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1. Without prejudice to paragraph 4 of this Article, the aid under the school scheme allocated for the distribution of products, the accompanying educational measures and the related costs referred to in Article 23(1) shall not exceed EUR 220 804 135 per school year. Within that overall limit, the aid shall not exceed:

(a) for school fruit and vegetables: EUR 130 608 466 per school year;

(b) for school milk: EUR 90 195 669 per school year.

2. The aid referred to in paragraph 1 shall be allocated to each Member State taking into account the following:

(a) the number of six- to ten-year-old children in the Member State concerned;

(b) the degree of development of the regions within the Member State concerned so as to ensure that higher aid is allocated to less developed regions and to the smaller Aegean Islands within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) No 229/2013; and (c) for school milk, in addition to the criteria referred to in points (a) and (b), the historical use of the Union aid for the supply of milk and milk products to children.

The allocations for the Member States concerned shall ensure that higher aid is allocated to the outermost regions listed in Article 349 TFEU in order to take into account the specific situation of those regions in the sourcing of products and to promote such sourcing between outermost regions that are in geographical proximity to each other. The allocations for school milk resulting from the application of the criteria laid down in this paragraph shall ensure that all Member States are entitled to receive at least a minimum amount of Union aid per child in the age group referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph.

————— ◄ Measures on the fixing of indicative and definitive allocations and on reallocation of Union aid for school fruit and vegetables and for school milk shall be taken by the Council in accordance with Article 43(3) TFEU.

3. Member States wishing to participate in the school scheme shall submit every year their request for Union aid, specifying the amount requested for the school fruit and vegetables and the amount requested for the school milk that they wish to distribute.

4. Without exceeding the overall limit of EUR 220 804 135 laid down in paragraph 1, any Member State may transfer once per school year up to 20 % of either one or the other of its indicative allocations. That percentage may be increased up to 25 % for the Member States with outermost regions listed in Article 349 TFEU and in other duly justified cases, such as where a Member State needs to address a specific market situation in the sector covered by the school scheme, its particular concerns regarding low consumption of either one of the groups of products, or other societal changes. Transfers may be made either:

(a) prior to the fixing of definitive allocations for the following school year, between the Member State's indicative allocations; or (b) after the start of school year, between the Member State's definitive allocations, where such allocations have been set for the Member State in question.

The transfers referred to in point (a) of the third subparagraph may not be made from the indicative allocation for the group of products for which the Member State concerned requests an amount exceeding its indicative allocation. Member States shall notify to the Commission the amount of any transfers between indicative allocations.

5. The school scheme shall be without prejudice to any separate national school schemes which are compatible with Union law. Union aid provided for in Article 23 may be used to extend the scope or effectiveness of any existing national school schemes or school distribution schemes providing school fruit and vegetables and school milk but shall not replace funding for those existing national schemes, except for free distribution of meals to children in educational establishments. If a Member State decides to extend the scope of an existing national school scheme or to make it more effective by requesting Union aid, it shall indicate in the strategy referred to in Article 23(8) how this will be achieved.

6. Member States may, in addition to Union aid, grant national aid for the financing of the school scheme.

Member States may finance that aid by means of a levy on the sector concerned or by means of any other contribution from the private sector.

7. The Union may also finance, pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, information, publicity, monitoring and evaluation measures relating to the school scheme, including measures to raise public awareness of the scheme's objectives, and related networking measures aimed at exchanging experience and best practices in order to facilitate the implementation and management of the scheme. The Commission may develop, in accordance with Article 24(4) of this Regulation, a common identifier or graphic elements to enhance the visibility of the school scheme.

8. Member States participating in the school scheme shall publicise, at school premises or other relevant places, their involvement in the scheme and the fact that it is subsidised by the Union. Member States may use any suitable publicity tools, which may include posters, dedicated websites, informative graphic material, and information and awareness-raising campaigns. Member States shall ensure the added value and the visibility of the Union school scheme in relation to the provision of other meals in educational establishments.