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having regard to the Commission delegated regulation (C(2023)05365),

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having regard to the Commission’s letter of 8 August 2023 asking Parliament to declare that it will raise no objections to the delegated regulation,

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having regard to the letter from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development to the Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs of 30 August 2023,

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having regard to Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 (1), and in particular Article 45, point (c), and Article 152(6) thereof,

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having regard to Rule 111(6) of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the recommendation for a decision of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development,

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having regard to the fact that no objections have been raised within the period laid down in Rule 111(6), third and fourth indents, of its Rules of Procedure, which expired on 12 September 2023,

A.

whereas, due to severe adverse meteorological events that have taken place in several Member States’ regions in the spring of 2023, the production of fruits and vegetables has been dramatically damaged affecting both the volume produced and its quality;

B.

whereas losses in the value of marketed production (VMP) in the fruit and vegetables sector tend to have a major impact on the amount of Union aid received by producer organisations in the subsequent year;

C.

whereas severe adverse meteorological events also disrupt recognised producer organisations by affecting their financial stability and operational programmes beyond the year 2023, as the VMP for the year 2023 impacts the calculation of Union financial assistance, due to the fact that the amount of Union aid is calculated as a percentage of the VMP of each producer organisation;

D.

whereas, in the event that substantial losses in VMP were to occur in 2023, producer organisations would risk losing their official recognition, as one of the criteria for such recognition is reaching a certain minimum VMP fixed at a national level;

E.

whereas this would put the long-term stability of producer organisations as key elements of the Common Market organisation in the Union fruit and vegetables sector at risk;

F.

whereas, to alleviate those difficulties, it is necessary to derogate from provisions concerning the calculation of the VMP laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126 (2) applicable in the fruit and vegetables sector;

G.

whereas, under the delegated regulation, where a reduction of at least 35 % in the value of a product has occurred due to the adverse meteorological events of the spring of 2023 falling outside the responsibility and control of the producer organisation, association of producer organisations, the VMP of that product in 2023 shall be deemed to represent 100 % of the VMP for the average of the five previous 12-month reference periods, excluding the lowest and highest values;