(1)

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and the measures put in place by the Member States to address it, administrative difficulties have been encountered in all Member States with the planning and execution of timely on-the-spot checks to the required number. Those difficulties risk delaying the performance of checks and the ensuing payment of aid. At the same time, farmers are vulnerable to the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic and experience financial difficulties and cash-flow problems.

(2)

In view of the unprecedented nature of those circumstances, the Commission adopted Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/532 (4) and (EU) 2021/725 (5) to alleviate those difficulties by derogating from different Implementing Regulations applicable in the area of the common agricultural policy as regards certain administrative and on-the-spot checks in terms of their timing and number. Considering the prolongation of the difficulties due to continuation of the pandemic of COVID-19 in 2022, it is appropriate to provide for similar measures also in year 2022.

(3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 (6) lays down rules on, inter alia, the timing of the on-the-spot checks and the control rates of certain on-the-spot checks within the integrated system, including for animal aid schemes. In addition, that Regulation contains rules on on-the-spot checks relating to the eligibility criteria, commitments and other obligations in respect of livestock aid applications and payment claims under animal-related support measures, control rates for non-area-related and non-animal-related rural development measures and minimum control rates relating to cross-compliance.

(4)

Articles 24(4), 48(5), 49(1), 52(1), 60(2) and 71(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 lay down certain rules that the competent authority is to observe to carry out administrative or on-the-spot checks. In view of the circumstances caused by the pandemic of COVID-19, it is appropriate to encourage the performance of these checks with remote sensing and the use of new technologies such as unmanned aircraft systems, geotagged photos, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers combined with the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo, data captured by the Copernicus Sentinels satellites and other relevant documentary evidence to be used for checking compliance with eligibility criteria, commitments or other obligations for the aid scheme or support measure concerned, as well as compliance with the requirements and standards relevant for cross-compliance.

(5)

Articles 26(4) and 42(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 contain rules on on-the-spot checks to verify that all eligibility criteria, commitments and other obligations are fulfilled and cover all animals for which aid applications or payment claims have been submitted under the animal aid schemes or animal-related support measures to be checked. In view of the current situation, it is appropriate to provide that where Member States are not in a position to carry out those on-the-spot checks as required by those provisions and the alternative evidence is not available, Member States may decide to carry those checks in respect of claim year 2022 or calendar year 2022 at any time of the year, in so far that they still allow the checking of the eligibility conditions.

(6)

Several obligations pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 in relation to cross-compliance and Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7) in relation to animal-related aid schemes and support measures rely on specific and differentiated time frames for their fulfilment and consequently require the on-the-spot checks to be carried out within those frameworks. The measures Member States put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 affect the feasibility of performing the required on-the-spot-checks accurately and within the time limit corresponding to those obligations. Some types of checks may also not be possible to be carried out with the use of new technologies, replacing the visits on the farm. It is therefore necessary, in relation to certain checks to be carried out in 2022, to derogate from Articles 30 to 33, 40a, 50, 52 and Article 68(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 and to reduce the minimum rate of the on-the-spot checks compared to the normal control rates for area and animal-related aid schemes and support measures, rural development measures other than those under the integrated administration and control system and cross-compliance obligations, respectively.

(7)

In order to maintain the preventive effect of checks, the obligation provided for under Article 35 and Articles 50(5) and 68(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 to increase the control rates due to significant non-compliances detected during the checks carried out the previous year needs to be maintained for claim year 2022. Significant non-compliances found during the on-the-spot checks in 2021 should require an increase in the level of the on-the-spot checks for year 2022. Therefore, Member States which, by application of Article 35 or Articles 50(5) or 68(4) of that Regulation, are under an obligation to increase the control rate in claim year 2022 and decide to apply the reduced control rates provided for in this Regulation, should apply those increases on top of the reduced control rates provided for in this Regulation.

(8)

Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) No 180/2014 (8) and (EU) No 181/2014 (9) provide for control rates for checks of specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union and the smaller Aegean islands. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 that affect as well the outermost regions of the Union and the smaller Aegean islands, it is appropriate to derogate from those Regulations by extending the possibility to use new technologies as alternative sources of evidence in relation to checks and adapting control rates of on-the-spot checks for the year 2022. Nevertheless, in order to maintain the preventive effect of checks under Implementing Regulations (EU) No 180/2014 and (EU) No 181/2014, the obligation to increase the control rate in accordance with Article 59(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 should be maintained. Therefore, Member States which, by application of Article 59(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, are under an obligation to increase the control rate in claim year 2022 and decide to the reduced control rates provided for in this Regulation, should apply those increases on top of those reduced control rates.

(9)

Article 24 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 (10) provides that Member States are to check, including on-the-spot, the recognition criteria of producer organisations or associations of producer organisations in the fruit and vegetables sector. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, on-the-spot-checks regarding recognition criteria should not apply in the year 2022.

(10)

Article 27(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 fixes the sample for annual on-the-spot checks at least 30 % of the total aid applied for. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, Member States may not be able to meet these requirements and should therefore be allowed to carry out a lower percentage of those checks in the year 2022.

(11)

Article 27(7) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 provides that actions implemented on individual holdings of members of producer organisations covered by the sample referred to in Article 27(2) of that Regulation are to be subject of at least one visit to verify their execution. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, Member States may not be able to meet these requirements and should therefore not be subjected in the year 2022 to the requirements on frequency of visits on individual holdings of producer organisations.

(12)

Article 29(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 provides that the first-level checks on withdrawal operations is to cover 100 % of the quantity of the products withdrawn from the market, with the exception of products intended for free distribution, for which pursuant to Article 29(3) of that Regulation Member States could check a smaller percentage, but not less than 10 % of the quantities concerned during the marketing year of any given producer organisation. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, Member States may not be able to meet this requirement and should be allowed in the year 2022 to check a smaller percentage, but not less than 10 % of the quantities concerned during the marketing year of any given producer organisation also for all other withdrawn products, irrespective of their intended destination.

(13)

Article 30(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 provides that each check is to include a sample representing at least 5 % of the quantities withdrawn by the producer organisation during the marketing year. Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, Member States may not be able to meet this requirement and should be allowed in the year 2022 to use samples representing at least 3 % of the quantities withdrawn by the producer organisation during the marketing year 2020.

(14)

Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, it will continue to be materially difficult for Member States to carry out in 2022 on-the-spot checks for annual aid applications, first and second level checks on withdrawal operations and checks on green harvesting and non-harvesting as set out in Articles 27(2) and (7), 29(2), 30(3) and 31(1) and (2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 respectively. Therefore, it should be allowed for Member States to define checks that are equivalent to on-the-spot checks, such as geotagged photos, dated photographs, dated drone surveillance reports, administrative checks or videoconferences with the beneficiaries.

(15)

Due to the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19, it will continue to be materially difficult for Member States to carry out in 2022 systematic and sample-based on-the-spot checks for operations supported under Articles 45 to 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (11). Therefore, a derogation from Articles 32(1) and 42(3) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1150 (12), as already introduced for financial years 2020 and 2021, should be provided for also in respect of financial year 2022 to allow Member States to define controls that are equivalent to systematic on-the-spot checks, such as dated photographs, dated drone surveillance reports, administrative checks or videoconferences with the beneficiaries, and guarantee that the rules of the legislation relating to the support programmes in the wine sector are respected before payments are made.

(16)

It is also going to be materially difficult for Member States to carry out in respect of financial year 2022, within the deadline set by Article 43(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1150, systematic on-the-spot checks for green harvesting operations supported under Article 47 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. Therefore, a derogation should be introduced to postpone the completion of the checks until 15 September 2022.

(17)

Article 27(3) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/274 (13) fixes the number of samples of fresh grapes to be taken from vineyards during the period when the plot in question is harvested for the establishment of the analytical databank of isotopic data referred to in Article 39 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/273 (14). In cases where the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 continue to prevent Member States from carrying out such checks, Member States should be allowed to derogate from the minimum number of samples.

(18)

Article 31(2), point (b), of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/274 provides that Member States are to carry out yearly on-the-spot checks on at least 5 % of all wine growers identified in the vineyard register. As the measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 continue to render materially difficult the carrying out such checks in several wine producing Member States, this percentage should be reduced for the year 2022. For the same reason, Member States should be allowed to temporarily suspend in the year 2022 the systematic on-the-spot checks referred to in Article 31(2), point (c), of that Regulation which are to be carried out in areas planted with vines which are not included in any wine grower file.

(19)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 615/2014 (15) with regard to work programmes to support the olive oil and table olives sectors contains rules on on-the-spot checks to verify that the conditions for granting Union financing are met. The measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 may lead to difficulties in carrying out those checks as required by Article 6 of that Regulation. It is therefore appropriate to provide flexibility to the Member States by allowing the substitution of on-the-spot checks in calendar year 2022 by alternative checks.

(20)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1368 (16) with regard to aid in the apiculture sector contains rules on the monitoring and checks in relation to the correct implementation of the national apiculture programmes, the actual expenditure incurred and the correct number of beehives reported by beekeepers. According to Article 8(3) of that Regulation, Member States are to ensure that at least 5 % of the applicants for aid within the framework of their apiculture programmes are subject to on-the-spot checks. The measures put in place to address the pandemic of COVID-19 may lead to difficulties in carrying out the number of on-the-spot checks needed to fulfil that threshold. It is therefore appropriate to provide flexibility to the Member States by allowing for a derogation from that requirement. Such derogation should however not result in an increase of the risk for undue payments. Therefore, any lowering of the number of on-the-spot checks should be replaced as much as possible by alternative controls.

(21)

Due to the previous flexibility options that have been offered to Member States in the last two years on the increase of the control rates, it is important to restore the original rule which has a significant deterrent effect and to clarify the year that should be taken into account for determining the increase in the control rate in accordance with Article 35 and Articles 50(5) and 68(4) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 809/2014 and Article 59(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. In view of possible changes implemented by the Member States in their control procedures following the detection of non-compliances, applying corrective mechanisms referring to non-compliances revealed during the controls relating to claim year 2019 is not considered appropriate and the most recent year should be taken into account. Therefore, it is necessary to amend Articles 3, 5 and 6 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/725.

(22)

The derogations from Implementing Regulations (EU) No 809/2014, (EU) No 180/2014, (EU) No 181/2014, (EU) 2017/892, (EU) 2016/1150, (EU) 2018/274, (EU) No 615/2014 and (EU) 2015/1368 provided for in this Regulation should enable Member States to avoid delays in the control measures and processing of aid applications, and thus avoid delays of payments to beneficiaries for the year 2022. It is however imperative that those derogations do not impede the sound financial management and the requirement of a sufficient level of assurance. Accordingly, Member States making use of those derogations are responsible for taking all necessary measures to ensure that overpayments are avoided and that the recovery of undue amounts is instigated. Moreover, the use of these derogations should be covered by the management declaration referred to in Article 7(3), first subparagraph, point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 for financial years 2022 and 2023.

(23)

In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the measures provided for in this Regulation which are necessary for Member States to organise control campaigns while respecting the measures put in place to address the pandemic of the COVID-19, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and apply retroactively in order to enable Member States to implement the envisaged modifications from the beginning of the respective control campaigns: the measures in Chapters I and II and Chapter III, Sections 3 and 4, should apply from 1 January 2022, corresponding to claim year in the integrated administration and control system or to calendar year for non-area and non-animal related rural development support measures and measures in the wine sector; the measures in Chapter III, Sections 1 and 2, should apply from 16 October 2021, corresponding to the financial year and the measures in Chapter III, Section 5, should apply from 1 August 2021, corresponding to the apiculture year.

(24)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds, the Committee for Direct Payments, the Rural Development Committee and the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,