Judgment_paragraph 63 · SC Avio Lucos SRL v Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie pentru Agricultură – Centrul judeţean Dolj and Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie pentru Agricultură (APIA)

63The Court added, however, that the exercise by Member States of their discretion in respect of the evidence to be provided in support of an aid application is subject to certain limits, particularly as regards the possibility of requiring the applicant to produce a valid legal document attesting to his right to use the areas covered by that application. In that context, the national legislation which gives effect to that discretion must be consistent with the objectives pursued by EU law on direct financial support for farmers and with the general principles of EU law, in particular the principle of proportionality, in accordance with which measures implemented through provisions must be appropriate for attaining the objective pursued and must not go beyond what is necessary to achieve it (see, to that effect, judgments of 24 June 2010, Pontini and Others, C‑375/08, EU:C:2010:365, paragraphs 86 and 87, and of 17 December 2020, Land Berlin (Payment entitlements in connection with the CAP), C‑216/19, EU:C:2020:1046, paragraph 35).