Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy^f1, and in particular Article 12(2) and (3) thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)^f2, and in particular Article 69(4) thereof,

Whereas:

Article 4(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 378/2007 of 27 March 2007 laying down rules for voluntary modulation of direct payments provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005, stipulates that the Commission should set the net amounts resulting from the application of voluntary modulation and that these amounts should be incorporated into the annual breakdown by Member State relating to Community support to rural development referred to in Article 69(4) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005.

Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 stipulates that the Commission should set the amounts which, pursuant to Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) No 378/2007 and Articles 10(2), 143d and 143e of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers^f3, are made available to the EAFRD, and the net balance available for EAGF expenditure.

The amounts to be made available to the EAFRD and the net balance available for EAGF expenditure have to be set on the basis of the maximum annual amounts corresponding to the financial years 2007 to 2013.

Commission Decision 2006/410/EC^f4 established the amounts resulting from the application of the reductions of direct payments provided for in Articles 10(2), 143d and 143e of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, which are made available to EAFRD, and the net balance available for EAGF expenditure, for the financial years 2007 to 2013.

Council Decision 2006/493/EC^f5 fixed the amount of Community support to rural development for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013, its annual breakdown and the minimum amount to be concentrated in regions eligible under the Convergence Objective.

Commission Decision 2006/636/EC^f6 established the breakdown by Member State of Community support to rural development for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013, including as regards the amount of the transfers to the EAFRD.

As a result of the adoption of Commission Decision 2007/679/EC 22 October 2007 fixing the net amounts resulting from the application of voluntary modulation to the United Kingdom for the calendar years 2007 to 2012^f7, under Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) No 378/2007, the amounts which are made available to the EAFRD should be adjusted and added to the annual breakdown for Community support to rural development for the United Kingdom.

Decisions 2006/410/EC and 2006/636/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: