Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1220/2011 of 25 November 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 867/2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards operators’ organisations in the olive sector, their work programmes and the financing thereof

26.11.2011 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 313/6
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1220/2011
of 25 November 2011
amending Regulation (EC) No 867/2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards operators’ organisations in the olive sector, their work programmes and the financing thereof
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (1), and in particular the third subparagraph of Article 103(2) in conjunction with Article 4 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) In the light of experience gained from implementing the work programmes of operators’ organisations in the olive sector, certain amendments should be made to Commission Regulation (EC) No 867/2008 (2).
(2) In order to ensure better implementation of Article 103 of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 and to ensure that the financial interests of the Union are protected where producer organisations are beneficiaries of rural development measures under Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (3), provision should be made for the approval of operators’ organisations in the olive sector to be immediately refused, suspended or withdrawn if the latter have been penalised under those Regulations.
(3) With regard to market monitoring and administrative management, it is useful to focus on subjects linked to measures planned under the work programmes of the operators’ organisations, whereas in the field of improving the production quality of olive oil and table olives, for reasons of effectiveness, provision should be made for new types of technical assistance.
(4) To improve consistency in the activities which are eligible for Union funding, it is desirable, with regard to controlling olive fly, to restrict financing to those measures provided for in point (b)(iii) of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 867/2008.
(5) In consideration of the experience gained, it is necessary to increase the minimum percentage of Union funding allocated to reducing the environmental impact of olive cultivation in order to reflect the important developments in this area. Similarly, in order to make the best possible use of the resources allocated to work programmes, there should be a reduction in the general expenses element of expenditure on implementation.
(6) Administrative procedures should be simplified where amendments to a programme involve substituting one measure with another and where the planned budget for each measure is less than EUR 10 000 but where the initial objective of the programme remains unchanged.
(7) To facilitate the implementation of programmes, the conditions for the release of securities linked to advances should be made more flexible provided that the eligible expenditure has been implemented and verified.
(8) A new deadline should be set for the Member States concerned to notify the Commission of national measures taken to implement this Regulation.
(9) Regulation (EC) No 867/2008 should be amended accordingly.
(10) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets,