Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1036 of 24 May 2023 on the clearance of the accounts of the paying agencies of Member States concerning expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for financial year 2022 (notified under document C(2023) 3271)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

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

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013⁽¹⁾, and in particular Article 104 thereof,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008⁽²⁾, and in particular Article 51 thereof,

After consulting the Committee on the Agricultural Funds,

Whereas:

1. Article 104(1), second subparagraph, point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 provides that Article 4(1), point (b), Article 5, Article 7(3), Articles 9, 17, 21 and 34, Article 35(4), Articles 36, 37, 38, 40 to 43, 51, 52, 54, 56, 59, 63, 64, 67, 68, 70 to 75, 77, 91 to 97, 99 and 100, Article 102(2) and Articles 110 and 111 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 continue to apply, as regards the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), in relation to expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries and payments made by the paying agency in the framework of the implementation of rural development programmes pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council⁽³⁾ for financial year 2022.

2. Article 64, second paragraph, point (a), of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/128⁽⁴⁾ provides that Article 2, Article 3(1), first subparagraph, Article 3(2), Article 4(1), point (b), Article 5, Article 6, Article 7, Articles 21 to 25, Article 27, Article 28, Article 29, Article 30(1), points (a), (b) and (c), Article 30(2), (3) and (4), Articles 31 to 40 and Articles 42 to 47 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014⁽⁵⁾ continue to apply, as regards the EAFRD, in relation to expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries and payments made by the paying agency in the framework of the implementation of rural development programmes pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 for financial year 2022.

3. Article 64, second paragraph, point (c), of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/128 provides that Annexes II and III to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 continue to apply for the purposes of Article 32, points (f) and (g), of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/128 for financial year 2022.

4. Article 40, second paragraph, of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/127⁽⁶⁾ provides that Article 5, Article 5a, Article 7(3) and (4), Article 10, Article 11(1), second subparagraph, Article 11(2), Article 12, Article 13 and Article 41(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014⁽⁷⁾ continue to apply as regards the EAFRD in relation to expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries and payments effected by the paying agency in the framework of the implementation of rural development programmes pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 for financial year 2022.

5. Pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the Commission, on the basis of the annual accounts submitted by the Member States, accompanied by the information required for the clearance of accounts and an audit opinion regarding the completeness, accuracy and veracity of the accounts and the reports established by the certification bodies, has to clear the accounts of the paying agencies referred to in Article 7 of that Regulation prior to 31 May of the year following the budget year in question.

6. In accordance with Article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116, the agricultural financial year begins on 16 October of year N-1 and ends on 15 October of year N. When clearing the accounts for financial year 2022, for the purpose of aligning the reference period for the EAFRD expenditure with that of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), account should be taken of expenditure incurred by the Member States between 16 October 2021 and 15 October 2022, as provided for in Article 11(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/128.

7. Article 33(2), second subparagraph, of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 provides that the amounts that are recoverable from, or payable to, each Member State, in accordance with the accounts clearance decision referred to in Article 33(1) of that Regulation, are to be established by deducting the intermediate payments for the financial year concerned from the expenditure recognised for that year in accordance with Article 33(1). The Commission is to deduct that amount from or add it to the next intermediate payment.

8. The Commission has checked the information submitted by the Member States and has communicated the results of its checks to the Member States, together with the amendments it proposes.

9. For all paying agencies, the annual accounts and the accompanying documents permit the Commission to take a decision on the completeness, accuracy and veracity of the annual accounts submitted.

10. In accordance with Article 83 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council⁽⁸⁾, the deadline for interim payments referred to in Article 36(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 may be interrupted for a maximum period of 6 months in order to carry out additional verifications following information that these payments are linked to an irregularity having serious financial consequences. In adopting this Decision, the Commission should take into account the amounts affected by such interruption in order to avoid making any inappropriate or untimely payments.

11. Pursuant to Article 41 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the Commission has already reduced or suspended a number of intermediate payments for financial year 2022 due to expenditure not effected in accordance with Union rules. In this Decision, the Commission should take into account such amounts reduced or suspended on the basis of Article 41 of that Regulation, in order to avoid making any undue, or untimely, payments or reimbursements that could later be subject to financial correction.

12. Article 36(3), first subparagraph, point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 provides that intermediate payments are to be made without overrun of the total programmed EAFRD contribution. Pursuant to Article 23(2) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014, where the combined total of declarations of expenditure exceeds the total programmed contribution for a rural development programme, the amount to be paid has to be capped at the programmed amount, without prejudice to the ceiling provided for in Article 34(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. The capped amount will be subject to a later reimbursement by the Commission following the adoption of the amended financial plan or at the closure of the programming period.

13. In accordance with Article 75(1), fourth subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the rules on payment deadlines for measures under rural development in the context of the integrated administration and control system apply from claim year 2019. The reductions for non-compliance with the latest payment deadlines, calculated in conformity with Article 5a of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014, follow the procedure laid down in Articles 40 and 41 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 and are to be taken into account in this Decision for financial year 2022. Those reductions may be examined, where appropriate, under conformity clearance proceedings pursuant to Article 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.

14. This Decision should also take into account the additional resources referred to in Article 58a of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013.

15. Pursuant to Article 34(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, the combined total of prefinancing and interim payments are not to exceed 95 % of the EAFRD’s contribution to each rural development programme. The following programme has reached this threshold: 2014LU06RDNP001. The outstanding balance of this programme will be settled at the closure of the programming period.

16. Pursuant to Article 54(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, 50 % of the financial consequences of non-recovery of irregularities should be borne by the Member State concerned, if recovery has not taken place within 4 years from the date of the recovery request, or within 8 years where the recovery is taken before the national courts. Article 54(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 requires Member States to attach to the annual accounts that they have to submit to the Commission, pursuant to Article 29 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014, a certified table reflecting the amounts to be borne by them under Article 54(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. Rules on the application of the Member States’ obligation to report the amounts to be recovered are laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014. Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014 sets out the model of the table that Member States have to use to provide information about amounts to be recovered. On the basis of the tables completed by the Member States, the Commission should decide on the financial consequences of non-recovery of irregularities older than 4 or 8 years respectively.

17. Pursuant to Article 54(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, on duly justified grounds, Member States may decide not to pursue recovery. Such a decision may be taken only if the costs already, and likely to be, incurred total more than the amount to be recovered, or if the recovery proves impossible owing to the insolvency recorded and recognised under national law, of the debtor or the persons legally responsible for the irregularity. If the decision has been taken within 4 years from the date of recovery request, or within 8 years where the recovery is taken before the national courts, 100 % of the financial consequences of the non-recovery should be borne by the Union budget. The amounts for which a particular Member State decided not to pursue recovery and the grounds for its decision are shown in the summary report referred to in Article 54(4) of that Regulation. Therefore, such amounts should not be charged to the Member States concerned and are consequently to be borne by the Union budget.

18. This Decision should also take into account the amounts that are still to be charged to the Member States as a result of the application of Article 54(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 in relation to the 2007-2013 programming period for the EAFRD.

19. In accordance with Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, this Decision should be without prejudice to the decisions the Commission may take subsequently to exclude from Union financing expenditure not effected in accordance with Union rules,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: