31.3.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 91/45 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 648/2001 of 30 March 2001 amending Regulation (EC) No 2366/98 laying down detailed rules for the application of the system of production aid for olive oil for the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 marketing years THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common organ- isation of the market in oils and fats (), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 (3, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 of 20 July 1998 amending Regulation No 136/66/EEC on the estab- lishment of a common organisation of the market in oils and fats (), and in particular Article 4 thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2261/84 of 17 July 1984 laying down general rules on the granting of aid for the production of olive oil and of aid to olive oil producer organisations (*), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1639/ 98 (°), and in particular Article 19 thereof, Whereas: (1)  The management and monitoring of the system of production aid for olive oil requires information addi- tional to that already provided for in Commission Regu- lation (EC) No 2366/98 of 30 October 1998 laying down detailed rules for the application of the system of production aid for olive oil for the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 marketing years (%), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1273/1999 ('), particularly with respect to the new planting referred to in Article 5, the homogeneous production zones referred to in Article 6, the quantities produced by the mills referred to in Article 11 of that Regulation and the national provisions on penalties. 20 In order to simplify the administrative burden, any requirements that are not strictly necessary should be avoided. (3)  Under Article 14 of Regulation (EEC) No 2261/84 Member States must take the necessary steps to ensure that the product is eligible for aid. The measures in question relate, among others, to the activities of approved mills. It has been found that additional checks are needed on some mills, particularly where their situa- () O] 172, 30.9.1966, p. 3025/66. () O] L 328, 23.12.1999, p. 2. () O] L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 32. () O] L 208, 3.8.1984, p. 3. () O] L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 38. (9 O] L 293, 31.10.1998, p. 50. () O] L 151, 18.6.1999, p. 12. tion does not allow clear confirmation of the declara- tions submitted based on objective facts or the declara- tions of other operators, or where there is a need to eliminate any risk of further irregularities on top of those already detected. In such cases, the additional checks should include the daily transmission of certain stock account data. Under Article 11a of Regulation No 136/66/EEC the individual Member States must take the necessary steps to penalise infringements of the aid scheme. Under Article 2(d) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2262/84 of 17 July 1984 laying down special measures in respect of olive oil (¥, as last amended by Regulation, (EC) No 150/1999 (°), Member States are to take specific and appropriate measures to penalise any infringements where it has been noted that a mill has not fulfilled the obligations arising under Regulation (EEC) No 2261/84. Article 13(4) of Regulation (EEC) No 2261/84 lays down that approval of a mill is to be withdrawn in cases where one of the conditions for approval referred to in para- graph 1 of that Article is no longer fulfilled. The condi- tions for approval are laid down in Articles 7, 8 and 9 of Regulation (EC) No 2366/98. Article 4(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2262/84 provides for a mill's approval to be withdrawn for a period of between one and five marketing years where there is a substantial difference between the quantities of olives pressed or oil produced and the quantities shown in the stock records or where those stock records are deemed to be inadequate or inadequately communicated. To facilitate the application of the provisions on penal- ties laid down in a number of Council Regulations, their sequence must be specified and the concepts referred to in Article 4(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2262/84 defined. In particular, to ensure that the associated severe penal- ties are reserved for serious infringements, certain differ- ences in quantities, taking account of the size of mills, and time limits to be taken into consideration should be specified. In this context, it should be laid down that the discovery of an infringement concerning the physico- chemical properties of the category of oil in the declara- tion may be viewed as a serious irregularity in the stock records of all virgin olive oils which may be eligible for