(1)

The European system of accounts set up by Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 (ESA 2010) establishes a system of national and regional accounts to meet the requirements of the economic, social and regional policy of the Union.

(2)

Due to the importance of research and development for the economy, additional methods and harmonised and comparable transmission formats have been developed for research and development data within the context of the European Statistical System, which is the partnership between the Commission (Eurostat) and the national statistical institutes and other national authorities responsible in the Member States for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics.

(3)

The methodological rules provided in Annex A to Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 are to be applied when recording research and development expenditure as gross fixed capital formation.

(4)

The transmission programme set out in ESA 2010 includes annual information on fixed assets and gross fixed capital formation in those assets. It is necessary that reliable and comparable data be transmitted by Member States to the Commission in a specific format, in order to ensure a high level of quality of national accounts,

(a)

AN.1171g, research and development assets, gross;

(b)

AN.1171n, research and development assets, net;

(c)

P.51g, AN.1171, gross fixed capital formation in research and development.

(1)

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 replaced Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (3) and lays down new rules regarding aid in the apiculture sector. It also empowers the Commission to adopt delegated and implementing acts in that respect. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the aid scheme in the new legal framework, certain rules have to be adopted by means of such acts. Those acts should replace Commission Regulation (EC) No 917/2004 (4).

(2)

Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 states that Member States may draw up national programmes for the apiculture sector covering a period of three years (‘apiculture programmes’). It is necessary to fix the basis for allocating the Union's financial contribution to the participating Member States.

(3)

The number of beehives in each participating Member State is an indicator of the size of the Member States' apiculture sector. The share of each participating Member State in the total number of beehives in the Union represents a simple basis on which to allocate the Union contribution to the apiculture programmes.

(4)

In order to ensure a sound distribution of the Union funds, participating Member States should have a reliable method to determine the number of beehives in their territory.

(5)

As the number of beehives vary during the seasons of the year, it is necessary to fix the period when the number of beehives is determined.

(6)

It is necessary for the Commission to know the number of beehives in the Member States not only in order to allocate the Union contribution to the apiculture programmes but also in order to follow the trend in the number of beehives in the Member States in order to evaluate the impact of support measures on the beekeeping sector and to inform European citizens. Therefore, participating Member States should report to the Commission on a yearly basis the number of beehives determined in accordance with this Regulation.

(7)

In order to allow all Member States to implement a cost-effective apiculture programme, a specified minimum amount of Union aid per programme should be set.

(8)

In order to ensure the effective and efficient use of Union funds for apiculture, it is necessary that Member States avoid double funding with respect to their apiculture programmes under aid in the apiculture sector pursuant to Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and rural development support pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5).

(9)

For those Member States which have not adopted the euro, it is necessary to establish rules for the fixation of the exchange rate applicable to the financing of the apiculture programmes. The operative event for the exchange rate to be used should be that referred to in Article 34(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014 (6).

(10)

In order to ensure a smooth transition from the apiculture measures provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 to those laid down in Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Member States should have the possibility to include in their apiculture programmes approved before 1 January 2014, new apiculture measures listed in Article 55(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.

(11)

It is necessary to provide transitional measures for the allocation of the Union contribution for the 2017-19 apiculture programmes. In order to ensure continuity with the 2014-16 apiculture programmes and to allow sufficient time for all Member States to establish a reliable method to determine the number of beehives ready for wintering between 1 September and 31 December, the allocation of Union funds for the 2017-19 apiculture programmes should be made on the basis of the number of beehives communicated in 2013 by the Member States in their respective 2014-16 apiculture programmes.

(12)

For the sake of clarity and legal certainty, Regulation (EC) No 917/2004 should be repealed,

(1)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 807/2014 (2) has repealed Commission Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006 (3). However, Article 19 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 807/2014 provides that Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006 continues to apply to operations implemented pursuant to programmes approved by the Commission under Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (4) before 1 January 2014.

(2)

Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1974/2006 sets a ceiling for transfers by Member States of EAFRD contribution between the priority axes of their rural development programmes and sets deadlines for the notification of such changes to the Commission and for the assessment of those changes by the Commission.

(3)

The continued economic difficulties in Member States have significantly impacted the performance of specific priority axes within the 2007-2013 rural development programmes.

(4)

The late adoption of the legal basis for the new programming period has significantly delayed the adoption of the 2014-2020 rural development programmes, further reducing the possibilities of Member States to support rural economies.

(5)

In order to invest all possible resources in growth and jobs, Member States should be allowed to make use of the funds already committed under Union co-financed programmes.

(6)

It is therefore appropriate to increase the flexibility for transfers between axes.

(7)

Delegated Regulation (EU) No 807/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 replaced Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (3) and lays down new rules regarding aid in the apiculture sector. It also empowers the Commission to adopt delegated and implementing acts in that respect. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the aid scheme in the new legal framework, certain rules have to be adopted by means of such acts. Those acts should replace Commission Regulation (EC) No 917/2004 (4). That Regulation is repealed by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1366 (5).

(2)

Article 55(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that Member States may draw up national programmes for the apiculture sector covering a period of three years (‘apiculture programmes’). In accordance with Article 55(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Member States who make use of this possibility are to carry out a study on the production and marketing structure of their beekeeping sectors. It is necessary to specify the elements that those programmes and studies should contain.

(3)

Apiculture programmes proposed by the Member States are to be approved by the Commission. Therefore, it is necessary to set a deadline for the notification of the programmes by the Member States and a procedure for the approval of the programmes by the Commission.

(4)

As the beekeeping sector involves a large number of small producers, the apiculture programmes should be made readily accessible to the public by the Member States and the Commission, once approved.

(5)

In order to allow flexibility in the implementation of the apiculture programmes and to limit the administrative burden, Member States should be able to amend the measures included therein during the implementation of those programmes provided that the overall ceiling on planned annual expenditure is not exceeded and that the Union contribution to the financing of the programmes remains equivalent to 50 % of the expenditure borne by the Member States. However, it is appropriate to lay down procedural rules for significant amendments to a programme.

(6)

Member States should monitor the implementation of the apiculture programmes. The procedure applied by Member States for monitoring checks should be in line with the general principles laid down in Article 59 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. This procedure should be notified to the Commission by the Member States together with the programmes.

(7)

In order to verify that the conditions for granting Union financing have been fulfilled, the participating Member States should carry out administrative and on-the-spot checks. For on the-spot-checks, Member States should ensure that at least 5 % of the applicants for aid are checked. Member States should draw the check sample from the entire population of applicants comprising a random part in order to obtain a representative error rate and a risk- based part, which should target the areas where the risk of error is the highest.

(8)

In accordance with the general rules on the protection of the financial interests of the Union laid down in Articles 54, 58 and 63 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, Member States should establish a suitable system of corrections and penalties for irregularities enabling the recovery of any amount unduly paid plus interest calculated in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 (6). This system should be notified to the Commission by the Member States together with the programmes.

(9)

The apiculture year should cover a period of time which allows Member States to perform the checks related to the apiculture measures.

(10)

In order to evaluate the impact of the apiculture programmes while taking into account the need to limit the administrative burden to the Member States and the beekeeping sector, it is necessary for Member States to submit to the Commission an annual implementation report providing the summary of expenditure and the results achieved by the use of the performance indicators for each measure of the programme.

(11)

Consistency between measures included in apiculture programmes and the rural development programmes under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7) should be ensured during the implementation of the apiculture programmes. To this effect, Member States should describe in their apiculture programmes the criteria they have laid down to avoid double funding of apiculture programmes under aid in the apiculture sector pursuant to Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and rural development support pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013.

(12)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

(1)

On 7 August 2014 the Russian government introduced a ban on imports of certain products from the Union to Russia, including fruit and vegetables. In response, the Commission adopted a series of exceptional support measures, in particular by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 913/2014 (2) for peaches and nectarines and by Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) No 932/2014 (3) and (EU) No 1031/2014 (4) for other fruit and vegetables.

(2)

On 24 June 2015 that ban was extended until August 2016. Owing to the continuation of the ban a serious threat of market disturbances persists and could cause significant price falls due to the fact that an important export market continues to be unavailable. For such a market situation, the normal measures available under Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 appear to be insufficient. The mechanism based on support for certain quantities of products under Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1031/2014 should therefore be prolonged.

(3)

To establish an effective safety net, the Union financial assistance should be prolonged for all the products covered by Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1031/2014 for a year. Furthermore, due to their seasonal exports, peaches and nectarines of CN code 0809 30, which were eligible for support last year under Delegated Regulation (EU) No 913/2014, should now be added to the list of products eligible for support under Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1031/2014.

(4)

The calculation of the quantities allocated to each Member State should be made on the basis of the level of exports to Russia of the products concerned during the three years preceeding the announcement of the ban, adjusted by the level of uptake by the producers in each Member State of the exceptional support measures made available to them for those products in the last year.

(5)

Where the uptake of these exceptional support measures within a Member State has been very low for a particular product and the administrative costs of providing support therefore disproportionately high, that Member State should have the option to choose not to continue to implement these measures for the extended period.

(6)

It is likely to be expected that the products concerned, which would normally have been exported to Russia, will be diverted to the markets of other Member States. Producers of the same products within those Member States, which do not traditionally export their products to Russia, may accordingly be faced with significant market disturbance and a fall in prices.

(7)

Therefore, in order to further stabilise the market, Union financial assistance should again also be available for producers in all Member States in respect of one or more of the products covered by Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1031/2014 for a quantity not exceeding 3 000 tonnes per Member State.

(8)

Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1031/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(9)

In order to have an immediate impact on the market and to contribute to stabilise prices, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication,

(1)

Article 1 is amended as follows:

(2)

Article 2 is amended as follows:

(3)

In Article 9, paragraphs 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

(4)

Article 10 is amended as follows:

(5)

In Article 11, the following point (c) is added:

(6)

Annex Ib is inserted, the text of which is set out in Annex I to this Regulation;

(7)

Annexes III and IV are replaced by the text set out in Annex II to this Regulation.

(1)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in Annex XVI, Part A thereto.

(2)

The standard import value is calculated each working day, in accordance with Article 136(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, taking into account variable daily data. Therefore this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1918/2006 (2) opened annual tariff quotas for imports of virgin olive oil falling within CN codes 1509 10 10 and 1509 10 90, wholly obtained in Tunisia and transported direct from that country to the European Union. Article 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1918/2006 lays down the maximum monthly quantities covered by the import licences to be issued.

(2)

The quantities covered by the applications for import licences lodged from 3 to 4 August 2015 for the month of August 2015 exceed those available. The extent to which import licences may be issued should therefore be determined by establishing the allocation coefficient to be applied to the quantities requested, calculated in accordance with Article 7(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1301/2006 (3). Submission of new applications should be suspended for the month of August 2015.

(3)

In order to ensure that the measure is effective, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

(1)

Commission Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU (4) lays down animal health control measures in relation to African swine fever in certain Member States. The Annex to that Decision demarcates and lists certain areas of those Members States differentiated by the level of risk based on the epidemiological situation. That list includes certain areas of Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

(2)

In July and August 2015, one case in wild boar and three outbreaks in domestic pigs of African swine fever were notified by Estonia within the areas listed in the Annex to Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU. The case in wild boar occurred in the area listed in Part I of that Annex. Two outbreaks in domestic pigs occurred in Part II and the other outbreak occurred in Part III of that Annex.

(3)

In July and August 2015, cases of African swine fever in wild boar were notified by Latvia within the areas listed in the Annex to Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU. Those cases occurred in areas listed in Part I of that Annex.

(4)

In July 2015, one outbreak of African swine fever in domestic pigs was notified by Lithuania within the areas listed in the Annex to Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU. This outbreak occurred in the area listed in Part II of that Annex.

(5)

The evolution of the current epidemiological situation in the Union as regards African swine fever should be considered in the assessment of the risk represented by the animal health situation as regards that disease in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In order to focus animal health control measures and to prevent the further spread of African swine fever, as well as to prevent any unnecessary disturbance to trade within the Union and to avoid unjustified barriers to trade by third countries, the Union list of areas subject to the animal health control measures set out in the Annex to Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU should be amended to take into account the current animal health situation as regards that disease in those Member States.

(6)

Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU should therefore be amended to modify the areas listed in Parts I, II and III of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,