THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,
Whereas:
(1)
Certain Member States are facing particular difficulties in financing their rural development programmes pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). With a view to strengthening their rural development policy, these Member States should be given the possibility to apply a system of voluntary modulation. This possibility should be offered to those Member States where voluntary modulation is already applied according to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1655/2004 of 22 September 2004 laying down rules for the transition from the optional modulation system established by Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 to the mandatory modulation system established by Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, or which were granted a derogation by virtue of Article 70(4a) of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 from the requirement to co-finance Community support. The voluntary modulation should take the form of reducing direct payments within the meaning of Article 2(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, using the funds corresponding to that reduction for the financing of rural development programmes pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005. Reductions of direct payments applied in respect of voluntary modulation should be additional to those resulting from the application of compulsory modulation provided for in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003.
(2)
In order to facilitate its administrative implementation, the rules applicable to voluntary modulation should be aligned to those applicable to compulsory modulation under Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, including the calculation basis.
(3)
In order to take account of the particular situation of small farmers, an additional amount of aid should be granted in case of application of voluntary modulation as is the case for compulsory modulation. That additional amount should be equal to the amount resulting from the application of voluntary modulation to the first EUR 5 000 of direct payments, within ceilings to be fixed by the Commission.
(4)
With regard to Member States where voluntary modulation is already used, the new voluntary modulation arrangements laid down in this Regulation should, to the extent possible, refrain from deviating from the existing mechanism so as to avoid triggering unnecessary administrative burden, interfering with implementing arrangements that have been in place for several years and that farmers have adapted to in practice and in economic terms. Therefore, it appears to be appropriate that Member States applying voluntary modulation upon the entry into force of this Regulation be given the right to maintain certain well-established patterns of their current system, whilst avoiding unjustified unequal treatment between farmers. Moreover, to ensure the new arrangements to be consistent with the implementation patterns of the single payment scheme, the application of regionally differentiated voluntary modulation rates should only be available to Member States which apply the single payment scheme at regional level as foreseen in Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003.
(5)
The use of the funds resulting from the application of voluntary modulation may not be subject to the ceilings of the EAFRD contribution pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005. Derogation from that Regulation should therefore be provided for. The prefinancing arrangements applicable to the EAFRD pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy should not apply to those funds.
(6)
In order to take informed decisions on the application of voluntary modulation, Member States should carry out thorough assessments of the potential impact of such modulation, in particular as regards the economic situation of the farmers subject to such modulation and the effect on their comparative position in the agricultural sector. The impact of the implementation of voluntary modulation should be closely monitored by the Member States applying voluntary modulation. The Commission should be informed about the impact assessment and the monitoring results with a view to any further policy developments.
(7)
Voluntary modulation should be considered in the broader context of Community funding for rural development. Its contribution should be analysed among others in the light of Member States' impact assessments. Based on this analysis, the Commission will submit before the end of 2008 a report to the European Parliament and to the Council presenting the experience gained so far with its implementation.
(8)
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission.
(9)
The amounts resulting from the application of voluntary modulation should be taken into consideration when defining the annual ceiling for the expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the possibility to adopt detailed rules concerning in particular voluntary modulation should be included in Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005.
(10)
Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: