Article 1

The following paragraphs 8a and 8b are inserted in Article 34 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014:

‘8a.

For Member States which are subject to financial assistance under Council Regulation (EC) No 332/2002^f1, Council Regulation (EU) No 407/2010^f2 and the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism, the Commission may, at the Member State's request and after consultation of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds, adopt an implementing decision deferring, for a period not exceeding 24 months from the date of its adoption, the execution of decisions adopted after 1 May 2015 pursuant to Article 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 (“deferral decision”).

The deferral decision shall authorise the deductions to be made after the end of the deferral period in three annual instalments. Where the total amount subject to the deferral decision represents more than 0,02 % of the Member State's Gross Domestic Product, the Commission may authorise the reimbursement in maximum five annual instalments.

The Commission may decide, at the Member State's request and after consultation of the Committee on the Agricultural Funds, to extend once, for a period not exceeding 12 months, the time period of deferral referred to in the first subparagraph.

The Member State benefitting from a deferral decision shall ensure that the deficiencies which have been the reasons for the deductions and which persist at the time of adoption of the deferral decision are being remedied on the basis of an action plan, established in consultation with the Commission, including deadlines and clear progress indicators. The Commission shall amend or repeal the deferral decision, taking into account the principle of proportionality, in one of the following cases:

(a)

the Member State fails to take the necessary actions to remedy the deficiencies as foreseen in the action plan;

(b)

the progress of the remedial actions is not sufficient according to the progress indicators; or

(c)

the outcome of the actions is not satisfactory.

8b.

The implementing decisions referred to in paragraphs 8 and 8a shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 116(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.’