CHAPTER IIISPECIFIC SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS

Article 8Forecast supply balance

1.

Specific supply arrangements are hereby established for the Union's agricultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (‘the agricultural products’) which are essential in the smaller islands for human consumption, for the manufacture of other products or as agricultural inputs.

2.

Greece shall establish, at the geographical level which it deems most appropriate, a forecast supply balance so as to quantify the annual supply requirements for the smaller islands with regard to the agricultural products.

A separate forecast balance may be drawn up for the requirements of undertakings packaging and processing products intended for the local market, for consignment to the rest of the Union or for export to third countries as part of regional trade, in accordance with Article 13(2) and (3), or within the context of traditional trade flows.

Article 9Operation of the specific supply arrangements

1.

Aid shall be granted to supply the smaller islands with agricultural products.

The amount of the aid shall be determined for each product concerned, taking account of the additional costs of marketing products in the smaller islands, calculated from the usual ports of shipment in mainland Greece, and from the ports of islands of transit or of loading for the islands of final destination. In the case of agricultural inputs and products intended for processing, such aid should take account of the additional costs associated with insularity, small size and distance from markets.

2.

The specific supply arrangements shall only apply to products of sound, fair and marketable quality.

Article 10Implementation

In implementing the specific supply arrangements, account shall be taken, in particular, of the following:

  1. (a)

    the specific needs of the smaller islands and the precise quality requirements;

  2. (b)

    traditional trade flows with ports in mainland Greece and between the islands in the Aegean Sea;

  3. (c)

    the economic aspect of the proposed aid;

  4. (d)

    where applicable, the need not to obstruct the development of local products.

Article 11Certificates

1.

The aid provided for in Article 9(1) shall be granted on presentation of a certificate.

Certificates shall be issued only to operators entered in a register held by the competent authorities.

Those certificates shall not be transferable.

2.

No security shall be required when applying for a certificate. However, to the extent necessary to ensure the proper application of this Regulation, the competent authority may require a security to be lodged equal to the amount of the advantage as referred to in Article 12. In such cases, Article 34(1), (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 376/2008 of 23 April 2008 laying down common detailed rules for the application of the system of import and export licences and advance fixing certificates for agricultural products9 shall apply.

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 21, determining the conditions for recording operators in the register and providing for the full exercise by operators of their rights to participate in the specific supply arrangements.

3.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the measures necessary to ensure the uniform application by Greece of this Article, specifically relating to the introduction of the system of certificates, and the commitment undertaken by operators at the time of registration. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

Article 12Impact of advantage

1.

Benefiting from the specific supply arrangements resulting from the awarding of aid shall be subject to the condition that the impact of the economic advantage is passed on up to the end-user who, as appropriate, may be the consumer in the case of products meant for direct consumption, the end processor or packager in the case of products meant for the processing or packaging industries, or farmers in the case of products used for animal feed or as agricultural inputs.

The advantage referred to in the first subparagraph shall be equal to the amount of the aid.

2.

In order to ensure that paragraph 1 is applied in a uniform manner, the Commission shall adopt implementing acts regarding the application of the rules set out in paragraph 1 and more specifically regarding the conditions for the monitoring, by the Member State, that the advantage has in fact been passed on up to the end-user. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

Article 13Export to third countries and dispatch to the rest of the Union

1.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing the requirements in accordance with which products covered by the specific supply arrangements may be exported to third countries or dispatched to the rest of the Union. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

Those requirements shall include in particular reimbursement of the aid received under the specific supply arrangements.

Exports to third countries of products covered by the specific supply arrangements shall not be subject to the presentation of a certificate.

2.

The first subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall not apply to products processed in the smaller islands from products that have benefited from the specific supply arrangements which are:

(a)

exported to third countries or dispatched to the rest of the Union within the limits of traditional exports and traditional dispatches;

(b)

exported to third countries as part of regional trade in accordance with the destinations and detailed provisions to be determined by the Commission;

(c)

dispatched between the smaller islands.

Exports to third countries of products referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall not be subject to the presentation of a certificate.

No export refund shall be granted on the export of products referred to in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts establishing the limits of the quantities of products referred to in point (a) and the detailed provisions referred to in point (b). Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

3.

Processing operations which may give rise to traditional trade exports or traditional dispatches shall fulfil, mutatis mutandis, the processing conditions applicable under customs control provided for in the relevant Union legislation, with the exception of all usual forms of handling.

Article 14Controls and penalties

1.

The agricultural products which are the subject of the specific supply arrangements shall be subject to administrative checks at the time that they enter the smaller islands as well as when they are exported or dispatched.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the minimum characteristics of the checks to be carried out by Greece. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

2.

Except in cases of force majeure or exceptional climatic conditions, if an operator, as referred to in Article 11, fails to comply with the commitments made in accordance with that Article, the competent authority, without prejudice to any penalties applicable under national law, shall:

(a)

recover the advantage granted to the operator;

(b)

temporarily suspend or revoke the operator's registration, depending on the seriousness of the non-compliance.

3.

Except in cases of force majeure or exceptional climatic conditions, where operators, as referred to in Article 11, do not carry out the planned entry, their entitlement to apply for certificates shall be suspended by the competent authority for a period of 60 days following expiry of that certificate. After the suspension period, the issue of subsequent certificates shall be subject to the lodging of a security equal to the amount of the advantage to be granted during a period to be determined by the competent authority.

The competent authority shall adopt the measures required to reutilise any quantities of products made available as a result of non-execution, partial execution or cancellation of the certificates issued or recovery of the advantage.