Simplification of procedures
1. Save as otherwise provided in Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013, Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 or this Regulation, Member States may permit or require that any kind of communications under this Regulation both from the beneficiary to the authorities and vice versa be made by electronic means, provided that this does not cause any discrimination between beneficiaries and that appropriate measures are taken to ensure in particular that:
(a)
the beneficiary is unambiguously identified;
(b)
the beneficiary complies with all requirements under the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned;
(c)
the transmitted data is reliable in view of the proper management of the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned; where use is made of the data contained in the computerised database for animals as defined in point (9) of the second subparagraph of Article 2(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014, that database shall offer the level of assurance and implementation necessary for the proper management of the direct payment scheme or rural development measure involved;
(d)
where accompanying documents cannot be transmitted electronically, such documents are received by the competent authorities within the same time limits as for transmission by non-electronic means.
2. With regard to the submission of aid applications or payment claims, Member States may, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 1, provide for simplified procedures where data is already available to the authorities, in particular where the situation has not changed since the latest submission of an aid application or payment claim under the direct payment scheme or rural development measure concerned in accordance with Article 72(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. Member States may decide to use data derived from data sources at the disposal of national authorities for the purposes of the aid applications and payment claims. In that case Member State shall ensure that those data sources offer the level of assurance necessary for the proper management of the data in order to guarantee the reliability, integrity and security of that data.
3. Where possible, the competent authority may request the information required in any supporting documents to be submitted together with the aid application or payment claim directly from the source of the information.
General provisions pertaining to the single application and to the submission of applications for support under rural development measures
1. If Member States decide pursuant to Article 72(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 that the aid applications for direct payments and payment claims for rural development measures are to be covered by the single application, Articles 20, 21 and 22 of this Regulation shall apply mutatis mutandis in respect of the particular requirements established in view of the aid application and/or payment claim under those schemes or measures.
2. A beneficiary applying for aid and/or support under any of the area-related direct payments or rural development measures may submit only one single application per year.
3. Member States shall provide for appropriate procedures for the submission of applications for support under rural development measures.
Final date of submission of the single application, aid applications or payment claims
1. Member States shall fix the final dates by which the single application, aid applications or payment claims shall be submitted. The final dates shall not be later than 15 May each year. However, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden may fix a later date which shall not be later than 15 June.
In setting the final dates, Member States shall take into account the period required for all relevant data to be available for the proper administrative and financial management of the aid and/or support and shall ensure that effective checks may be scheduled.
2. In accordance with the procedure referred to in the second paragraph of Article 78 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the final dates referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may be set at a later date in certain zones subject to exceptional climatic conditions.
Contents of the single application or payment claim
1. The single application or payment claim shall contain all information necessary to establish eligibility for the aid and/or support, in particular:
(a)
the identity of the beneficiary;
(b)
details of the direct payment schemes and/or rural development measures concerned;
(c)
the identification of the payment entitlements in accordance with the identification and registration system provided for in Article 7 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014 for the purposes of the basic payment scheme;
(d)
particulars permitting the unambiguous identification of all agricultural parcels on the holding, their area expressed in hectares to two decimal places, their location and, and where required, further specifications on the use of the agricultural parcels;
(e)
where applicable, particulars permitting the unambiguous identification of non-agricultural land for which support under rural development measures is being claimed;
(f)
where appropriate, any supporting documents needed to establish the eligibility for the scheme and/or measure concerned;
(g)
a statement by the beneficiary that he is aware of the conditions pertaining to the direct payment schemes and/or rural development measures in question;
(h)
where applicable, an indication by the beneficiary that he is covered by the list of non-agricultural businesses or activities referred to in the first and second subparagraphs of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013.
2. For the purpose of the identification of the payment entitlements referred to in paragraph 1(c), the pre-established forms provided to the beneficiary in accordance with Article 72(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 shall mention the identification of the payment entitlements in accordance with the identification and registration system provided for in Article 7 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 640/2014.
3. For the first year of application of the basic payment scheme the Member States may derogate from this Article and Article 17 of this Regulation as regards payment entitlements.
Amendments to the single application or payment claim
1. After the final date of submission of the single application or payment claim, individual agricultural parcels or individual payment entitlements may be added or adjusted in the single application or payment claim provided that the requirements under the direct payment schemes or rural development measures concerned are respected.
Changes regarding the use or direct payment scheme or rural development measure in respect of individual agricultural parcels or in respect of payment entitlements already declared in the single application may be made under the same conditions.
Where the amendments referred to in the first and second subparagraphs have a bearing on any supporting documents or contracts to be submitted, such documents or contracts may be amended accordingly.
2. Amendments made in accordance with paragraph 1 shall be notified to the competent authority in writing by 31 May of the year concerned, except in the case of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden where they shall be notified by 15 June of the year concerned.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, Member States may set an earlier final date for the notification of amendments. That date shall however not be earlier than 15 calendar days after the final date for submitting the single application or payment claim fixed in accordance with Article 13(1).
3. Where the competent authority has already informed the beneficiary of any case of non-compliance in the single application or payment claim or where it has given notice to the beneficiary of its intention to carry out an on-the-spot check or where an on-the-spot check reveals any non-compliance, amendments in accordance with paragraph 1 shall not be authorised in respect of the agricultural parcels affected by the non-compliance.
Correction of the pre-established forms
When submitting the single application, aid application and/or payment claim form, the beneficiary shall correct the pre-established form referred to in Article 72(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 if any amendments, in particular transfers of payment entitlements in accordance with Article 34 of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, have occurred or if any information contained in the pre-established forms is incorrect.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
