Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/709

of 14 May 2018

amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 as regards the labels requirement pertaining to the aid applications concerning the areas used for the production of hemp

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 485/20081, and in particular Article 78, first subparagraph, point (b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)
Pursuant to point (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 17(7) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/20142, the single application has to contain, for areas used for the production of hemp, the official labels used on the packaging of the seeds in accordance with Council Directive 2002/57/EC3.
(2)
Article 9(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 639/20144 as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/7075 includes an alternative certification of hemp seed in the case of conservation varieties according to Commission Directive 2008/62/EC6.
(3)

It is therefore appropriate to amend point (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 17(7) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 and specify the documents to be admitted as official labels in the case of conservation varieties certified according to Directive 2008/62/EC.

(4)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Direct payments,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

In the first subparagraph of Article 17(7) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014, point (c) is replaced by the following:

‘(c)

the official labels used on the packaging of the seeds in accordance with Council Directive 2002/57/EC7, and in particular Article 12 thereof, or any other document recognised as equivalent by the Member State; or, in the case of conservation varieties certified in accordance with Commission Directive 2008/62/EC8, the supplier's labels or the printed or stamped notice used on the packaging of the seeds of conservation varieties as referred to in Article 18 of that Directive.’.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 14 May 2018.

For the Commission

The President

Jean-Claude Juncker