Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/220 of 3 February 2015 laying down rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Union

CHAPTER 1

FIELD OF SURVEY AND SELECTION PLAN

Article 1

Threshold of economic size

The thresholds of economic size as referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 are set out in Annex I to this Regulation.

Article 2

Number of returning holdings

The number of returning holdings per Member State and per Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) division as referred to in Article 5a(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 is set out in Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 3

Selection plan

Finland and Croatia may revise the respective selection plans they notified for the accounting year 2016. They shall notify their respective revised selection plans for that accounting year to the Commission by 31 March 2016.

Bulgaria, Denmark and Austria shall revise the respective selection plans they notified for the accounting year 2017. They shall notify their respective revised selection plans for that accounting year to the Commission by 31 March 2017.

Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Finland shall revise the respective selection plans they notified for the accounting year 2018. They shall notify the Commission of their respective revised selection plans for that accounting year by 31 March 2018.

CHAPTER 2

UNION TYPOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURAL HOLDINGS

Article 4

Particular types of farming specialisations

The methods for the calculation of particular types of farming specialisations as referred to in Article 5b(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 and their correspondence with general and principal types of farming as referred to in that Article are set out in Annex IV to this Regulation.

Article 5

Economic size of the holding

The method for the calculation of the economic size of the holding as referred to in Article 5b(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 and the economic size classes as referred to in Article 5b(1) of that Regulation are set out in Annex V to this Regulation.

Article 6

Standard output coefficient and total standard output of a holding

The standard output coefficient of the different characteristics of a holding as referred to in Article 5b(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 shall be determined for the crop and livestock variables listed in Part B.I of Annex IV to this Regulation and for each geographical unit referred to in point 2(b) of Annex VI to this Regulation.

Article 7

Other gainful activities directly related to the holding

The other gainful activities directly related to the holding as referred to in Article 5b(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 are defined in Part A of Annex VII to this Regulation. Their importance shall be expressed as a percentage band. Those percentage bands are set out in Part C of Annex VII to this Regulation.

The method by which the importance of the gainful activities referred to in the first paragraph is estimated is set out in Parts B and C of Annex VII to this Regulation.

Article 8

Notification of standard outputs and data for their determination

CHAPTER 3

FARM RETURN AND DATA DELIVERY TO THE COMMISSION

Article 9

The form and layout of the farm return

The form and layout of presentation of the accountancy data referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 as well as the instructions related thereto are laid down in Annex VIII to this Regulation.

Article 10

The methods and deadlines for data transmission to the Commission

However, Germany may submit the farm returns to the Commission within 15 weeks after the deadline referred to in the first subparagraph.

CHAPTER 4

STANDARD FEE

Article 11

Duly completed farm returns

For the purposes of Article 19(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 a farm return is duly completed when its content is factually accurate and the accountancy data contained therein are recorded and presented in accordance with the form and layout set out in Annex VIII to this Regulation.

Accountancy offices and administrative departments carrying out duties of accountancy offices shall be responsible for the due and timely completion of the farm returns so that they can be submitted by liaison agencies within the deadlines referred to in Article 14(3) and (4) of this Regulation.

Article 12

Eligible number of farm returns

The total number of duly completed and submitted farm returns per Member State as referred to in Article 5a(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 that are eligible for the payment of the standard fee shall not exceed the total number of returning holdings laid down for that Member State in Annex II to this Regulation.

Where Member States have more than one FADN division, the number of duly completed and submitted farm returns per FADN division that are eligible for payment of the standard fee may be up to 20 % higher than the number laid down for the FADN division concerned, provided that the total number of duly completed and submitted farm returns of the Member State concerned shall not be higher than the total number laid down for that Member State in Annex II to this Regulation.

However, farm returns from a FADN division with a higher number of submitted farm returns than laid down for that FADN division in Annex II shall not be considered as eligible for the payment of the standard fee in a FADN division for which less than 80 % of the required number of returning holdings is submitted by the Member State.

Article 13

Payment of the standard fee

The total amount of the standard fee referred to in Article 19(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 shall be paid in two instalments:

(a) a payment corresponding to 50 % of the total amount calculated on the basis of the amount fixed in the first paragraph of Article 14 of this Regulation shall be made at the beginning of each accounting year for the number of returning holdings laid down in Annex II to this Regulation;

(b) the remaining amount shall be paid after the submitted farm returns have been verified by the Commission as being duly completed.

The remaining amount referred to in point (b) of the first paragraph of this Article shall be calculated by multiplying the standard fee per farm return calculated on the basis of Article 14 of this Regulation by the number of duly completed farm returns that are eligible pursuant to Article 12 of this Regulation and by subtracting the payment referred to in point (a) of the first paragraph of this Article.

The standard fee shall contribute to the costs of due completion of the farm returns and of improvements of data delivery timings, processes, systems, procedures and overall quality of the farm returns, in particular by the accountancy offices and by administrative departments carrying out duties of accountancy offices in this respect.

The standard fee paid to the Member States for the eligible number of duly completed farm returns transferred to the Commission shall become the resources of the Member State and no longer of the Union.

Covering the costs in respect of the setting up and operation of the National Committee, Regional Committees and liaison agencies shall be under the responsibility of the Member States.

Article 14

Amount of the standard fee

CHAPTER 5

TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 15

Repeals

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 283/2012 and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 730/2013 are repealed with effect from 1 January 2015.

However, they shall continue to apply to accounting years preceding the accounting year 2015.

Article 16

Entry into force and application

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

It shall apply from the accounting year 2015.

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

ANNEX I

THRESHOLD OF ECONOMIC SIZE FOR THE FIELD OF SURVEY (ARTICLE 1)

ANNEX II

NUMBER OF RETURNING HOLDINGS (ARTICLE 2)