Approval of interbranch organisations
Article 9
1. The approval of an interbranch organisation in the sense of Article 39(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 shall be granted by the Member State where the ginners are established and for a period of one year starting in due time before the sowing season of that year, provided that the organisation fulfills the following criteria: (a) it covers a total area of at least 4 000 ha that meet authorisation criteria as referred to in Article 6 of this Regulation; (b) it has adopted internal operating rules, in particular on membership conditions and fees, in accordance with Union and national rules. 2. Where it is found that an approved interbranch organisation no longer fulfils the criteria for approval provided for in paragraph 1, the Member State that granted the approval shall withdraw the approval, unless the non-compliance is remedied within a deadline to be fixed by the Member State in the withdrawal decision. The competent authority of the responsible Member State shall notify the interbranch organisation of its intention to withdraw an approval, together with the reasons for the withdrawal, in advance. It shall grant the interbranch organisation the opportunity to submit its observations within a period specified in the notification of the planned withdrawal. Farmers who are members of an approved interbranch organisation whose approval is withdrawn in accordance with the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall not be eligible to receive the increase of the crop-specific payment for cotton pursuant to Article 40(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.