
CHAPTER 1
Article 1 
This Regulation lays down the implementing rules governing ... aid for the ... programmes for the apiculture sector as referred to in Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (‘apiculture programmes’).
Article 1A 
For the purposes of this Regulation:
(a) ‘appropriate authority’ means:
(i) in relation to:(aa) England, the Secretary of State;(bb) Wales, the Welsh Ministers;(cc) Scotland, the Scottish Ministers;(dd) Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs; or
(ii) the Secretary of State:(aa) in relation to Scotland, if consent is given by the Scottish Ministers;(bb) in relation to Northern Ireland, if consent is given by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs;
(b) ‘constituent nation’ means England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, as the case may be.
Article 2 
For the purposes of the apiculture programmes, the ‘apiculture year’ shall mean the period of 12 consecutive months from 1 August until 31 July.
CHAPTER 2
Article 3 
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Article 4 
Apiculture programmes shall include the elements listed in the Annex.
Article 5 
The appropriate authority must:
(a) make apiculture programmes available to the public on its website at the latest on 15 June which precedes the start of the first apiculture year of the apiculture programme in question, and
(b) update the website within 21 days of any amendments made to apiculture programmes in accordance with Article 6.
Article 6 

1. The appropriate authorities may amend measures included in their apiculture programmes during the apiculture year, for example by introducing or withdrawing measures or types of actions, by introducing changes in the description of the measures or changes of eligibility conditions or by transferring funds between measures of the programme, provided that those measures continue to comply with Article 55(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.The financial limits for each measure may be amended provided that the overall ceiling on planned annual expenditure is not exceeded ....
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CHAPTER 3
Article 7 
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Payments, by the appropriate authority to the beneficiaries, related to measures implemented during each apiculture year shall be made within the 12-month period starting on 16 October of that apiculture year and ending on 15 October of the following year.
CHAPTER 4
Article 8 

1. The appropriate authority shall carry out checks to verify that the conditions for granting ... financing are met. Those checks shall consist of both administrative and on-the-spot checks and follow the general principles laid down in Article 59 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
2. Regarding on-the-spot checks the appropriate authority shall require verification of the following:
(a) the correct implementation of the measures included in the apiculture programmes, in particular investment and service measures;
(b) the expenditure actually incurred is at least equivalent to the financial support requested,
(c) where relevant, the number of beehives declared is consistent with the number of beehives found to be kept by the applicant taking into account additional data provided by the beekeeper on activity during the apiculture year concerned.
3. The appropriate authority shall ensure that at least 5 % of the applicants for aid within the framework of their apiculture programmes are subject to on-the spot checks.The samples for checks shall be drawn from the entire population of applicants and shall include:
(a) a number of applicants randomly selected in order to obtain a representative error rate;
(b) a number of applicants selected on the basis of a risk analysis based on the following criteria:
((i)) the amount of financing allocated to the beneficiaries;
((ii)) the nature of the actions financed under the apiculture measures;
((iii)) the conclusions of previous on-the-spot checks;
((iv)) other criteria to be defined by the appropriate authority.
Article 9 

1. Interest added to the amount of undue payments recovered in accordance with Article 54(1), 58(1)(e) or 63(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 shall be calculated in accordance with Article 27 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
2. In case of fraud or serious negligence for which they are responsible, beneficiaries shall, in addition to repaying undue payments received and interest thereon in accordance with Article 63(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, pay an amount equal to the difference between the amount initially paid and the amount they are entitled to.
CHAPTER 5
Article 10 

1. By 15 March each year starting from  exit day, the participating appropriate authorities must prepare  an annual implementation report on the application of their apiculture programme during the previous apiculture year.
2. The annual implementation report shall include the following elements:
(a) a summary of the expenditure incurred in euros during the apiculture year, broken down by measure;
(b) results on the basis of the performance indicators selected for each implemented measure.
Article 11 
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Article 12 
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Article 13 
The appropriate authority must make publicly available on its website its annual implementation reports prepared in accordance with Article 10.
CHAPTER 6
Article 14 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
...Done at Brussels, 6 August 2015.
For the Commission
The President
Jean-Claude JUNCKER
ANNEX

Apiculture programmes shall include at least the following elements:

((1)) an evaluation of the results achieved to date during the implementation of the previous apiculture programme, if such a programme was in place. As from the 2020-2022 apiculture programmes, that evaluation shall be based on the latest two annual implementation reports of the previous programme as referred to in Article 10;
((2)) ...
((3)) a study carried out by the  appropriate authority  on the production and marketing structure in the beekeeping sector in its territory. The study shall provide at least the following information, covering the last two calendar years preceding the  publication of the apiculture programme;

((i)) the number of beekeepers;
((ii)) the number of beekeepers managing more than 150 beehives;
((iii)) the total number of beehives managed by beekeepers with more than 150 beehives;
((iv)) the number of beekeepers organised in beekeepers' associations;
((v)) the annual production of honey in the constituent nation concerned in kg in the last two calendar years preceding the publication of the apiculture programme;
((vi)) the range of prices for multi-floral honey at the site of production;
((vii)) the range of prices for multi-floral honey in bulk at wholesalers;
((viii)) the estimated average yield in kg of honey per beehive and per year;
((ix)) the estimated average production cost (fixed and variable) per kg of honey produced;
((x)) the number of beehives determined in the last two calendar years preceding the  publication of the apiculture programme;
((4)) an evaluation of the needs of the apiculture sector ..., based at least on the evaluation of the results of the previous apiculture programme if there was one, a study on the production and marketing structure in the beekeeping sector, and the outcomes of the cooperation with the representative organisations in the beekeeping field;
((5)) a description of the objectives of the apiculture programme and the link between those objectives and the apiculture measures selected in the list in Article 55(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;
((6)) a detailed description of the actions which will be carried out under the apiculture measures selected in the list in Article 55(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, including the estimated costs and a financing plan broken down by year and by measure;
((7)) the criteria established by the  appropriate authority  to ensure that there is no double funding of apiculture programmes in accordance with Article 5 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1366;
((8)) the performance indicators used for each apiculture measure selected.  The appropriate authority  shall select at least one relevant performance indicator per measure;
((9)) implementing arrangements for the apiculture programme, including:

((i)) the designation by the  appropriate authority  of a contact point responsible for the management of the apiculture programmes;
((ii)) a description of the procedure for monitoring checks;
((iii)) a description of the actions to be taken in case of undue payments to the beneficiaries, including the penalties;
((iv)) the provisions to ensure that the approved programme is publicised ...;
((v)) the actions taken to cooperate with representative organisations in the beekeeping field;
((vi)) a description of the method used to evaluate the results of the measures of the apiculture programme for the apiculture sector ....
