Official Gazette Notification Text
Official TranscriptOfficial Journal EN of the European Union L series 2026/149 26.3.2026 COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION(EU) 2026/149 of 21 January 2026 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system in the common agricultural policy THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having...
Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2026/149 26.3.2026 COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION(EU) 2026/149 of 21 January 2026 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system in the common agricultural policy THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013(1), and in particular Article 74 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 introduced the quality assessment of the area monitoring system and the geo-spatial application as a mandatory element of the integrated system.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2025/2649 of the European Parliament and of the Council(2) inserted a new Article 70a of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 as regards the quality assessment of the identification system for agricultural parcels, of the geo-spatial application system and of the area monitoring system. The three quality assessments are merged into one quality assessment. Therefore, Articles 1 and 3, 4 and 5 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172(3) should be amended to reflect this merging of the quality assessments.
(3) In order to reduce the number of farm visits and the burden for farmers, the quality assessment of the area monitoring system and of the geo-spatial application should focus only on monitorable eligibility conditions, as defined in Article 10(3) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1173(4). Therefore, for simplification purposes, Articles 4 and 5 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 should be amended accordingly,
(1) OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 187, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2116/oj.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2025/2649 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2025 amending Regulation
(EU) 2021/2115 as regards the conditionality system, types of intervention in the form of direct payment, types of intervention in certain sectors and rural development and annual performance reports and Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 as regards suspensions of payments, annual performance clearance and controls and penalties (OJ L, 2025/2649, 31.12.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/ 2025/2649/oj).
(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 of 4 May 2022 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system in the common agricultural policy and the application and calculation of administrative penalties for conditionality (OJ L 183, 8.7.2022, p. 12, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/ reg_del/2022/1172/oj).
(4) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1173 of 31 May 2022 laying down rules for the application of Regulation
(EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the integrated administration and control system in the common agricultural policy (OJ L 183, 8.7.2022, p. 23, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/1173/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/149/oj 1/4EN OJ L, 26.3.2026
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1 Amendment of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1172 is amended as follows:
(1) in Article 1, point (a) is replaced by the following: ‘(a) the quality assessment of the identification system for agricultural parcels, of the geo-spatial application system and of the area monitoring system referred to in Article 70a of that Regulation;’;
(2) in Article 3(1), first subparagraph, the introductory sentence is replaced by the following: ‘Member States shall annually carry out the quality assessment referred to in Article 70a of Regulation
(EU) 2021/2116 for the purpose of the basic income support for sustainability. That quality assessment shall cover
the following elements:’;
(3) Article 4 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 4 Quality assessment of the geo-spatial application system
1. The annual quality assessment referred to in Article 70a of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 shall assess the reliability of information in the geo-spatial application and the correctness of the information used for the reporting on the indicators referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. In particular, the quality assessment shall assess the completeness and correctness of the information pre-filled in the geo-spatial application, the completeness and correctness of the guiding alerts provided to the beneficiaries during the application process and the traceability of all changes registered in the geo-spatial applications after its submission.
2. The quality assessment shall comprise the following:
(a) verification that the information used by the Member State to pre-fill the geo-spatial application was complete, correct and up-to-date;
(b) verification by the Member State that the area declared by the beneficiary for an area-based intervention was correctly established in relation to the applicable eligibility conditions;
(c) verification that, to the extent possible, eligibility conditions of interventions and, where relevant, conditionality requirements were taken into account for the issuing of guiding alerts by the Member State to beneficiaries during the application process;
(d) verification that all amendments of the geo-spatial application after its submission were registered by the Member State in a way that it is possible to trace if they resulted from either an area monitoring system warning, an action of the beneficiary or from any other source.
3. The quality assessment provided for in paragraph 2, points (a), (c) and (d), shall be carried out by means of IT testing and reperformance of the application process on a representative sample of aid applications.
4. For the verification under paragraph 2, point (b), the quality assessment shall be carried out by means of an analysis of imagery of the same calendar year and of at least the same quality as required for the quality assessment referred to in Article 70a of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 or, when needed, in situ visits. That verification shall be performed by the measurement of the area declared in respect of an intervention on the sample selected for the quality assessment of the area monitoring system referred to in Article 5 of this Regulation.
2/4 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/149/ojEN OJ L, 26.3.2026
5. Member States shall ensure that all area-based interventions managed by the integrated system that entail at least one monitorable eligibility condition are included in the samples referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 and are verified in the quality assessment exercise. An intervention that entails only non-monitorable eligibility conditions is not subject to the quality assessment exercise.
6. In case the results of the quality assessment reveal deficiencies, the Member State shall propose adequate remedial actions.’;
(4) Article 5 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 5 Quality assessment of the area monitoring system
1. The annual quality assessment referred to in Article 70a of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 shall assess the reliability of the implementation of the area monitoring system, provide diagnostic information on the sources of incorrect decisions at the level of interventions and monitorable eligibility conditions and in particular assess the correctness of the information provided for the reporting on the indicators referred to in Article 7 of Regulation
(EU) 2021/2115.
2. The quality assessment shall be carried out by means of an analysis of imagery of the same calendar year and, where relevant, with at least the same quality as required for the quality assessment referred to in Article 70a of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 or, when needed, in situvisits. In situvisits can be carried out at any time during the year and shall, to the extent possible, cover all monitorable eligibility conditions relevant for a given beneficiary during the same visit. The imagery used by the Member States for the quality assessment shall be able to provide conclusive and reliable results in respect of the actual situation on the ground. Where Member States use geo-tagged photos for observation, tracking and assessment of agricultural activities as data with at least equivalent value to Copernicus Sentinels satellite data, Member States may carry out the quality assessment of the decisions based on geo-tagged photos by means of a non-automated analysis of the geo-tagged photos, provided they offer conclusive and reliable results.
3. At the level of interventions, the quality assessment shall comprise the following:
(a) quantification of errors due to incorrect decisions on monitorable eligibility conditions on parcels under an area-based intervention. The result shall be expressed in hectares;
(b) quantification of the number of parcels where the area monitoring system found non-compliance with the eligibility conditions and of the number of parcels not meeting the eligibility conditions after the latest date for amendments of aid applications.
4. The reports due by 15 February 2025 and 15 February 2027 shall also comprise verification that all eligibility conditions of area-based interventions that are considered monitorable, were subject to area monitoring system in years 2024 and 2026, respectively. Remedial actions may be necessary following the assessment of the results of these reports.
5. The quality assessment shall be carried out by checking the monitorable eligibility conditions of all the interventions applied for on a representative sample of parcels.
6. For simplification purposes and given that the sample of the quality assessment of the area monitoring system provides an adequate level of assurance in respect of the fulfilment of eligibility conditions per intervention, Member States may decide to take the quality assessment referred in Articles 4 and 5 of this Regulation into account in respect of the obligation to set up a control system laid down in Article 72 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116.
7. Member States shall ensure that all area-based interventions managed by the integrated system that entail at least one monitorable eligibility condition, are included in the sample of parcels and verified in the quality assessment exercise.
8. In case the results of the quantifications referred to in paragraph 3, points (a) and (b), reveal deficiencies, Member States shall propose adequate remedial actions.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/149/oj 3/4EN OJ L, 26.3.2026
9. Remedial actions for non-conclusively monitored eligibility conditions may include the performance of in situ visits. In cases where remedial actions are necessary following the results of the quality assessment for the calendar year concerned, additional details may have to be included in the quality assessment report of the following year as regards the deficiencies to be remedied.’.
Article 2 Entry into force and application This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2026.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 21 January 2026.
For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN 4/4 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2026/149/oj