12.12.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 311/37 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2707/2000 of 11 December 2000 laying down rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 as regards Community aid for supplying milk and certain milk products to pupils in educational establishments THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products ('), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1670/2000 (3, and in particular Article 15 thereof, Whereas: V@waH LLeeeerece ) Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 replaced Council Regula- tion (EEC) No 804/68 (%), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1587/96 (¥, and inter alia Council Regulation (EEC) No 1842/83 (°), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1958/97 (), on the supply of milk and certain milk products to schoolchildren. The new Community aid scheme and experience acquired call for the amend- ment and simplification of Commission Regulation (EC) No 3392/93 of 10 December 1993 on detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1842/83 laying down general rules for the supply of milk and certain milk products at reduced prices to schoolchil- dren (7), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2235/ 97 (%). For the sake of clarity that Regulation should be recast. The aid should be targeted at nursery and primary schools, with Member States left to decide for them- selves whether or not to include secondary schools. To simplify management, consumption by pupils in resi- dence at school holiday camps should be excluded. There are policing difficulties over the use of subsidised milk products in the preparation of meals served to pupils, and this seems moreover not to be an effective way of attaining the purposes of the aid scheme. Aid should therefore be restricted to products distributed to pupils. 160, 26.6.1999, p. 48. 193, 29.7.2000, p. 10. 148, 28.6.1968, p. 13. 206, 16.8.1996, p. 21. 183, 7.7.1983, p. 1. 277, 10.10.1997, p. 1. 306, 11.12.1993, p. 27. 306, 11.11.1997, p. 11. |l onill onlll anll el anll el o (4) (10) The list of products qualifying for aid must give priority to some basic milk products consumption of which is essential for market balance. To take account of varying consumption habits in the Community, Member States should have the option of including certain low fat products and certain cheeses. Article 14(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1670/2000, specifies a new aid rate for whole milk of 75 % of the target price and for other products a rate set in line with the milk components of the product. The aid for the various products under these rules should be specified. As regards payment of the aid, the requirements to be met by applicants should be specified and rules on the lodging of applications, the checks to be made by the competent authorities and the payment procedure should be laid down. For the purposes of management and policing of the aid there should be an approval procedure for applicants. To simplify management of the scheme, the use of organisations that apply on behalf of a number of schools should be encouraged. Under Article 14(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999, the maximum daily quantity per pupil on which aid can be granted is the equivalent of 0,25 litres of milk. Equiv- alences between milk and the various other products should be specified. Policing rules for the aid scheme must be laid down, in order to guarantee that the aid is duly reflected in the price paid by recipients and that subsidised products are not deflected from their intended use. This Regulation should apply from 1 January 2001, since that is the date on which the new aid amount comes into force and this will give the competent authorities time to prepare the application of the new provisions. The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products,