1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCIL REGULATION (EC)No 1292/96
of 27 June 1996
on food-aid policy and food-aid management and special operations in support of food security
(OJ L 166, 5.7.1996, p. 1)
Amended by:
OfficialJournal
No page date
►M1 Regulation (EC) No 1726/2001 of the European Parliament and of the
Councilof 23 Jul y 2001 L 234 10 1.9.2001
▼B
COUNCIL REGULATION (EC)No 1292/96
of 27 June 1996
on food-aid policy and food-aid management and special operations
in support of food security
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, andin particular Article 130w thereof,
Having regard to the proposalfrom the Commission (
1),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189c of
the Treaty (2),
Whereas now, as ever, food aid is an important aspect of the
Community's development cooperation policy;
Whereas food aid must be integrated into the developing countries'
policies for the improvement of their food security, in particular by theestablishment of food strategies aimed at alleviating poverty and gearedto achieving the ultimate goal of making food aid superfluous;
Whereas the Community and its Member States closely coordinate their
development cooperation policies as regards food aid programmes andoperations aimed specifically at enhancing food security; whereas theCommunity, with its Member States, is a party to certain international
agreements in this domain, and in particular the Food Aid Convention;
Whereas regional, national and household food security, with the long-
term aim of securing universaland constant access to a diet that wil l
promote a healthy and active life, is an important element in the fightagainst poverty and whereas it is important for this to be emphasized inall programmes intended for developing countries;
Whereas food aid must not have any adverse effects on the normal
production and commercialimport structures of the recipient countries;
Whereas food aid and operations in support of food security are key
features of Community development cooperation policy and must betaken into account as objectives in all Community policies likely toaffect the developing countries, in particular from the point of view of
economic reforms and structuraladjustment;
Whereas, given the different responsibilities of men and women for the
food security of households, systematic account should be taken of their
different roles when drawing up programmes aimed at achieving food
security;
Whereas women and communities should be involved to a greater extent
in efforts to achieve food security at national, regional or local level andat the level of households;
Whereas food aid must be an effective instrument ensuring access to an
adequate and appropriate diet and improving the availability andaccessibility of foodstuffs to the public, consistent with local dietaryhabits and production and trading systems, particularly in food crises,and fully integrated into development policy;
Whereas the food-aid instrument is a key component of the Commu-
nity's policy on preventing or helping in crisis situations in the
developing countries and whereas account should be taken in its
implementation of its possible social and political effects;
Whereas food-aid operations cannot be part of a viable solution unless
they are integrated into development operations geared to relaunchinglocal production and trade;1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 253, 29. 9. 1995, p. 10.
(2) Opinion of the European Parliament of 15 December 1995 (OJ No C 17, 22.
1. 1996), CouncilCommon Position of 29 January 1996 and decision of the
European Parliament of 24 May 1996 (OJ No C 166, 10. 6. 1996).
▼B
Whereas analysis, diagnosis, programming and monitoring need to be
improved to make food aid more effective and avoid adverse effects onlocal production, distribution, transport and marketing capacities;
Whereas food aid should be made a real instrument of the Community's
policy of cooperation with the developing countries, thereby enabling
the Community to participate fully in multiannual development projects;
Whereas it is therefore necessary that the Community be able to provide
a steady overall flow of aid and be in a position, in appropriate cases, toundertake to supply to the developing countries minimum amounts ofproducts under specific multiannual programmes linked to developmentpolicies as well as to enter into undertakings in relation to internationalorganizations;
Whereas the Community's support for the developing countries' efforts
to achieve food security could be enhanced by greater flexibility in food
aid, granting financialsupport for operations concerning food security,
and in particular the development of farming and food crops, as analternative to food aid in certain circumstances, while protecting theenvironment and the interests of small farmers and fishermen;
Whereas the Community can assist those in need in ruraland urban
areas in the developing countries by helping finance operations insupport of food security through the purchase of food products, seed,
agricultural implements and inputs, and relevant means of production,
and through storage programmes, early-warning systems, mobilization,supervision and technicaland financialassistance;
Whereas it is necessary to continue to support regionalapproaches to
food security, including local purchasing operations in order to make useof the natural complementarity between countries belonging to the sameregion; whereas the policies conducted in the field of food security
shoul d be given a regionaldimension in order to foster regionaltrade in
foodstuffs and promote integration;
Whereas the purchase of foodstuffs at local level reduces inefficiency,
costs and damage to the environment which might be caused by thetransport of large quantities of foodstuffs in the world;
Whereas the genetic potentialand bio-diversity of food production must
be safeguarded;
Whereas Community food-aid policy must adjust to geopolitical change
and the economic reforms under way in many recipient countries;
Whereas a list should be drawn up of the countries and bodies eligible
for Community aid operations;
Whereas to that end provision should also be made for Community aid
to be made available to international, regional and non-governmentalorganizations; whereas such organizations must satisfy a number ofconditions guaranteeing the success of food-aid operations;
Whereas, in order to facilitate the application of certain of the measures
envisaged and ensure that they mesh with the recipient country's food
security policy, provision should be made for close cooperation between
the Member States and the Commission within a Food Security andFood Aid Committee;
Whereas in determining the steps to be taken for the execution of food-
aid operations the implementing procedures should be adjusted to thespecific nature of each recipient area, although within the framework ofa common policy and strategy;
Whereas, in order to ensure better management of food aid, aligning it
more closely on the interests and needs of the recipient countries, and to
improve the decision-making and implementing procedures, it is
desirable to replace Council Regulation (EEC) No 3972/86 of 22December 1986 on food-aid policy and food-aid management (
1),1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 3
(1) OJ No L 370, 30. 12. 1986, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Council
Regulation (EEC) No 1930/90 (OJ No L 174, 7. 7. 1990, p. 6);
▼B
CouncilRegul ation (EEC) No 1755/84 of 19 June 1984 on the
implementation in relation to food of alternative operations in place offood-aid deliveries (
1), CouncilRegul ation (EEC) No 2507/88 of 4
August 1988 on the implementation of storage programmes and early
warning systems (2), CouncilRegul ation (EEC) No 2508/88 of 4 August
1988 on the implementation of cofinancing operations for the purchaseof food products or seeds by internationalbodies or non-governmentalorganizations (
3) and CouncilRegul ation (EEC) 1420/87 of 21 May 1987
laying down procedures for the implementation of Regulation (EEC) No
3972/86 on food-aid policy and food-aid management (4),
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
CHAPTER I
Objectives and general guidelines for food aid and operations in
support of food security
Article 1
1. Under its policy of cooperation with developing countries and in
order to respond appropriately to situations of food insecurity caused byserious food shortages or food crises the Community shall carry outfood-aid operations and operations in support of food security in the
developing countries.
Food-aid operations of a humanitarian nature shall be carried out in the
framework of the rules on humanitarian aid and shall not fall within thescope of this Regulation. In the event of a serious crisis, all theinstruments of the Community's aid policy shall be implemented in close
coordination for the benefit of the population concerned.
2. Operations under this Regulation shall be appraised after analysis
of the desirability and effectiveness of this instrument as compared withother means of intervention available under Community aid which could
have an impact on food security and food aid, and in coordination with
these means.
The Commission shall ensure that operations under this Regulation are
appraised in close coordination with intervention by other donors.
3. The objectives of the food-aid operations and operations in support
of food security referred to in paragraph 1 shall, in particular, be:
— to promote food security geared to alleviating poverty, to help the
population of developing countries and regions, at household, local,national and regional levels,
— to raise the standard of nutrition of the recipient population and help
it obtain a balanced diet,
— to take account of the concern to ensure the supply of drinking water
to the population,
— to promote the availability and accessibility of foodstuffs to the
public,
— to contribute towards the balanced economic and social development
of the recipient countries in the ruraland urban environment, by
paying specialattention to the respective rol es of women and men in
the household economy and in the social structure; the ultimateobjective of Community aid operations shall be to make therecipients into agents of their own development,
— to support the efforts of the recipient countries to improve their own
food production at regional, national, local and family level,
— to reduce their dependence on food aid,
— to encourage them to be independent in food, either by increasing
production, or by enhancing and increasing purchasing power,1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 4
(1) OJ No L 165, 23. 6. 1984, p. 7.
(2) OJ No L 220, 11. 8. 1988, p. 1.
(3) OJ No L 220, 11. 8. 1988, p. 4.
(4) OJ No L 136, 26. 5. 1987, p. 1.
▼B
— to contribute to the initiatives to combat poverty with development
as an objective.
4. The Community's aid shall be integrated as thoroughly as possible
into the development policies, particularly those on agriculture and agri-
foodstuffs, and the food strategies of the countries concerned.
Community aid shall back up the recipient country's policies on poverty,nutrition, reproductive health care, environmental protection andrehabilitation, with special attention to the continuity of programmes,particularly in a post-emergency situation. Whether sold or distributedfree of charge, aid must not be liable to disrupt the local market.
TITLE I
Food-aid operations
Article 2
1. The products supplied, along with an other operation in the
framework of food aid, must reflect as closely as possible the dietaryhabits of the recipient population and shall not adversely affect therecipient country.
When products are selected, consideration shall be given to how to
maximize the quantity of food with a view to reaching the maximumnumber of people, taking into account the quality of products in order to
ensure adequate levels of nutrition.
When selecting the products to be supplied as Community aid and the
procedures for the mobilization and distribution of that aid, particular
account shall be taken of the social aspects of access to food in therecipient countries, and especially of the most vulnerable groups and therole of women in the household economy.
2. Food aid shall primarily be allocated on the basis of an objective
evaluation of the real needs justifying such aid, as this is the only way toimprove the food security of groups which do not have the means or
possibility of plugging their food shortage themselves. To that end,
consideration shall be given to the following criteria, without excludingother relevant considerations:
— food shortages,
— the food situation measures using human development and
nutritionalindicators,
—per capita income and the existence of particularly poor population
groups,
— social indicators of the welfare of the population in question,
— the recipient country's balance-of-payments situation,— the economic and socialimpact and financialcost of the proposed
operation,
— the existence in the recipient country of a long-term policy on food
security.
3. The granting of food aid shall, where necessary, be conditional on
the implementation of short-term, multiannual development projects,sectoraloperations or devel opment programmes, and as a priority thosewhich promote sustainable long-term food production and food securityin the recipient countries within the framework of a food policy andstrategy. Where appropriate, this aid may take the form of a direct
contribution to the implementation of such projects, operations or
programmes. Where Community aid is intended for sale, suchcomplementarity must be ensured by the use of counterpart funds forpurposes agreed by the Community and the recipient country or, whereappropriate, the body or non-governmentalorganization which receives
the aid. Where food aid is provided as backing for a development
programme spread over a number of years, it may be supplied on amultiannual basis linked to the programme in question. Besides theallocation of basic foodstuffs, aid may be used for the supply of seed,fertilizer, tools, other inputs and commodities, the creation of reserves,technicaland financialassistance and awareness and training schemes.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 5
▼B
4. As a key component of food-security programmes food aid may be
given to support efforts by the recipient countries to create buffer stockspaying specialattention to individualfarmers' stocks and national
reserves, in tandem with the setting-up of regionalreserves.
5. Counterpart funds shall be managed in a manner consistent with
other Community aid instruments.
In the case of countries undergoing structuraladjustment, and in l ine
with the relevant resolutions of the Council, the counterpart funds
generated by the various development assistance instruments constitute
resources which must be managed as part of a single and consistentbudgetary policy in the context of a programme of reforms.
In this context, the Community could move from targeting counterpart
funds towards more general allocation, as soon as progress has beenmade in improving the effectiveness of the monitoring instruments,
programming and budget implementation, and as regards internalization
of reviews of public expenditure. Without prejudice to the foregoing,these funds shall be managed in accordance with general Community aidprocedures for such funds and as a priority to support food-securitypolicies and programmes.
TITLE II
Operations in support of food security
Article 3
Where circumstances warrant it, the Community may carry out
operations in support of food security in developing countries sufferinga food shortage.
Such operations may be implemented by the recipient countries, the
Commission, internationalor regionalorganizations or non-govern-
mentalorganizations.
The purpose of these operations shall be to support, using the resources
available, the framing and execution of a food strategy or other measuresfostering the food security of the population concerned and to encouragethem to reduce their food dependency and their dependence on food aid,especially in the case of low-income countries with serious food
shortages. The operations must help to improve the living standards of
the poorest people in the countries concerned.
Operations in support of food security shall take the form of financial
and technicalassistance, in accordance with the criteria and procedureslaid down in this Regulation. Such operations shall be planned andappraised in the light of their consistency with, and complementarity to,
the objectives and operations financed by other Community develop-
ment-aid instruments. They must be part of a multiannual plan.
Article 4
A developing country eligible for Community food aid operations under
this Regulation may receive part or all of the food that has been — ormay be — allocated to it in the form of operations in support of food
security either directly or through international, regional or non-
governmentalorganizations, with particul ar account being taken oftrends in production, consumption and reserves in that country, the foodsituation of its inhabitants and the food aid granted by other donors.
Article 5
Operations in support of food security shall take the form of technical
and financialassistance aimed, in accordance with the objectives l aid
down in Article 1, at improving sustainable and long-term food security
by helping finance, inter alia :
— the supply of seed, tools and inputs essential to the production of
food crops,
— rural credit support schemes targeted particularly at women,1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 6
▼B
— schemes to supply the population with drinking water,
— storage schemes at the appropriate level,— operations concerning the marketing, transport, distribution or
processing of agricultural and food products,
— measures in support of the private sector for commercialdevel op-
ment at national, regional and international level,
— applied research and field training,— projects to develop the production of food crops while respecting the
environment,
— flanking, awareness, technical assistance and field training opera-
tions, in particular for women and producers' organizations and
agricultural workers,
— support measures for women and producers' organizations,— projects to produce fertilizer from raw materials and basic materials
found in the recipient countries,
— schemes to support local food-aid structures, including training
schemes on the ground.
TITLE III
Early-warning systems and storage programmes
Article 6
The Community may support existing nationalearl y-warning systems
and help to strengthen existing international early-warning systems
concerning the food situation in developing countries and, in exceptional
and duly substantiated cases, it may operate such systems, in accordancewith the procedure laid down in Article 27. It may also cover the cost ofimplementing storage programmes in these countries in support of food-aid operations under this Regulation or comparable measures undertakenby the Member States, internationalor regionalorganizations or non-
governmentalorganizations.
Such operations should be consistent with other Community develop-
ment aid instruments, including the use of counterpart funds generatedby the sale of food aid, and be compatible with Community developmentpolicy.
These operations are intended to strengthen the food security of the
recipient countries. They must help improve the living conditions of the
poorest sections of the population in the countries concerned andconform with their development objectives, in particular the policy onfood crops.
Community participation in such operations shall take the form of
financialand/or technicalassistance, in accordance with the criteria and
procedures laid down in this Regulation.
Operations supported by Community aid shall be appraised in the light
of and in a manner consistent with existing programmes managed byspecialist international organizations.
Article 7
Community support for storage programmes and early-warning systems
may be granted, upon request, to internationalor regionalorganizations
or non-governmental organizations for operations to help developingcountries eligible for food aid from the Community and its MemberStates.
Article 8
Community aid may help finance the following measures:
— early-warning systems and systems for gathering data on trends in
harvests, stocks and markets, the food situation of households andthe vulnerability of the population with a view to improvingunderstanding of the food situation in the countries concerned,1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 7
▼B
— operations aimed at improving storage systems with a view to
reducing waste or ensuring sufficient storage capacity for emergen-cies. Such operations may also include the establishment of the
infrastructure, in particular bagging, unloading, disinfection, treat-
ment and storage facilities, needed to handle food products in thesecountries in support of food-aid operations or operations in supportof food security,
— preparatory studies and training schemes in connection with the
above activities.
CHAPTER II
Implementing procedures for food aid and storage and early-
warning operations in support of food security
Article 9
1. The countries and organizations eligible for Community aid for
operations under this Regulation are listed in the Annex. In thisconnection, priority shall be given to the poorest sections of thepopulation and to low-income countries with serious food shortages.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the
Commission, may amend that list.
2. Non-profit-making non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs)
eligible for direct or indirect Community financing for the implementa-tion of operations under this Regulation must meet the followingcriteria:
(a) if they are European non-governmentalorganizations, they must be
autonomous organizations in a Member State of the EuropeanCommunity under the laws in force in that Member State;
(b) they must have their headquarters in a Member State of the
Community, the recipient countries or, exceptionally, in the case ofinternationalNGOs, a third country. This headquarters must be theeffective decision-making centre for all co-financed operations;
(c) show that they can successfully carry out food-aid operations; in
particular through:
— their administrative and financialmanagement capacity,
— their technical and logistical capacity to handle the proposed
operation,
— the results of operations implemented by the relevant NGOs
carried out with Community finance or finance from the MemberStates,
— their experience in the field of food aid and food security,
— their presence in the recipient country and their knowledge of
that country or of developing countries;
(d) undertake to comply with the conditions laid down by the
Commission for the allocation of food aid.
Article 10
1. The Community may help finance operations in support of food
security of the kind described in Titles I, II and III (Chapters I and II)executed by the recipient country, the Commission, internationalor
regionalorganizations or non-governmentalorganizations.
2. Cofinancing operations may be carried out at the request of
recipient countries, internationalor regionalorganizations or non-governmentalorganizations, where such operations seem the most
appropriate way of enhancing the food security of groups without the
ways and means to cope with a food shortage themselves.
3. In the design of the Community operations defined in Titles I, II
and III, the Commission will give particular attention to:
— the pursuit of sustainable impact and economic viability in project
design,1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 8
▼B
— the clear definition and monitoring of objectives and indicators of
achievement.
Article 11
1. Products shall be mobilized on the Community market, in the
recipient country or in one of the developing countries (listed in the
Annex) if possible one belonging to the same geographical region as therecipient country.
2. Exceptionally, products may be mobilized on the market of a
country other than those provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 27:
— if the requisite type or quality of product is unavailable on the market
of the Community or any of the developing countries,
— if there is a serious food shortage, where such purchases are likely to
increase the effectiveness of the operation.
3. Food products available on the internal market may be mobilized
on the market of a developing country, if the economic efficiency ofdoing so compares favourably with that of mobilizing products on the
European market.
4. Where food is purchased in the recipient country or in a
developing country, steps must be taken to ensure that such purchases
threaten neither to disrupt the market of the country concerned or of any
other developing countries in the same region nor to affect adversely thesupply of food to their inhabitants. Such purchases shall be integrated asthoroughly as possible into the implementation of Community devel-opment policy towards these countries, particularly with regard to thepromotion of food security in the country concerned or at regional level.
Article 12
Where a recipient country has partially or totally liberalized food
imports, the mobilization of Community aid must be consistent with that
country's policy and not distort the market.
In such cases, the Community contribution may take the form of a
foreign-currency facility to be made available to private-sector operators
in the country concerned, subject to the operation being part of a socialand economic policy and an agricultural policy aimed at alleviatingpoverty (including the strategy on the importation of basic foodstuffs).The recipients shall be required to prove that they have made proper use
of the means put at their disposal. Priority shall go to small and medium-
sized private operators in order to ensure that operations arecomplementary. To the extent that its powers to carry out operationsso allow, the Commission may adopt positive discrimination measuresfor small and medium-sized private operators.
Such aid shall be governed by the principles laid down in Article 11.
Article 13
1. The Community may cover costs relating to the transport of food
aid.
2. Where the Commission considers that the Community should
cover costs relating to the inland transport of food aid, it shall takeaccount of the following general criteria:
— a serious food shortage,
— the delivery of food aid to low-income countries suffering from
serious food shortages,
— whether the food aid is destined for the internationalor regional
organizations or non-governmentalorganizations referred to inArticle 10,
— the need to increase the efficiency of the food-aid operation in
question.
3. Where food aid is sold in the recipient country, the Community
should cover inland transport costs only in exceptional circumstances.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 9
▼B
4. The Community may also cover the air transport costs of food-aid
operations in exceptionalcircumstances.
Article 14
The Community may cover finaldistribution costs where the smooth
execution of the food-aid operations concerned requires it.
Article 15
Community aid shall take the form of grants. Aid may cover the external
and local costs of implementing operations, including maintenance and
operating costs.
Operations under this Regulation shall be exempt from taxes, duties and
customs charges.
Any counterpart funds shall be used in accordance with the objectives
laid down in this Regulation and managed in agreement with theCommission. The competent authority of the recipient country shallkeep accounts on the collection and use of the funds and shall be obligedto render accounts.
Article 16
The Community contribution may also cover flanking activities
necessary to make the operations under this Regulation more efficientand, in particular, supervision, monitoring and inspection, distributionand field training.
Article 17
Participation in invitations to tender and other procedures for the award
of public contracts shall be open on equal terms to all natural and legalpersons in the European Union and the recipient countries. It may beextended by the Commission to operations under Article 11 (2) to
include natural and legal persons in the countries where the aid is
mobilized.
When implementing this Regulation, the Commission shall guarantee
the openness of the operations in question by publicizing them properly.The Commission shall ensure that operations by intermediary organiza-tions are also publicized properly.
Article 18
The Commission may authorize a representative to conclude cofinancing
agreements in its name.
Article 19
1. The Commission shall lay down the allocation, mobilizing and
implementation conditions for aid under this Regulation.
2. Aid shall not be implemented unless the recipient country,
internationalor regionalorganization or non-governmentalorganization
complies with these conditions.
Article 20
The Commission shall take all measures necessary for the proper
implementation of food-aid programmes and operations, and operationsin support of food security.
To that end, the Member States and the Commission shall afford each
other all necessary assistance and exchange all relevant information.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 10
▼B
CHAPTER III
Procedure for implementing food-aid operations and early-warning
and storage operations in support of food security
Article 21
1. The Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the
Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, shalldetermine the Community share of the overall amount of aid, either intonnes of wheat equivalent or in value or in a combination of tonnage
and value, laid down in the Food Aid Convention as the total
contribution of both the Community and its Member States.
2. The Commission shall coordinate the operations of the Community
and the Member States as regards the supply of aid under the Food AidConvention and shall ensure that the total contribution by theCommunity and its Member States is at least as high as the commitmentprovided for in the said Convention.
Article 22
The Commission, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 27, and taking account of the general policy guidelines for foodaid shall:
— adopt the list of products which may be mobilized as aid,
— lay down rules for mobilization, monitoring and evaluation,
— determine each recipient's share of the products, in terms of quantity
and cost,
— where necessary, adjust allocations during the implementation of
programmes.
Article 23
Decisions:
— granting food aid or providing for an operation in support of food
security and laying down the conditions for the latter,
— granting a contribution to internationalor regionalorganizations or
non-governmentalorganizations for the financing of operations insupport of food security,
— granting aid for a storage programme or early-warning system;
shall be adopted by the Commission in accordance with the procedure
laid down in Article 27, in compliance with the limits set in Article 25.
Article 24
1. In accordance with the Councildecisions referred to in Articl e 21
and the decisions taken under Article 22, the Commission shall decide
on:
(a) emergency or serious food shortage operations, where famine or an
imminent danger thereof seriously threatens the lives or health of
people in a country without the ways and means to cope itself with afood shortage. The Commission shall act after consulting theMember States by the most appropriate means. Three working daysshall be allowed to the Member States in which to put forward any
objections. If there are any objections, the Committee referred to in
Article 26 shall examine the question at its next meeting;
(b) the conditions governing the supply and implementation of aid, in
particular:
— the general conditions applicable to recipients,
— initiation of the procedures governing mobilization, supply of
products and implementation of other measures, and conclusionof the relevant contracts.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 11
▼M1
▼B
▼B
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1 (a), the Commission shall be
entitled to take all necessary measures to speed up the supply of foodaid.
The volume of aid granted in a given case shall be limited to the
quantities needed by the population affected to cope with the situation
for a period not normally exceeding six months.
The Commission shall ensure that priority is given at all stages to the
mobilization of food aid for the operations provided for in paragraph 1(a) and (b).
Article 25
Decisions regarding operations the financing for which under this
Regulation exceeds ECU 2 million shall be taken in accordance with theprocedure laid down in Article 27.
Article 26
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Food Security and Food
Aid Committee, hereinafter referred to as ‘‘the Committee'’, composedof representatives of the Member States and chaired by a representativeof the Commission.
2. The Committee shall examine the long-term implications of any
proposal to commit funds for food security at household, local, nationaland regionall evelin the recipient countries, bearing in mind the
principles laid down in Article 1. It shall also analyze and monitor food-
security policies which are in receipt of Community aid and examineproposals for joint initiatives.
3. The Committee shall draw up its own rules of procedure.
Article 27
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a
draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver itsopinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may laydown according to the urgency of the matter in question. The opinionshall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of theTreaty in the case of decisions which the Councilis required to adopt on
a proposalfrom the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the
Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the mannerset out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.
The Commission shall adopt measures which apply immediately.
However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion ofthe Committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to theCouncil forthwith. In that event, the Commission shall defer application
of the measures which it has adopted for a period of two months from
the date of such communication.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different
decision within the time limit referred to in the previous paragraph.
Article 28
1. In order to guarantee the principle of complementarity referred to
in the Treaty and enhance the effectiveness and consistency of theCommunity and nationalfood-aid provisions and operations in supportof food security, the Commission shall seek to ensure that its ownactivities are as closely coordinated as possible with those of theMember States and with other policies of the European Union, both at
decision-making level and on the ground, and may take any appropriate
initiative in pursuit of this end.
To that end, Member States shall notify the Commission of their
nationalfood-aid operations and of their food security programmes. TheCommission, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down inArticle 27, shall stipulate how notification of national operations is to beeffected.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 12
▼B
2. The Commission shall ensure that operations implemented by the
Community are coordinated with those of internationalorganizationsand bodies, in particular those which form part of the United Nations
system.
3. The Commission shall seek to develop collaboration and coopera-
tion between the Community and third-country donors in the field offood security.
4. Coordination and cooperation between the Community and the
Member States, and between the latter and international organizations
and third-country donors shall be the subject of a regular exchange ofinformation within the Committee.
Article 29
The Committee may examine any other matter concerning food aid and
the other operations under this Regulation raised by its Chairman, either
on the latter's own initiative or at the request of a representative of a
Member State.
The Commission shall inform the Committee, within one month of
taking its decision, of the food-aid or food-security operations andprojects it has approved, indicating their amount and nature, therecipient country and the partner entrusted with implementation.
The Commission shall notify the Committee of the general guidelines
for products mobilized as Community food aid.
Article 30
The Commission shall undertake regular evaluations of significant food-
aid operations to establish whether the objectives laid down in theappraisalof those operations have been achieved and to provide
guidelines for improving the effectiveness of future operations. It shall
inform the Committee periodically on the evaluation programmes.
Member States and the Commission shall notify each other as soon as
possible of the results of evaluation work and of analyses or studies thatwould improve aid efficiency. The work will be analyzed in theCommittee. Member States and the Commission shall endeavour to
carry out joint evaluation exercises.
The Commission shall draw up procedures for the dissemination and
internal and external communication of the conclusions of evaluationexercises to the departments and organizations concerned.
Article 31
At the close of each financial year, the Commission shall submit an
annual report on the implementation of this Regulation to the European
Parliament and the Council. The report shall set out the results ofexecution of the budget as regards commitments and payments andprojects and programmes financed during the year. As far as possible,the report shall contain information on the funds committed nationallyduring the same financial year. As far as possible, it shall contain the
most important statisticaldata (by recipient country, national ity, etc.) on
contracts awarded for the implementation of projects and programmes.
The report shall also contain a breakdown of expenditure assigned to
each type of operation as provided for in Articles 2, 5 and 8.
Lastly, the report shall contain information on operations undertaken
with the counterpart funds generated by food aid.
Article 32
Regulations (EEC) No 3972/86, (EEC) No 1755/84, (EEC) No 2507/88,
(EEC) No 2508/88 and (EEC) No 1420/87 shall be repealed.
As a transitional measure and until the new mobilization Regulation is
adopted by the Commission, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2200/87of 8 July 1987 laying down general rules for the mobilization in the1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 13
▼B
Community of products to be supplied as Community food aid (1) shall
continue to apply.
Three years after the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission
shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an overall
evaluation of the operations financed by the Community under thisRegulation, accompanied by suggestions for the future of the Regulationand, if necessary, by proposals for amendments to it.
Article 33
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in
all Member States.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 14
(1) OJ No L 204, 25. 7. 1987, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EEC)
No 790/91 (OJ No L 81, 25. 3. 1991, p. 108).
▼B
ANNEX
1.COUNTRIES
LLDCs
(Least-developed coun-
tries)Other LICs
(Other low-income coun-
tries. Per capita GNP < US
$ 675 in 1992)LMICs
(Lower middle-income
countries. Per capita GNP
US $ 676—US $ 2 695 in
1992)
Afghanistan
BangladeshBeninBhutanBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodia
Cape Verde
CentralAfrican
Republic
ChadComorosDjibouti
EquatorialGuinea
EthiopiaGambiaGuinea BissauGuineaHaitiKiribatiLaosLesotho
Liberia
MadagascarMalawiMaldivesMaliMauritaniaMozambiqueMyanmarNepalNiger
Rwanda
Sao Tome and PrincipeSierra LeoneSolomon IslandsSomaliaSudanTanzaniaTogoTuvalu
Uganda
VanuatuWestern SamoaYemenZaireZambiaChina
EgyptEritreaGhanaGuyanaHondurasIndiaIndonesia
Kenya
NicaraguaNigeriaPakistanSri LankaTajikistanTimorVietnamZimbabweAlbania
AlgeriaAngolaAnguillaArmeniaAzerbaijanBelizeBolivia
Cameroon
ChileColombiaCongoCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCubaDominicaDominican Republic
Ecuador
ElSal vadorFijiGeorgiaGrenadaGuatemalaIranIraqJamaicaJordan
Kazakhstan
Korea (Democratic
Republic)
KyrgyzstanLebanonMacao
Marshall Islands
Micronesia, Federated
States
MoldovaMongoliaMorocco
Namibia
NiueOccupied Territories(Gaza and The West
Bank)
Panama
Papua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesSenegalSouth AfricaSt HelenaSt Vincent and The
Grenadines
States of Former Yugo-
1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 15
▼B
LLDCs
(Least-developed coun-
tries)Other LICs
(Other low-income coun-
tries. Per capita GNP < US
$ 675 in 1992)LMICs
(Lower middle-income
countries. Per capita GNP
US $ 676—US $ 2 695 in
1992)
slavia
Swaziland
Syria
ThailandTokelauTongaTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos
Islands
UzbekistanWallis and Futuna
2.BODIES
WFP
ICRC
IFRCUNHCRUNRWAFAO
UNICEF
3.NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
European NGOs, NGOs of the recipient country or, exceptionally international
NGOs, specializing in development.1996R1292 — EN — 02.09.2001 — 001.001 — 16