Commission Regulation (EC) No 939/2001 of 14 May 2001 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 as regards the grant of flat-rate aid for certain fishery products

Commission Regulation (EC) No 939/2001
of 14 May 2001
laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 as regards the grant of flat-rate aid for certain fishery products
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 of 17 December 1999 on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products(1), and in particular Article 24(8) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000, which repealed Council Regulation (EEC) No 3759/92(2) with effect from 1 January 2001, provides for flat-rate aid to be granted under certain conditions to producer organisations which withdraw from the market products listed in Annex IV to that Regulation.
(2) In the interests of harmonisation and simplification, the procedures required in the context of flat-rate aid should be the same as those which apply to financial compensation and carry-over aid, as set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2509/2000 of 15 November 2000 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 as regards granting financial compensation for withdrawals of certain fishery products(3) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2814/2000 of 21 December 2000 laying down the detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 104/2000 as regards the grant of carry-over aid for certain fishery products(4). The conditions for granting flat-rate aid should therefore be established on that basis and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 4176/88 of 28 December 1988 laying down detailed rules of application for the granting of flat-rate aid for certain fisheries products(5), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 3516/93(6), should be repealed.
(3) Article 6(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2406/96 of 26 November 1996 laying down common marketing standards for certain fishery products(7), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2578/2000(8), provides that products that are classified as category B are ineligible for the financial assistance granted in respect of withdrawal as provided for in the common market organisation. Given that only Extra, "E" and "A" quality products are eligible for the flat-rate aid described in Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 104/2000, the calculation of the quantities eligible for this aid should be based on these categories of products only.
(4) The conditions to be satisfied by producer organisations in the context of the flat-rate aid scheme should be determined.
(5) The flat-rate aid may be paid only at the end of the fishing year. However, provision should be made for the possibility of granting advances subject to the lodging of a security.
(6) The Member States should be authorised to fix the standard value used in calculating the flat-rate aid broken down according to the destination of the products withdrawn as provided for in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1501/83 of 9 June 1983 on the disposal of certain fishery products which have been the subject of measures to stabilise the market(9), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1106/90(10).
(7) In order to help guarantee product quality and the disposal of these products on the market, the minimum conditions applicable to processing, and the conditions relating to storage and the re-release onto the market of the processed products should be determined.
(8) The recipients of aid should keep a stock record containing the figures for releases onto the market, withdrawals from the market and amounts carried over each month (in kilograms) to increase the efficiency of checks and should supply this information to the Member State. It is sufficient for the purposes of good management of the mechanism to require stock records during the minimum storage periods.
(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fishery Products,