THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (1), and in particular Article 223(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)	Reporting requirements play a key role in ensuring proper monitoring and correct enforcement of legislation. However, it is important to streamline those requirements in order to ensure that they fulfil the purpose for which they were intended and to limit the administrative burden.

(2)	Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1239 (2) lays down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 with regard to the system of import and export licences.

(3)

Article 17(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1239 provides for rules on the information to be notified, as well as the content, timing, frequency and deadlines of the notifications concerning hemp. In particular, it provides for the obligation of Member States to notify the Commission of the provisions adopted regarding the import licences of hemp products and to inform the Commission of the penalties imposed or steps taken as a result of irregularities discovered. To alleviate the administrative burden from Member States and considering that it is not necessary to impose an obligation of systematic and annual notification of this information that Member States can make available to the Commission on demand, those reporting requirements should therefore not be required any more. This is in line with the Commission’s Communication on ‘Long-term competitiveness of the EU: looking beyond 2030’ (3).

(4)	Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1239 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5)	The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

In Article 17 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1239, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

‘2. The competent authorities shall send the Commission the names and addresses of the authorities responsible for the checks referred to in the fourth subparagraph of Article 9(4) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1237. The Commission shall forward those names and addresses to the competent authorities of the other Member States.’.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 17 January 2025.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1239 of 18 May 2016 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the system of import and export licences (OJ L 206, 30.7.2016, p. 44, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2016/1239/oj).

(3) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘Long-term competitiveness of the EU: looking beyond 2030’ (COM(2023) 168 final, 16.3.2023).