(1)

Pursuant to Article 3 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39 (2), Member States wishing to participate in the Union aid scheme for the supply of school fruit and vegetables, and school milk in educational establishments (‘the school scheme’) are to submit to the Commission by 31 January each year their request for Union aid relating to the next school year and, if applicable, update the request for Union aid relating to the ongoing school year.

(2)

In order to ensure the effective implementation of the school scheme, the allocation of Union aid for school fruit and vegetables and for school milk among participating Member States should be fixed on the basis of the amounts indicated in the request for Union aid by those Member States and taking into account the transfers between Member States’ indicative allocations referred to in Article 23a(4), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).

(3)

All Member States notified the Commission of their request for Union aid for the period from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025, specifying the amount of aid requested for school fruit and vegetables or for school milk, or for both parts of the scheme. In the case of Belgium, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden, the amounts requested took account of the transfers between the indicative allocations.

(4)

In order to maximise the full potential of available funds, the unrequested Union aid should be reallocated to those Member States participating in the school scheme that indicate, in their request for Union aid, their willingness to use more than their indicative allocation, should additional resources be available.

(5)

In their request for Union aid for the period from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025, Sweden sought less than the indicative allocation for school fruit and vegetables. Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia notified their willingness to use more than the indicative allocation for school fruit and vegetables. Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden notified their willingness to use more than the indicative allocation for school milk. However, no Member State sought less than the indicative allocation for school milk.

(6)

On the basis of the notified information by the Member States, the definitive allocation of Union aid for school fruit and vegetables and for school milk for the period from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 should be fixed.

(7)

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/655 (4) fixed the definitive allocation of Union aid for school fruit and vegetables and for school milk among Member States wishing to participate in the school scheme for the period from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024.

(8)

In the notifications submitted by 31 January 2024 pursuant to Article 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/39, some Member States updated their request for Union aid relating to the school year 2023/2024. Germany, Hungary and Malta notified transfers between the definitive allocation for school fruit and vegetables and the definitive allocation for school milk. Spain sought less than the definitive allocation for school fruit and vegetables. Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovakia notified their willingness to use more than the definitive allocation for school fruit and vegetables. Spain and the Netherlands sought less than the definitive allocation for school milk. Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden notified their willingness to use more than the definitive allocation for school milk.

(9)

Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/655 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(10)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets,