24.7.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L 192/21 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1621/1999 of 22 July 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 as regards aid for the cultivation of grapes to produce certain varieties of dried grapes THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the markets in processed fruit and vegetable products (!), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2199/97 (%) and in particular Article 7(5) thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables (°), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 (¥, and in particular Article 48 thereof, 1) Whereas Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 intro- duced an aid scheme for specialised areas for growing certain varieties of grapes for drying and specified that the aid was to be paid when the grapes had been harvested and dried for processing; whereas, therefore, detailed rules for the application of the said scheme should be laid down; Whereas under Article 7(3) of Regulation (EEC) No 2201/96 the maximum guaranteed area under grapes cultivated and harvested in the Community for drying for processing which, if exceeded, will entail a reduction in the aid for the following marketing year should be determined; whereas the said maximum area takes account of the average area cultivated in the Community in the 1987/88, 1988/89 and 1989/90 marketing years; Whereas the purpose of the scheme is to support and structure the dried grapes industry and ensure the neces- sary degree of specialisation to that end; whereas, there- fore, only those areas producing fresh grapes for the production of dried grapes are eligible for the aid and whereas the aid is paid when the entire production of fresh grapes obtained from the areas for which aid is applied for has been dried for the production of dried grapes; Whereas the diversion of any of the fresh grapes, before drying, to other destinations must be excluded; whereas the destination of the product can be assured by means of a contract between the producer and the processor concluded before the fresh grapes are harvested for whatever destination and relating to the areas for which 297, 21.11.1996, p. 29. 303, 6.11.1997, p. 1. () O] L () O] L () O] L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1. () O L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80. the aid will be applied for; whereas the administration and control of this system can be effective if a compu- terised data base is established and the producer organ- isations are involved in the conclusion and management of contracts for their members; Whereas, moreover, in order to attain the requisite degree of specialisation and prevent abuses, the aid must be granted to areas which have been adequately tended; whereas fixing a minimum yield to be observed and taking into account the characteristics of each variety while, nonetheless, making allowance for exceptions linked to exceptional conditions that may influence yields regardless of the care taken by the producer should ensure that this requirement is met; Whereas, in order to adapt the quality of supply to demand, payment of the aid should be made conditional on obtaining a product meeting minimum quality char- acteristics; whereas, as regards the processed product, for the sake of simplification, the minimum characteristics and tolerances allowed should be those contained in the UNJECE standard recommended by the Working Party on standardisation of perishable produce and quality development of the United Nations Economic Commis- sion for Europe; whereas, to ensure that a quality product is obtained, to be registered in the database, producers and processors should be required to have an adequate infrastructure enabling them to obtain, respec- tively, a raw material and a finished product of the desired quality; whereas, to preserve the quality of the raw material and check its destination, the producer should be required to deliver the unprocessed dried grapes to the processor within a certain time limit; Whereas it should be laid down that Member States' checks are to cover a percentage of the applications for registration in the database, of the information contained in contracts and of aid applications and that irregularities are to be penalised; whereas, for the system of checks to be effective it must apply, on the one hand, to the areas cultivated and, on the other, to the quant- ities harvested and delivered under contracts; Whereas, as regards establishing the computerised data- base, a time limit of three years should be allowed; whereas to enable producers and processors to adapt to the new requirements, certain transitional measures should be put in place;