Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1700 of 14 July 2026 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in the third countries, as regards the conclusion of contracts, advance payments, and notification obligations

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 [^ntr1-L_202601700EN.000101-E0001], and in particular Article 14(1), second subparagraph, thereof,

Whereas:

• (1) The Commission’s Communication ‘A simpler and faster Europe’ [^ntr2-L_202601700EN.000101-E0002] calls for simplification measures that aim to lighten the regulatory load and related costs for people, businesses, stakeholders and public administrations in the Union and to make rules clearer, easier to understand and faster to implement.

• (2) Based on experience gained during the implementation of simple programmes and on exchanges with Member States and beneficiaries of Union funding, Articles 10, 13, and 21 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 [^ntr3-L_202601700EN.000101-E0003] have been identified for amendment in order to reduce administrative burdens and facilitate the implementation of these programmes.

• (3) Based on experience acquired since the adoption of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831, the deadline imposed on Member States for the conclusion of contracts for the implementation of programmes with the selected proposing organisations may not be sufficient to complete the procedure for the selection of the implementing bodies provided for in Article 2 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829 [^ntr4-L_202601700EN.000101-E0004]. An extension of that deadline is therefore necessary to allow beneficiaries to properly select bodies responsible for implementing simple programmes and reduce the need to ask the Commission to authorise the signature of contracts after the expiry of the deadline.

• (4) In order to facilitate the implementation of programmes for beneficiaries of Union funding, the maximum rate of pre-financing via advance payments should be increased so as to ensure that upfront financing needs, in particular for beneficiaries with limited financial capacity, are adequately covered whilst maintaining flexibility as to whether and up to which extent such advance payments are made use of.

• (5) In order to reduce the administrative burden for Member States, the notification obligations to the Commission for simple programmes should be reduced and a distinction should be made between, on the one hand, data relating to the financial execution and the results of administrative and on on-the-spot checks and, on the other hand, data relating to the impact of the programmes assessed. Notification obligations related to the latter should be reduced whilst still providing sufficient notification to the Commission for the purpose of programme management, thereby reducing administrative burdens for Member States.

• (6) However, in order to avoid confusion due to the parallel application of different rules, amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 should not apply to ongoing programmes.

• (7) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 should therefore be amended accordingly.

• (8) 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

Amendments to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 is amended as follows:

• (1) in Article 10, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

‘3.   Member States shall conclude contracts for the implementation of programmes with the selected proposing organisations after they conduct checks on the selection procedure of the implementing bodies referred to in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 in order to ensure that the implementing bodies have been selected pursuant to the procedure provided for in Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829. Member States shall conclude these contracts within 180 calendar days of the notification of the Commission act referred to in Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014. Beyond that deadline, no contracts may be concluded without prior authorisation from the Commission following the submission of a justified request from the Member State.’

;

• (2) in Article 13, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:

‘3.   An advance payment shall amount to no more than 30 % of the maximum Union financial contribution, as referred to in Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014.’

;

• (3) Article 21 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 21

Notifications to the Commission concerning simple programmes

1. With respect to all payments made for simple programmes, by 15 July of each year, Member States shall notify the Commission of data covering the previous calendar year relating to the financial execution and the results of administrative and on-the-spot checks carried out in accordance with Articles 19 and 20.

1. With respect to payments of the balance made for simple programmes, by 15 July of the year following the end of the implementation of the programme, Member States shall also notify the Commission of data covering the whole duration of the programme relating to the impact of the programmes assessed using the system of performance indicators referred to in Article 22.

1. Such notifications shall be made by electronic means using the technical specifications for the transfer of data made available by the Commission.’

.

Article 2

Transitional provision

This Regulation shall not apply to contracts for the implementation of simple programmes as referred to in Article 10(3) concluded before 1 December 2026.

Article 3

Entry into force

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, 14 July 2026.

For the Commission

The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN

[^ntr1-L_202601700EN.000101-E0001]: OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 56, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/1144/oj.

[^ntr2-L_202601700EN.000101-E0002]: Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A simpler and faster Europe: Communication on implementation and simplification, COM/2025/47 final, 11.2.2025.

[^ntr3-L_202601700EN.000101-E0003]: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831 of 7 October 2015 laying down rules for application of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products (OJ L 266, 13.10.2015, p. 14, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2015/1831/oj).

[^ntr4-L_202601700EN.000101-E0004]: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829 of 23 April 2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries (OJ L 266, 13.10.2015, p. 3, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2015/1829/oj).

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/1700/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)