L 62/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 11.3.1999 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 528/1999 of 10 March 1999 laying down measures to improve the quality of olive oil production 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 organisation of the market in oils and fats ('), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 (%), and in particular Article 5(11) thereof, Whereas pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation No 136/ 66/EEC 1,4 % of the production aid to olive growers is assigned to finance regional measures in the Member States to improve the quality of olive oil production and its environmental impact; whereas these measures should be specified and also the tasks that can be entrusted to producer organisations; Whereas, by virtue of the origin of their funding, the measures to be undertaken should directly involve olive growers or oil mills; whereas the purpose of these meas- ures is to produce quality virgin olive oil under conditions that preserve or improve the environment; whereas, as a result, these measures must help to supply the mills with olives with prized characteristics and improve the condi- tions under which the virgin oils are extracted and stored; Whereas the way in which the sector operates dictates that quality improvement measures should be imple- mented over 12-month periods beginning on 1 May of each year; whereas the measures for each period must be included in national programmes; whereas Member States must draw up and execute their national programmes; Whereas the expenditure in each period must be based on the deduction from the production aid for the marketing year preceding that in which the programme begins; whereas production is estimated by the Commis- sion in accordance with Article 17a(1) of Council Regula- tion (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 (%) 1 () OJ 172, 30. 9. 1966, p. 3025/66. () OJ L 210, 28. 7. 1998, p. 32. () OJ L 208, 3. 8. 1984, p. 3. () OJ L 210, 28. 7. 1998, p. 38. whereas expenditure on the execution of programmes must be managed and checked nationally in accordance with Community rules; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Oils and Fats, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. This Regulation specifies the measures to be under- taken and procedures to be followed to improve the quality of olive oil production at regional level and its impact on the environment. 2. The measures relate to 12-month production cycles beginning on 1 May each year and involve: (a) action against the olive fly and possibly other harmful organisms, including control, warning and evaluation arrangements; (b) improvement of the conditions under which olive trees are grown and treated, olives are harvested, stored and processed and the resulting oils are stored; (c) technical assistance to growers and mills to help improve the environment, the quality of the olives produced and their conversion into oil; (d) improvement of the disposal of crushing residues so that the environment is not harmed; (e) training, information provision and demonstrations for farmers and mills on oil quality and the environ- mental impact of the oil production chain; (f) creation and operation, at regional, provincial or producer-organisation level, of laboratories for virgin oil analysis; (g) collaboration with specialist agencies on research programmes to improve the quality of virgin olive oil and at the same time help improve the environment.