1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILREGULATION(EC)No1292/96
of27June1996
onfood-aidpolicyandfood-aidmanagementandspecialoperationsinsupportoffoodsecurity
(OJ L 166, 5.7.1996, p. 1)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Regulation (EC) No 1726/2001 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 23 July 2001L 234 10 1.9.2001
►M2Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 29 September 2003L 284 1 31.10.2003
NB: This consolidated version contains references to the European unit of account and/or the ecu, which from 1 January 1999
should be understood as references to the euro — Council Regulation (EEC) No 3308/80 (OJ L 345, 20.12.1980, p. 1) andCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 (OJ L 162, 19.6.1997, p. 1).
▼B
COUNCILREGULATION(EC)No1292/96
of27June1996
onfood-aidpolicyandfood-aidmanagementandspecialoperations
insupportoffoodsecurity
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, andin particular Article 130w thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (
1),
Acting in accordance withth e procedure laid down in Article 189c of
the Treaty (2),
Whereas now, as ever, food aid is an important aspect of the Commu-
nity's development cooperation policy;
Whereas food aid must be integrated into the developing countries'
policies for the improvement of their food security, in particular bythe establishment of food strategies aimed at alleviating poverty andgeared to 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 programmesand operations aimed specifically at enhancing food security; whereasthe Community, with its Member States, is a party to certain interna-
tional 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 universal and constant access to a diet that will
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 commercial import 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 ofeconomic reforms and structural adjustment;
Whereas, given the different responsibilities of men and women for the
food security of households, systematic account should be taken oftheir different roles when drawing up programmes aimed at achievingfood security;
Whereas women and communities should be involved to a greater
extent in efforts to achieve food security at national, regional or locallevel and at the level of households;
Whereas food aid must be an effective instrument ensuring access to an
adequate and appropriate diet and improving the availability and acces-sibility of foodstuffs to the public, consistent with local dietary habits
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 imple-mentation of its possible social and political effects;1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 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), Council Common Position of 29 January 1996 and decision of the
European Parliament of 24 May 1996 (OJ No C 166, 10. 6. 1996).
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Whereas food-aid operations cannot be part of a viable solution unless
they are integrated into development operations geared to relaunchinglocal production and trade;
Whereas analysis, diagnosis, programming and monitoring need to be
improved to make food aid more effective and avoid adverse effectson local production, distribution, transport and marketing capacities;
Whereas food aid should be made a real instrument of the Commu-
nity's policy of cooperation with the developing countries, thereby
enabling the Community to participate fully in multiannual develop-
ment 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 appropriatecases, to undertake to supply to the developing countries minimumamounts of products under specific multiannual programmes linked to
development policies as well as to enter into undertakings in relation to
international organizations;
Whereas the Community's support for the developing countries' efforts
to achieve food security could be enhanced by greater flexibility infood aid, granting financial support for operations concerning foodsecurity, and in particular the development of farming and food crops,
as an alternative to food aid in certain circumstances, while protecting
the environment and the interests of small farmers and fishermen;
Whereas the Community can assist those in need in rural and 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 technical and financial assistance;
Whereas it is necessary to continue to support regional approaches to
food security, including local purchasing operations in order to makeuse of the natural complementarity between countries belonging to the
same region; whereas the policies conducted in the field of food
security should be given a regional dimension in order to fosterregional trade 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 potential and 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 coun-
try's food security policy, provision should be made for closecooperation between the Member States and the Commission within aFood Security and Food Aid Committee;
Whereas in determining the steps to be taken for the execution of food-
aid operations the implementing procedures should be adjusted to the
specific nature of each recipient area, although within the framework
of a 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, andto improve the decision-making and implementing procedures, it isdesirable to replace Council Regulation (EEC) No 3972/86 of 221996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 3
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December 1986 on food-aid policy and food-aid management (1),
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1755/84 of 19 June 1984 on the imple-mentation in relation to food of alternative operations in place of food-
aid deliveries (
2), Council Regulation (EEC) No 2507/88 of 4 August
1988 on the implementation of storage programmes and early warningsystems (
3), Council Regulation (EEC) No 2508/88 of 4 August 1988
on the implementation of cofinancing operations for the purchase offood products or seeds by international bodies or non-governmental
organizations (
4) and Council Regulation (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 (
5),
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
CHAPTER I
Objectives and general guidelines for food aid and operations in
supportoffoodsecurity
Article 1
1. Under its policy of cooperation withdeveloping countries and in
order to respond appropriately to situations of food insecurity causedby serious food shortages or food crises the Community shall carry
out food-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 the
scope of this Regulation. In the event of a serious crisis, all the instru-ments of the Community's aid policy shall be implemented in closecoordination 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 comparedwith other means of intervention available under Community aid whichcould have an impact on food security and food aid, and in coordina-
tion withth ese means.
The Commission shall ensure that operations under this Regulation are
appraised in close coordination withintervention by oth er donors.
3. The objectives of the food-aid operations and operations in
support of food security referred to in paragraph1 sh all, 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 develop-
ment of the recipient countries in the rural and urban environment,by paying special attention to the respective roles of women and
men in the household economy and in the social structure; the ulti-
mate objective of Community aid operations shall be to make therecipients into agents of their own development,1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 4
(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).
(2) OJ No L 165, 23. 6. 1984, p. 7.
(3) OJ No L 220, 11. 8. 1988, p. 1.
(4) OJ No L 220, 11. 8. 1988, p. 4.
(5) OJ No L 136, 26. 5. 1987, p. 1.
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— 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,
— 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 andagri-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 protectionand rehabilitation, with special attention to the continuity ofprogrammes, particularly in a post-emergency situation. Whether soldor distributed free of charge, aid must not be liable to disrupt the localmarket.
TITLEI
Food-aidoperations
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 the
recipient country.
When products are selected, consideration shall be given to how to
maximize the quantity of food with a view to reaching the maximum
number 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, particularaccount shall be taken of the social aspects of access to food in therecipient countries, and especially of the most vulnerable groups andthe role 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 wayto improve 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 nutri-
tional indicators,
—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 social impact and financial cost 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,sectoral operations or development 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 and
strategy. Where appropriate, this aid may take the form of a direct
contribution to the implementation of such projects, operations orprogrammes. Where Community aid is intended for sale, such comple-mentarity must be ensured by the use of counterpart funds for purposesagreed by the Community and the recipient country or, where appro-priate, the body or non-governmental organization which receives the1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 5
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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 the
allocation of basic foodstuffs, aid may be used for the supply of seed,
fertilizer, tools, other inputs and commodities, the creation of reserves,technical and financial assistance and awareness and training schemes.
4. As a key component of food-security programmes food aid may
be given to support efforts by the recipient countries to create bufferstocks paying special attention to individual farmers' stocks and
national reserves, in tandem withth e setting-up of regional reserves.
5. Counterpart funds shall be managed in a manner consistent with
other Community aid instruments.
In the case of countries undergoing structural adjustment, and in line
with the relevant resolutions of the Council, the counterpart fundsgenerated by the various development assistance instruments constitute
resources which must be managed as part of a single and consistent
budgetary 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 internaliza-
tion of reviews of public expenditure. Without prejudice to the
foregoing, these funds shall be managed in accordance with generalCommunity aid procedures for suchfunds and as a priority to supportfood-security policies and programmes.
TITLEII
Operationsinsupportoffoodsecurity
Article 3
Where circumstances warrant it, the Community may carry out opera-
tions in support of food security in developing countries suffering a
food shortage.
Such operations may be implemented by the recipient countries, the
Commission, international or regional organizations or non-govern-mental organizations.
The purpose of these operations shall be to support, using the resources
available, the framing and execution of a food strategy or othermeasures fostering the food security of the population concerned and
to encourage them to reduce their food dependency and their depen-
dence on food aid, especially in the case of low-income countrieswith serious food shortages. The operations must help to improve theliving standards of the poorest people in the countries concerned.
Operations in support of food security shall take the form of financial
and technical assistance, in accordance with the criteria and procedures
laid down in this Regulation. Such operations shall be planned and
appraised in the light of their consistency with, and complementarityto, the objectives and operations financed by other Community devel-opment-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 — or may be — allocated to it in the form of operations in
support of food security either directly or through international,regional or non-governmental organizations, withparticular accountbeing taken of trends in production, consumption and reserves in thatcountry, the food situation of its inhabitants and the food aid grantedby other donors.1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 6
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Article 5
Operations in support of food security shall take the form of technical
and financial assistance aimed, in accordance withth e objectives laiddown 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,— 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 commercial develop-
ment at national, regional and international level,
— applied researchand 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.
TITLEIII
Early-warningsystemsandstorageprogrammes
Article 6
The Community may support existing national early-warning systems
and help to strengthen existing international early-warning systemsconcerning the food situation in developing countries and, in excep-tional and duly substantiated cases, it may operate suchsystems, inaccordance withth e procedure laid down in Article 27. It may also
cover the cost of implementing storage programmes in these countries
in support of food-aid operations under this Regulation or comparablemeasures undertaken by the Member States, international or regionalorganizations or non-governmental organizations.
Such operations should be consistent with other Community develop-
ment aid instruments, including the use of counterpart funds generated
by the sale of food aid, and be compatible with Community develop-
ment policy.
These operations are intended to strengthen the food security of the
recipient countries. They must help improve the living conditions ofthe 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
financial and/or technical assistance, 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 withexisting programmes managed byspecialist international organizations.
Article 7
Community support for storage programmes and early-warning systems
may be granted, upon request, to international or regional organizationsor non-governmental organizations for operations to help developingcountries eligible for food aid from the Community and its MemberStates.1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 7
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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 and
the vulnerability of the population with a view to improving under-
standing of the food situation in the countries concerned,
— operations aimed at improving storage systems witha view to redu-
cing waste or ensuring sufficient storage capacity for emergencies.Such operations may also include the establishment of the infra-structure, in particular bagging, unloading, disinfection, treatment
and storage facilities, needed to handle food products in these coun-
tries in support of food-aid operations or operations in support offood security,
— preparatory studies and training schemes in connection with the
above activities.
CHAPTER II
Implementing procedures for food aid and storage and early-
warningoperationsinsupportoffoodsecurity
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 the popu-lation and to low-income countries withserious food sh ortages.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the
Commission, may amend that list.
2. Non-profit-making non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
eligible for direct or indirect Community financing for the implementa-
tion of operations under this Regulation must meet the following
criteria:
(a) if they are European non-governmental organizations, they must be
autonomous organizations in a Member State of the European
Community 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
of international NGOs, a third country. This headquarters must be
the effective 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 financial management capacity,
— their technical and logistical capacity to handle the proposed
operation,
— the results of operations implemented by the relevant NGOs
carried out withCommunity finance or finance from th eMember States,
— 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 Commis-
sion 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, international or
regional organizations or non-governmental organizations.
2. Cofinancing operations may be carried out at the request of reci-
pient countries, international or regional organizations or non-governmental organizations, where such operations seem the most1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 8
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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,
— 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 theAnnex) if possible one belonging to the same geographical region asthe recipient country.
2. Exceptionally, products may be mobilized on the market of a
country other than those provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article inaccordance withth e 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 of
doing so compares favourably with that of mobilizing products on theEuropean market.
4. Where food is purchased in the recipient country or in a devel-
oping country, steps must be taken to ensure that such purchases
threaten neither to disrupt the market of the country concerned or ofany other developing countries in the same region nor to affectadversely the supply of food to their inhabitants. Such purchases shallbe integrated as thoroughly as possible into the implementation ofCommunity development policy towards these countries, particularly
with regard to the promotion 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 opera-tors in the country concerned, subject to the operation being part of a
social and economic policy and an agricultural policy aimed at alle-
viating poverty (including the strategy on the importation of basicfoodstuffs). The recipients shall be required to prove that they havemade proper use of the means put at their disposal. Priority shall goto small and medium-sized private operators in order to ensure that
operations are complementary. To the extent that its powers to carry
out operations so allow, the Commission may adopt positive discrimi-nation measures for 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 take
account of the following general criteria:
— a serious food shortage,1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 9
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— the delivery of food aid to low-income countries suffering from
serious food shortages,
— whether the food aid is destined for the international or regional
organizations or non-governmental organizations referred to in
Article 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.
4. The Community may also cover the air transport costs of food-aid
operations in exceptional circumstances.
Article 14
The Community may cover final distribution 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 mainte-nance 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 the
Commission. The competent authority of the recipient country shallkeep accounts on the collection and use of the funds and shall beobliged to render accounts.
Article 16
The Community contribution may also cover flanking activities neces-
sary to make the operations under this Regulation more efficient and,
in particular, supervision, monitoring and inspection, distribution and
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 prop-erly. The Commission shall ensure that operations by intermediaryorganizations are also publicized properly.
Article 18
The Commission may authorize a representative to conclude cofinan-
cing 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, inter-
national or regional organization or non-governmental organizationcomplies withth ese conditions.1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 10
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Article 20
The Commission shall take all measures necessary for the proper
implementation of food-aid programmes and operations, and operations
in 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.
CHAPTER III
Procedureforimplementingfood-aidoperationsandearly-warning
andstorageoperationsinsupportoffoodsecurity
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 in
tonnes of wheat equivalent or in value or in a combination of tonnage
and value, laid down in the Food Aid Convention as the total contribu-tion of bothth e Community and its Member States.
2. The Commission shall coordinate the operations of the Commu-
nity and the Member States as regards the supply of aid under theFood Aid Convention and shall ensure that the total contribution by
the Community and its Member States is at least as high as the
commitment provided 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 quan-
tity 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 international or regional organizations or
non-governmental organizations 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 withth e limits set in Article 25.
Article 24
1. In accordance withth e Council decisions referred to in Article 21
and the decisions taken under Article 22, the Commission shall decideon:
(a) emergency or serious food shortage operations, where famine or an
imminent danger thereof seriously threatens the lives or health ofpeople in a country without the ways and means to cope itself
with a food shortage. The Commission shall act after consulting
the Member States by the most appropriate means. Three workingdays shall be allowed to the Member States in which to put forwardany objections. If there are any objections, the Committee referredto in Article 26 shall examine the question at its next meeting;1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 11
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(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.
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1 (a), the Commission shall be
entitled to take all necessary measures to speed up the supply of food
aid.
The volume of aid granted in a given case shall be limited to the quan-
tities 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
the procedure 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 regional level in the recipient countries, bearing in mind the prin-ciples laid down in Article 1. It shall also analyze and monitor food-security policies which are in receipt of Community aid and examine
proposals for joint initiatives.
3. The Committee shall draw up its own rules of procedure.
Article 27
Where reference is made to this Article, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision
1999/468/EC (
1) shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article
8 thereof.
The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be
set at two months.
Article 28
1. In order to guarantee the principle of complementarity referred to
in the Treaty and enhance the effectiveness and consistency of the
Community and national food-aid provisions and operations in support
of 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 atdecision-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
national food-aid operations and of their food security programmes.The Commission, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 12
(1) Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures
for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (OJ
L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23).▼M2
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in Article 27, shall stipulate how notification of national operations is
to be effected.
2. The Commission shall ensure that operations implemented by the
Community are coordinated withth ose of international organizationsand bodies, in particular those which form part of the United Nationssystem.
3. The Commission shall seek to develop collaboration and coopera-
tion between the Community and third-country donors in the field of
food security.
4. Coordination and cooperation between the Community and the
Member States, and between the latter and international organizationsand 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 representativeof a Member State.
The Commission shall inform the Committee, within one month of
taking its decision, of the food-aid or food-security operations and
projects it has approved, indicating their amount and nature, the reci-
pient 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
the appraisal of those operations have been achieved and to provideguidelines for improving the effectiveness of future operations. It shallinform 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
that would improve aid efficiency. The work will be analyzed in the
Committee. Member States and the Commission shall endeavour tocarry out joint evaluation exercises.
The Commission shall draw up procedures for the dissemination and
internal and external communication of the conclusions of evaluation
exercises 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 EuropeanParliament 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 nationally
during the same financial year. As far as possible, it shall contain themost important statistical data (by recipient country, nationality, etc.)on contracts awarded for the implementation of projects andprogrammes.
The report shall also contain a breakdown of expenditure assigned to
eachtype of operation as provided for in Articles 2, 5 and 8.
Lastly, the report shall contain information on operations undertaken
withth e 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.1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 13
▼B
As a transitional measure and until the new mobilization Regulation is
adopted by the Commission, Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2200/87 of 8 July 1987 laying down general rules for the mobilization in the
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 Commis-
sion shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council anoverall evaluation of the operations financed by the Community underthis Regulation, accompanied by suggestions for the future of the
Regulation and, 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 — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 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
Central African
Republic
ChadComorosDjibouti
Equatorial Guinea
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
El SalvadorFijiGeorgiaGrenadaGuatemalaIranIraqJamaicaJordan
Kazakhstan
Korea (Democratic
Republic)
KyrgyzstanLebanonMacao
Marshall Islands
Micronesia, Federated
States
MoldovaMongoliaMorocco
Namibia
NiueOccupied Territories(Gaza and The West
Bank)
Panama
Papua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesSenegalSouthAfricaSt HelenaSt Vincent and The
Grenadines
States of Former Yugo-
1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 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-GOVERNMENTALORGANIZATIONS
European NGOs, NGOs of the recipient country or, exceptionally interna-
tional NGOs, specializing in development.1996R1292 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 16