Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1700

Contents

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008^note, and in particular Article 14(1), second subparagraph, thereof,Whereas:

(1)The Commission’s Communication ‘A simpler and faster Europe’^note calls for simplification measures that aim to lighten the regulatory load and related costs for people, businesses, stakeholders and public administrations in the Union and to make rules clearer, easier to understand and faster to implement.

(2)Based on experience gained during the implementation of simple programmes and on exchanges with Member States and beneficiaries of Union funding, Articles 10, 13, and 21 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831^note have been identified for amendment in order to reduce administrative burdens and facilitate the implementation of these programmes.

(3)Based on experience acquired since the adoption of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831, the deadline imposed on Member States for the conclusion of contracts for the implementation of programmes with the selected proposing organisations may not be sufficient to complete the procedure for the selection of the implementing bodies provided for in Article 2 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829^note. An extension of that deadline is therefore necessary to allow beneficiaries to properly select bodies responsible for implementing simple programmes and reduce the need to ask the Commission to authorise the signature of contracts after the expiry of the deadline.

(4)In order to facilitate the implementation of programmes for beneficiaries of Union funding, the maximum rate of pre-financing via advance payments should be increased so as to ensure that upfront financing needs, in particular for beneficiaries with limited financial capacity, are adequately covered whilst maintaining flexibility as to whether and up to which extent such advance payments are made use of.

(5)In order to reduce the administrative burden for Member States, the notification obligations to the Commission for simple programmes should be reduced and a distinction should be made between, on the one hand, data relating to the financial execution and the results of administrative and on on-the-spot checks and, on the other hand, data relating to the impact of the programmes assessed. Notification obligations related to the latter should be reduced whilst still providing sufficient notification to the Commission for the purpose of programme management, thereby reducing administrative burdens for Member States.

(6)However, in order to avoid confusion due to the parallel application of different rules, amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 should not apply to ongoing programmes.

(7)Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 should therefore be amended accordingly.

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

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