(1)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 501/2008 (2) provides rules for the drawing-up, selection, implementation, financing and checking of programmes referred to in Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 3/2008.

(2)

To increase the efficiency of the scheme, trade and inter-trade organisations should be given the opportunity to submit programmes to be implemented twice a year on the internal market and in third countries. The submission and selection schedule should be adjusted in order to give another chance to programmes that have been rejected in the previous round. To ease the transition to a new submission and selection schedule, it should be provided that the schedule for the first submission of programmes in 2012 should not be affected by the schedule change.

(3)

To reduce unnecessary administrative burden, the requirement to send to the Commission a number of documents (a copy of the contract concluded with proposing organisations and proof that a performance security has been lodged; a copy of the contract signed with the implementing body; a copy of each application for an advance payment and proof that the corresponding security has been lodged; and the quarterly reports on the implementation of the contract) should be abolished except if the Commission specifically requests it.

(4)

It should be specified that messages referring to the impact on health of a product must be accepted by the national authority responsible for public health and that the material approved by a Member State should be sent to the Commission.

(5)

Regulation (EC) No 501/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6)

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

(1)

in Article 4(3), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘Messages referring to such effects must be accepted by the national authority responsible for public health.’;

(2)

in Article 8(1), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘Trade and inter-trade organisations in the Union which are representative of the sectors concerned (hereinafter referred to as “proposing organisations”) shall submit their programmes to the Member State no later than 30 September (“the first submission of programmes”) and 15 April (“the second submission of programmes”) each year. For 2012 the first submission of programmes may take place until 30 November 2011.’;

(3)

Article 11 is amended as follows:

(4)

in Article 16, paragraph 5 is replaced by the following:

(5)

in Article 17(3), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:

(6)

in Article 22, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

(7)

in Article 23(1), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘They shall send to the Commission the material approved.’.