Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1146 of 7 June 2018 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors and Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 laying down certain detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 as regards the categories of grapevine products, oenological practices and the applicable restrictions

1 The increase of the limit of the Union financial assistance from 50 % to 60 % for an operational programme or part of an operational programme of a recognised producer organisation as referred to in Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 shall be granted if: (a) the conditions as referred to in Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 are met in each year of implementation of the operational programme and subject to the procedure referred to Article 9(2)(g) of this Regulation; (b) a request is made by a recognised producer organisation at the time of submission of its operational programme.

2 For the purposes of the increase of the limit of the Union financial assistance from 50 % to 60 % for an operational programme or part of it, the rate of marketing of fruit and vegetable production by producer organisations referred to in Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 shall be calculated for each year of the duration of operational programme, as a portion of the value of production marketed by producer organisations in a given Member State, of the total value of the production of fruit and vegetables marketed in the given Member State for the reference period set out in Article 23(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891. However, Member States applying the alternative method set out in Article 23(3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 shall calculate the rate of marketing of fruit and vegetable production by producer organisations referred to in Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 for each year of the duration of operational programme, as a portion of the value of production marketed by producer organisations in a given Member State, of the total value of the production of fruit and vegetables marketed in the given Member State for the period from 1 January until 31 December of the year preceding the year in which the aid is approved according to Article 8 of this Regulation.

3 Member States shall notify the requesting producer organisation of the approved amount of aid, including the amount of the increase granted pursuant to Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, at the latest by 15 December of the year preceding the implementation of the operational programme, as set out in Article 8 of this Regulation.

4 Member States shall verify each year of the duration of the operational programme that the conditions for increase of the limit of the Union financial assistance from 50 % to 60 % as referred to in Article 34(3)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 are met.’;

At the request of a competent authority of a Member State, producer groups formed pursuant to Article 125e of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, recognised producer organisations, associations of producer organisations, transnational associations of producer organisations and producer groups shall provide any relevant information needed for drawing up of the annual report referred to in Article 54(b) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891.The structure of the annual report is set out in Annex II to this Regulation. Member States shall take the measures necessary to gather information on the number of members, the volume and the value of marketed production of producer organisations which have not submitted operational programmes. Producer organisations and producer groups referred to in Article 27 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 shall be requested to provide the number of members, the volume and the value of the marketed production.’;

1 Member States deciding to make use of the possibility to allow an increase in the natural alcoholic strength by volume pursuant to Point 3 of Section A of Part I of Annex VIII of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 shall notify the Commission of this before they adopt the decision. In the notification the Member States shall specify the percentages by which the limits laid down in Point 2 of Section A of Part I of Annex VIII of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 have been raised, the regions and the varieties concerned by the decision and submit data and evidence showing that the climatic conditions have been exceptionally unfavourable in the regions concerned.

2 The notification shall be made in accordance with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1183 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1185 .

3 The notification shall be communicated by the Commission to the authorities of the other Member States through the information system put in place by the Commission.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January 2018. However, points (5), (6) and (9) of Article 1 shall apply from 1 January 2019.