Governance of the Rural Development Complement

The EU regulations on the CAP 2023-2027 bring some novelties that impact governance and imply a series of choices concerning the distribution of responsibilities and competences in terms of management and control within the Italian institutional framework. Articles 101 and 110 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 envisage an organisational framework in which the system of coordination, programming, management, implementation, monitoring and control of the PHP is implemented by a multiplicity of subjects, who cooperate with different roles in the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the CAP Italy. The actors involved in the governance and coordination system of the PHP are the following:

• National Managing Authority of the PHP (art. 123 Reg. 2021/2115)
• Regional Managing Authorities for rural development (Art. 123 Reg. 2021/2115)
• Paying Agencies (one national and one for the Regions and Autonomous Provinces that have established and accredited it, according to art. 9 Horizontal Reg.)
• Certifying body (Art. 12 Horizontal Reg.)
• Public coordinating body for paying agencies (Art. 10 Horizontal Reg.)
• National SPS Monitoring Committee (Art. 79 and Art. 124 of the 2021/2115)
• Regional PRSR Monitoring Committees (Art. 79 and Art. 124(5) of 2021/2115)

Each entity defines through its own acts the organisation, decision-making and procedures followed for the coordination and management of the PRSP. Please refer to Section 7.1 of the PHP in particular for indications on the tasks and the national authority and the relationships between the national and regional/provincial MAs.

The provincial authorities for the rural development PHP designated by the Province of Trento are summarised in the following table.

Taking into account the constitutional and institutional provisions, Italy has designated Regional Managing Authorities to be responsible for certain functions under Art. 123(2) of Reg. For each beneficiary, there is an aid application and a payment application. The former are the responsibility of the structures responsible for intervention as shown in the table below, the latter of the Paying Agency APPAG. The designated authorities are functionally independent, however, in order to ensure maximum efficiency in the implementation of the Programming Complement, the Managing Authority and the Paying Agency, in compliance with their specific competences, will work in constant cooperation.

The Managing Authority has the following functions, as far as the provincial competences are concerned

a) it ensures, in cooperation with the Paying Agency, that an electronic information system is in place for the management of the RDP

b) it details the elements necessary for the preparation of the beneficiaries' selection procedures, ensuring the consultation with the Provincial Monitoring Committee

c) it defines the implementation modalities with particular reference to the collection, processing and control of the applications for support, in compliance with the contents of Community and national rules, up to the stage of granting aid

d) devise spending strategies to ensure the full use of the financial resources available, and constantly monitor the physical and financial progress and define the guidelines for carrying out control and monitoring activities of the interventions

(e) ensure that farmers, other beneficiaries and other bodies involved in the implementation of operations

- are informed of their obligations resulting from the aid granted and use a separate accounting system or adequate accounting code for all transactions relating to an operation, where appropriate

- are aware of the requirements concerning the transmission of data to the managing authority and the recording of outputs and results;

- clear and precise information is provided, where appropriate by electronic means, on the statutory management requirements and the minimum standards required under cross compliance;

(f) provides the Paying Agency with all necessary information, in particular on the procedures applied and any checks carried out on operations selected for funding, before payments are authorised;

(g) ensure that beneficiaries under operations financed by the EAFRD other than area-related and animal-related operations acknowledge the financial support received, including through the appropriate use of the Union emblem in accordance with the rules laid down by the Commission;

(h) define and implement the communication strategy to provide publicity, including through the CAP national network, informing

- potential beneficiaries, professional organisations, economic and social partners, bodies involved in the promotion of gender equality and relevant non-governmental organisations (including environmental organisations)

- farmers, other beneficiaries and the public about the Union's contributions to agriculture and rural development through the CAP strategic plan.

APPAG is responsible for the following functions

- it manages the single information system for the management of files

- It agrees with the Managing Authority on the procedures for collecting and processing aid applications and cooperates in their implementation on the information system;

- defines and implements on the information system, consistently with the contents of Community, national

Community and national legislation, the procedures for the collection, processing, control and

settlement of payment requests;

- disburses payments to the beneficiaries and enters them in the accounts by carrying out the required reporting to the State and the EU;

- manages the technical, economic and financial data for the purpose of drawing up, within its competence, the annual report on the effectiveness of implementation;

- provides the technical, economic and financial data, available on information systems, to the

national and provincial monitoring systems;

- carries out the administrative and on-the-spot checks provided for by the Community regulations on the payment applications;

- submits the necessary documents within the time limits and in the form required by Community rules;

- makes the data and any documents on the information system accessible and ensures their preservation;

- carries out supervision of activities where delegated in order to ensure compliance with procedures.