(1)

Pursuant to the first subparagraph of Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 the total value of all allocated payment entitlements and of the ceilings fixed in accordance with Articles 51(2) and 69(3) of that Regulation, or, for 2009, in accordance with Article 64(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, shall not be higher than the respective national ceiling determined in Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 73/2009.

(2)

Pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 the national ceilings for claim year 2013 as referred to in Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 for Greece, Spain, Luxembourg, Malta and the United Kingdom were adapted by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 287/2013 (2) following these Member States’ notifications of their intention to provide support to vine-growers for 2014 by allocating payment entitlements in accordance with Article 103o of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 (3). Amongst the Member States concerned, Luxembourg and Malta notified their intention to continue transferring the whole amount of their budget for the support programmes in the wine sector as set in Annex Xb to Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007. However, the fact that the amount had slightly increased for financial year 2014 compared to that available for financial year 2013 for these two Member States was not taken into account when adapting the national ceilings for direct payments for claim year 2013. The respective national ceilings as referred to in Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 should therefore be adapted accordingly.

(3)

In accordance with Article 103n of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, Spain, Luxembourg, Malta and the United Kingdom notified the Commission of their intention to definitively transfer part or all of the amount available for the support programmes referred to in Annex Xb to Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 in order to increase their national ceilings for direct payments referred to in Article 40 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 for claim years 2014 and onwards. The respective national ceilings as referred to in Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 should therefore be adapted accordingly.

(4)

In accordance with Article 57a(9) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, Croatia has notified the Commission of the area of land which has been de-mined and declared by farmers in the aid applications submitted in respect of claim year 2013 and returned to use for agricultural activities between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2012. This notification also included the distribution of land between the hectares of grassland and pastures and the other eligible hectares, as well as the information on the budgetary envelopes corresponding to each category of de-mined land: EUR 46 000 for grassland and pastures and EUR 6 646 000 for the other eligible hectares. On the basis of the schedule of increments referred to in Article 121 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, and in accordance with Article 57a(7) of that Regulation, the respective national ceilings as referred to in Article 40(1) of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 should therefore be adapted accordingly.

(5)

Annex VIII to Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6)

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