimation 
method. 

The reliability of the statistical methods for estimating the number of beehives depends on the 
quality of the database kept by beekeeping organisations and on the representativeness of the 
sample of beekeepers selected to provide information on their number of beehives. 

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Member  States  will  notify  to  the  Commission  their  number  of  beehives  using  the  new 
methods for the first time on 15 March 2017. In accordance with Article 13 of Commission 
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1368, the Commission will then make publicly available 
on  its  website  aggregated  data  on  the  number  of  beehives  notified  by  the  Member  States. 
These data will be updated every year and this will lead to a better monitoring of the number 
of beehives in the Union. 

Table  2:  Summary  of  the  methods  used  by  the  Member  States  to  determine  the  number  of 
beehives on their territories in the 2017-2019 national apiculture programmes 

Member States  Registration  

by  the  Competent 
Authorities  of  the 
Member States  

Belgium 
Bulgaria 
Czech Republic  X 
Denmark 
Germany 
Estonia 
Ireland 
Greece 
Spain 
France 
Croatia 
Italy 
Cyprus 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Hungary 
Malta 
Netherlands 
Austria 
Poland 
Portugal 
Romania 
Slovenia 
Slovakia 
Finland 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 
EU-28 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
Exhaustive count  

18 Member States 

Statistical  method/Sampling 
based  on  databases  kept  by 
beekeeping  organisations  or 
voluntary registration 
X 
X 

X 
X 
X 
X 

X 

X 
X 
X 
10 Member States 

6. 

CONCLUSION 

With the reform of the CAP in 2013, the legal basis for supporting the EU beekeeping sector 
via  national  apiculture  programmes  was  improved.  Eligible  measures  were  adapted  to  the 
changing needs of the sector and the methods to allocate EU funds to the Member States on 
the basis of the number of beehives were streamlined. The first concrete effects of the reform 

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will be seen with the implementation of the 2017-2019 apiculture programmes which started 
in August 2016. No further legal proposal accompanies this report. 

On  the  basis  of  the  factual  findings  of  the  present  report  that  shows  that  all  Member  States 
have national apiculture programmes in place and that more than 90% of Union funds made 
available were used, it can be concluded that the European market measures for the apiculture 
sector are operating satisfactorily. The next report -due in three years- will allow for assessing 
the impact of the new regulatory provisions introduced by the 2013 CAP reform. 

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