THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008, and in particular point (b) of the first paragraph and the second paragraph of Article 78 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 provides for the final date of submission of the single application, aid applications or payment claims, for the final date for notification of amendments to the single application or payment claim and for the final date for submission of applications for allocation of payments entitlements or the increase of the value of payments entitlements under the basic payment scheme.
(2)
Member States have experienced some difficulty in their practical implementation of the new direct payment schemes and rural development measures. As a consequence, the administration of the single application, aid applications and payment claims and applications for allocation of payment entitlements or the increase of the value of payment entitlements under the basic payment scheme was delayed.
(3)
That situation has affected the possibility of beneficiaries to submit the single application, aid applications or payment claims and applications for allocation of payment entitlements or the increase of the value of payment entitlements under the basic payment scheme within the time limits provided for in Articles 13(1) and 22(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014.
(4)
In view of that situation, it is appropriate to provide for a derogation from Articles 13(1) and 22(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 which enables Member States to fix for the year 2015 a final date of submission of the single application, aid applications or payment claims and a final date for submission of applications for allocation of payment entitlements or the increase of the value of payments entitlements under the basic payment scheme that are later than those provided for in those Articles. Since the date referred to in Article 15(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 is linked to the final date provided for in Article 13(1) of that Regulation, a similar derogation should be provided for the notification of amendments to the single application or payment claim.
(5)
Since those derogations should cover the single application, aid applications and payment claims, amendments to the single application or payment claim and applications for allocation of payment entitlements for the year 2015, it is appropriate that this Regulation applies to applications and payment claims relating to the year 2015.
(6)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Direct Payments and the Committee for Rural Development,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: