Aid for area-specific disadvantages resulting from certain mandatory requirements
Article 45
1. Aid related to area-specific disadvantages imposed by requirements resulting from the implementation of Directive 92/43/EEC or Directive 2009/147/EC granted to forest holders, forest managers and their associations shall be compatible with the internal market within the meaning of Article 107(3), point (c) of the Treaty and shall be exempted from the notification requirement of Article 108(3) of the Treaty where it fulfils the conditions laid down in this Article and in Chapter I of this Regulation. 2. The aid shall be granted annually and per hectare of forest area in order to compensate beneficiaries for additional costs and income foregone, resulting from disadvantages in the forest areas referred to in paragraph 3, related to the implementation of Directive 92/43/EEC and Directive 2009/147/EC. 3. Aid shall be paid only in relation to the following forestry areas: (a) Natura 2000 forest areas; (b) features of the landscape which contribute to the implementation of Article 10 of Directive 92/43/EEC, which shall not exceed 5 % of the areas included in the Natura 2000 network covered by the territorial scope of the Strategic Plan concerned. 4. Aid may be granted to forest holders, forest managers and their associations. 5. The aid intensity shall be limited to 100 % of the costs referred to in paragraph 2 and shall not exceed EUR 500 per hectare per year in the initial period not exceeding five years and EUR 200 per hectare per year thereafter.