COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 834/2014
of 22 July 2014
laying down rules for the application of the common monitoring and evaluation framework of the common agricultural policy
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of 17 December 2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 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 (1), and in particular Article 110(2) and (4) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 provides for a common monitoring and evaluation framework for measuring the performance of the common agricultural policy (CAP). For the application of that framework, rules need to be laid down which ensure a comprehensive and regular assessment of the progress, effectiveness and efficiency of the CAP against objectives. In order to allow Member States and the Commission to put in place a consistent monitoring and evaluation framework, a set of common indicators as referred to in Article 110(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 should be laid down.
(2)
Those indicators should be linked to the structure and objectives of the CAP and be based on measurable elements. Therefore, different types of indicators should be laid down in order to allow for the assessment of the CAP at all levels. Impact indicators should reflect the common main objectives of the CAP as set out in Article 110(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013. For each of those common main objectives more specific objectives can be identified, for which result indicators need to be laid down. Those specific objectives include farm income and farm income variability, improvement of the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, market stability, consumer expectations, provision of public goods and environmental preservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation and maintenance of a diverse agriculture, as well as the specific objectives defined for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), namely the Union priorities for rural development. In addition, the practical implementation of the CAP instruments should be monitored on the basis of output indicators that are able to reflect this operational level of the CAP.
(3)
It is important to ensure that the monitoring and evaluation framework can be used by Member States and the Commission efficiently and at the appropriate time. It should therefore be provided that Member States send the information necessary for the monitoring and evaluation of the CAP within the deadlines set by the relevant Regulations. With a view to avoiding any undue administrative burden, the Commission should, to the extent possible, use information already made available to it,
(4)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Indicators
The indicators allowing for the assessment of the progress, effectiveness and efficiency of the common agricultural policy (CAP) against its objectives as referred to in Article 110(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 shall be measurable. Those indicators shall include:
(a)
impact indicators, as specified in Section 1 of the Annex to this Regulation, reflecting the areas where the CAP is expected to have an influence;
(b)
result indicators, as specified in Section 2 of the Annex to this Regulation, reflecting the main achievements of:
(i)
Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2);
(ii)
Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013;
(iii)
Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3); and
(iv)
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4);
(c)
output indicators, as specified in Section 3 of the Annex to this Regulation, reflecting the implementation of related CAP instruments;
(d)
context indicators, as referred to in Section 4 of the Annex to this Regulation, reflecting relevant aspects of the general contextual trends that are likely to have an influence on the implementation, achievements and performance of the CAP.
Result indicators, output indicators and context indicators relevant for the monitoring and evaluation of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) shall be as set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 808/2014. (5).
Article 2
Provision of information
1. Member States shall provide the Commission with the information necessary for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating the performance of the CAP within the deadlines for reporting and notifications of information relating to the operation of CAP instruments as provided for in Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013, (EU) No 1307/2013 and (EU) No 1308/2013. That information shall be accurate and reliable.
2. For the purposes of the common monitoring and evaluation framework the Commission shall use, to the extent possible, the following information already made available by Member States via existing tools for information exchange:
(a)
information, notifications and reports made available to the Commission in relation to the implementation of the instruments operating within the CAP and to the implementation of relevant Union environmental legislation;
(b)
information made available to the Commission for the purposes of the clearance of accounts;
(c)
information made available to Eurostat.
Article 3
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, 22 July 2014.