L 106/10 Official Journal of the European Union 15.4.2004 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 686/2004 of 14 April 2004 laying down transitional measures concerning producer organisations in the market of fresh fruit and vegetables by reason of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the European Union THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, and in particular Article 2(3) thereof, Having regard to the Act of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 41 thereof, Whereas: (1)  Commission Regulation (EC) No 1432/2003 of 11 August 2003 laying down detailed rules for the applica- tion of Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 regarding the conditions for recognition of producer organisations and preliminary recognition of producer groups (), and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1433/2003 of 11 August 2003 laying down detailed rules for the applica- tion of Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 as regards operating funds, operational programmes and financial assistance (%) set certain dates and conditions for the recognition of and aid to producer organisations. Transi- tional measures should be laid down in order to enable producer organisations and producer groups in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia (herein- after referred to as ‘the new Member States’) to apply for the aid provided for in those Regulations before 1 January 2005. (2) A number of new Member States have adopted national legislation on the recognition of and aid to producer organisations and producer groups, and a certain number of producer organisations and producer groups exist already. (3)  The new Member States should be given the possibility of temporarily considering producer organisations and producer groups recognised under their respective national legislation as being recognised under Regulation () OJ L 203, 12.8.2003, p. 18. (*) OJ L 203, 12.8.2003, p. 25; Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1582/2003 (O] L 227, 11.9.2003, p. 3). ) L 297, 21.11.1996, p. () 9 (EC) No 2200/96. Those producer organisations and producer groups may then apply for the available Com- munity aid. The new Member States should verify before the end of 2005 whether the producer organisations and producer groups really meet the recognition criteria provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables (). The financial responsi- bility for aid paid to those producer organisations and producer groups falls on the new Member State in ques- tion. Certain new Member States have not provided in their national legislation recognition of producer organisa- tions based on the categories of products referred to in Article 11(1)(a)(ii) to (vii) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/ 96. For the sake of clarity, the producer organisations or groups which have been recognised before 1 May 2004, in accordance with national legislation, should be considered as belonging to category ‘fruit and vegetables’ referred to in Article 11(1)(a)(i) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96. In order to speed up the process, producer organisations and producer groups recognised before 1 May 2004, in accordance with national legislation, should not be required to submit another application. The new Member States should notify them whether they are recognised for 2004 under Regulation (EC) No 1432/ 2003 or not. Neither the producer organisations nor the new Member States have experience with operational programmes. As a transitional measure for producer organisations in the new Member States, an operational programme of a maximum duration of one-and-a-half years may be submitted. The drafting of short, simple programmes should reduce the period required for preparation by the producer organisations and the period required for evaluation by the national authorities. The drafting, evaluation, implementation and control of those programmes should help both producer organisations and national authorities with the handling of operational programmes of normal length after the transitional period. For recognition plans approved in the new Member States under their respective national legislation before 1 May 2004, the starting date should be deemed to be 1 May 2004. 1; Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 47/2003 (O] L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 64).