Value of payment entitlements and convergence

1.   Member States shall determine the unit value of payment entitlements before convergence in accordance with this Article by adjusting the value of payment entitlements proportionally to their value as established in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 for claim year 2022 and the related payment for agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and environment provided for in Title III, Chapter III, of that Regulation for claim year 2022.
2.   Member States may decide to differentiate the value of payment entitlements in accordance with Article 22(2).
3.   Each Member State shall, by claim year 2026 at the latest, set a maximum level for the value of individual payment entitlements for the Member State or for each group of territories referred to in Article 22(2).
4.   Where the value of payment entitlements as determined in accordance with paragraph 1 is not uniform within a Member State or within a group of territories referred to in Article 22(2), the Member State concerned shall ensure a convergence of the value of payment entitlements towards a uniform unit value by claim year 2026 at the latest.
5.   For the purposes of paragraph 4, each Member State shall ensure that, for claim year 2026 at the latest, all payment entitlements have a value of at least 85 % of the planned average unit amount referred to in Article 102(1) for the basic income support for claim year 2026, as laid down in its CAP Strategic Plan for the Member State or for the group of territories referred to in Article 22(2).
6.   Member States shall finance the increases in the value of payment entitlements needed to comply with paragraphs 4 and 5 of this Article by using any possible amounts that become available through the application of paragraph 3 of this Article, and, where necessary, by reducing the difference between the unit value of payment entitlements determined in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article and the planned unit amount referred to in Article 102(1), for the basic income support for claim year 2026, as laid down in the CAP Strategic Plan for the Member State or for the group of territories referred to in Article 22(2).
Member States may decide to apply the reduction to all or part of the payment entitlements with a value determined in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article exceeding the planned unit amount referred to in Article 102(1) for the basic income support for claim year 2026, as laid down in the CAP Strategic Plan for the Member State or for group of territories referred to in Article 22(2).
7.   The reductions referred to in paragraph 6 shall be based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria. Without prejudice to the minimum value set in accordance with paragraph 5, such criteria may include the fixing of a maximum decrease that may not be lower than 30 %.
8.   Member States shall ensure that the adjustment of the payment entitlement values in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7 starts from the year 2023.