L 64/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 6.3.2001 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 449/2001 of 2 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 as regards the aid scheme for products processed from fruit and vegetables 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 2699/2000 (3, and in particular Article 1(3), Article 3(2), Article 6, Article 6b(3), Article 6¢(7), Article 25, Article 26 and Article 27(1) thereof, Whereas: Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 introduced, on the one hand, aid to producer organisations delivering tomatoes, peaches and pears for processing into the products listed in Annex I to that Regulation and, on the other hand, aid to processors of prunes and figs. These products must be obtained from fruit and vegetables harvested in the Community. To ensure that the scheme is applied uniformly, the products listed in Article 6a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 and in Annex I thereto, the marketing years applicable to those products and the delivery periods for the raw materials should be defined. The new scheme must be able to operate from the outset with a sufficient number of producer organ- isations and, for the sake of consistency and by analogy with Council Regulation (EC) No 2202/96 of 28 October 1996 introducing a Community aid scheme for producers of certain citrus fruits (°), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2699/2000, the term ‘producer organisations provisionally authorised’ appearing in the first subparagraphs of Article 3(1) and Article 6a(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2201/96 must include producer organisations which have been granted preliminary recognition under Article 14 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables (), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 (%), as () O] L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 29. () O] L 311, 12.12.2000, p. 9. () O] L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 49. (% O] L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1. () O] L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2. well as the producer organisations referred to in Article 13 of that Regulation. The production aid scheme is based on contracts between producer organisations recognised or granted preliminary recognition under Regulation (EC) No 2200/ 96 or individual producers during the 2001/02 marketing year, on the one hand, and processors, on the other hand. Producers and producer organisations may also act as processors in certain circumstances. The types of contracts and the particulars to be included therein should be specified for the purposes of applying the aid scheme. In order to improve the way the scheme operates, the authorities should know of all producer organisations marketing the production of their members, of members of other producer organisations and of individual produ- cers and wishing to qualify under the scheme. The authorities should also know of the processors signing contracts with such producer organisations; in addition, such processors should send the authorities the informa- tion necessary to ensure that the scheme operates correctly. Processors of tomatoes, peaches and pears must be approved before they may conclude contracts. Contracts must be concluded by a given date in the case of tomatoes, peaches and pears and before the beginning of each marketing year in the case of the other products. To ensure that the scheme is as effective as possible, the parties to such contracts should nevertheless be author- ised to increase the quantities originally stipulated therein up to a given limit by means of amendments to the contracts. The number of aid applications to be submitted by producer organisations and processors must be deter- mined taking account of the processing process. Applications for aid must include all the information needed for checking eligibility. To compensate for the obligations imposed on producer organisations, provi- sion should be made for the aid to be paid in advance, on condition that a security is lodged to ensure reim- bursement if the requirements for receiving the advance payment are not complied with.