2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 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)No1673/2000
of27July2000
onthecommonorganisationofthemarketsinflaxandhempgrownforfibre
(OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 651/2002 of 16 April 2002 L 101 3 17.4.2002
►M2Council Regulation (EC) No 393/2004 of 24 February 2004 L 65 4 3.3.2004
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COUNCILREGULATION(EC)No1673/2000
of27July2000
on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp
grownforfibre
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, andin particular Articles36 and 37 thereof;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (
1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (3),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions(4),
Whereas:
(1)The operation and development of the common market for agri-
cultural products must be accompanied by the establishment of a
common agricultural policy. Such a policy must include, inparticular, a common organisation of agricultural markets whichmay take variousforms , depending on the product.
(2)The aim of the common agricultural policy isto attain the objec-tives set out in the Treaty. In the case of flax and hemp grownfor fibre, in addition to the provisions on area payments inCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999 of 17 May 1999 estab-lishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (
5),
measures are needed to govern the internal market, including aid
to primary processors of flax and hemp straw or to farmers whohave the straw processed at their own expense.
(3)In order to ensure that flax and hemp straw is actually processed,grant of the aid should be subject to certain conditions, in parti-cular the authorisation of primary processors and the requirementthat such processors purchase the straw under contract. Likewise,in order to counter any possible abuse, aid for processing will begranted only on the basis of the processing of the straw, or on
the basis of the use of the fibres on the market if the farmer
has the straw processed on his behalf.
(4)In order to prevent improper use of Community funds, no aid
should be granted to primary processors or farmers who are
found to have artificially created the conditionsfor receivingthe aid, thereby enjoying an advantage that doesnot conform tothe objectives of the support scheme for straw processing.
(5)In view of the differencesbetween the market for long flax fibreand the market for short flax fibre and hemp fibre, the aid shouldbe differentiated according to which of the two typesof fibre isobtained. In order to ensure that overall support is sufficient tomaintain traditional production of long flax fibre in conditions
similar to those provided for in Council Regulation (EEC) No
1308/70 of 4 July 1970 on the common organisation of themarket in flax and hemp (
6), the aid should be gradually
increased to offset the gradual reduction in the aid per hectarepaid to growersunder Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999 and, ulti-mately, the abolition of the aid for short flax fibre. The aid for2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ C 56 E, 29.2.2000, p. 19.
(2) Opinion delivered on 6 July 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal).
(3) OJ C 140, 18.5.2000, p. 3.
(4) Opinion delivered on 14 June 2000 (not yet published in the Official
Journal).
(5) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 1. Regulation aslas t amended by Regulation (EC)
No 1672/2000 (see p 13 of this Official Journal).
(6) OJ L 146, 4.7.1970, p. 1. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No
2702/1999 (OJ L 327, 14.12.1999, p. 7.).
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short flax fibre and hemp fibre should be fixed at a level that
will give new productsand their potential outletsthe time toreach equilibrium. In order to promote only the production of
high quality short flax fibre and hemp fibre, provision should
be made for a maximum percentage of impurities and shives,together with transitional provisions to enable the processingindustry to adapt to this requirement.
(6)In order to take account of the special status of traditional flax incertain areasof the Netherlands , Belgium and France, additionaltransitional aid must be granted to the primary processors of
straw in respect of the areas concerned.
(7)In order to prevent any fraudulent increases in the quantitieseligible for aid, the Member Statess hould fix maximum quanti-
ties on the basis of the areas whose straw is the subject ofprocessing contracts or commitments.
(8)In order to keep down the expenditure incurred in applying thisRegulation, a stabiliser mechanism should be introduced for bothtypesof fibre obtained, i.e. long flax fibre and s hort flax fibreand hemp fibre. In order to ensure reasonable production levelsin each Member State, a maximum guaranteed quantity should
be set for both types of fibre, to be distributed among the
Member Statesasnational guaranteed quantities . However,national guaranteed quantitieswill be fixed for s hort flax fibreand hemp fibre only for the time needed to allow the newproductsto adjus t to the market. The national guaranteed quanti-
ties will apply to processing aid and will not affect the system
introduced by Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999. The nationalguaranteed quantitiess hould be fixed taking account in particularof the most recent average areas under fibre flax and hemp,adjusted where necessary to reflect the areas actually in produc-tion, multiplied by average fibre yields. With regard to Member
States whose current production is low, provision should be
made for a common quantity to be apportioned each marketingyear in order to enable them to adapt and develop their produc-tion.
(9)To enable the Member Statesto make adjus tmentsbetween thequantitiesthusobtained, conditionss hould be laid downgoverning transfers between the national guaranteed quantities
allocated to each. Any such transfers should be carried out on
the basis of a coefficient to ensure budgetary equivalence.
(10)The producer Member States must take the steps needed toensure that the arrangements for granting the aid operatesmoothly. Furthermore, because of the time needed to processall the straw harvested in one marketing year, provision shouldbe made for advance paymentsasa verification meas ure.
(11)Taken asa whole, the regime governing trade with third coun-tries should make it possible to dispense with all quantitativerestrictions and taxes levied at the Community's external borders.
However, this mechanism may in exceptional circumstances
prove defective. In such cases, so as not to leave the Communitymarket without defence against disturbances which may ensue,the Community should be able to take all necessary measureswithout delay. All such measures must comply with the obliga-
tions arising from the World Trade Organisation agreements on
agriculture (
1).
(12)In order to prevent illicit cropsfrom dis turbing the commonorganisation of the market in hemp for fibre, provision shouldbe made for checks on imports of hemp and hemp seed to ensurethat such products offer certain guarantees with regard to thetetrahydrocannabinol content. In addition, importsof hemp s eedsintended for uses other than sowing must be subjected to a2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 3
(1) OJ L 336, 23.12.1994, p. 22.
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control system which makes provision for a system for author-
ising the importers concerned.
(13)Asthe market in flax and hemp grown for fibre developsover
time, Member States and the Commission must exchange all
the information needed for thisRegulation to be applied.
(14)The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regula-tion should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the proceduresfor
the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commis-
sion (
1).
(15)Expenditure incurred by the Member Statesasa res ult of theobligationsaris ing out of the application of thisRegulationshould be financed by the Community in accordance withCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the
financing of the common agricultural policy (
2).
(16)Although the common organisation of the market in flax and
hemp asdefined in Regulation (EEC) No 1308/70 hasbeenamended a number of times, it nevertheless no longer reflectsthe deep changes that the sector has undergone. This being so,
Regulation (EEC) No 1308/70 and Council Regulation (EEC)
No 619/71 of 22 March 1971 laying down general rulesforgranting aid for flax and hemp (
3) should be repealed. Council
Regulation (EEC) No 620/71 of 22 March 1971 laying downoutline provisions for contracts for the sale of flax and hempstraw (
4), Council Regulation (EEC) No 1172/71 of 3 June 1971
laying down general ruleson private s torage aid for flax and
hemp fibre (5), Council Regulation (EEC) No 1430/82 of 18
May 1982 providing for restrictions on the importation of hempand hemp seed and amending Regulation (EEC) No 1308/70 inrespect of hemp (
6) and Council Regulation (EEC) No 2059/84
of 16 July 1984 laying down general rulesrelating to the import
restrictions on hemp and hemp seed and amending Regulation(EEC) No 619/71 in respect of hemp (
7), which are based on
Regulations(EEC) No 1308/70 and (EEC) No 619/71, s houldbe repealed and replaced by the new provisions in this Regula-tion.
(17)The change from the arrangementsin Regulation (EEC) No1308/70 to those in this Regulation could give rise to difficultieswhich are not dealt with in thisRegulation. In order to deal withthat eventuality, provision should be made for the Commissionto adopt the necessary transitional measures. The Commission
should also be authorised to solve specific practical problems.
(18)Having regard to the date on which thisRegulation entersinto
force, provision needs to be made for special measures for the2000/2001 marketing year. To that end, the system in forceduring the 1999/2000 marketing year should remain applicableuntil 30 June 2001. However, the amountsof aid s hould be fixed
by the Commission on the basis of the budget balances as soon
as the areas concerned have been reliably assessed, and theamount withheld for the financing of measures promoting theuse of flax fibre should be set at zero.
(19)In order to evaluate the effects of the new measures, theCommission will submit to the European Parliament and the2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 4
(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 103.
(3) OJ L 72, 26.3.1971, p. 2. Regulation aslas t amended by Regulation (EC)
No 1420/98 (OJ L 19, 4.7.1998, p. 7).
(4) OJ L 72, 26.3.1971, p. 4. Regulation aslas t amended by Regulation (EC)
No 713/95 (OJ L 73, 1.4.1995, p. 16).
(5) OJ L 123, 5.6.1971, p. 7.
(6) OJ L 162, 12.6.1982, p. 27. Regulation aslas t amended by Regulation (EC)
No 3290/94 (OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 105).
(7) OJ L 191, 19.7.1984, p. 6. Regulation aslas t amended by Regulation (EC)
No 3290/94.
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Council reportsconcerning, on the one hand, in 2003 the
national guaranteed quantitiesand the maximum level of impuri-ties and skives in short flax fibre and hemp fibre, and, on the
other hand, in 2005 the impact of processing aid and supplemen-
tary aid on producersand markets ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. The common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown
for fibre shall comprise arrangements governing the internal marketand trade with third countries. It shall apply to the following products:
NC code Description
5301 Flax, raw or processed but not spun; flax tow and waste
(including yarn waste and garnetted stock)
5302 True hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) raw or processed but not
spun; tow and waste of true hemp (including yarn waste
and garnetted stock)
2. For the purposes of this Regulation:
(a) ‘farmer’ shall mean farmers as defined in Article 10(a) of Council
Regulation (EC) No 1259/1999 of 17 May 1999 establishingcommon rules for direct support schemes under the common agri-cultural policy (
1);
(b) ‘authorised primary processor’ shall mean a natural or legal person
or a group of natural or legal persons, irrespective of its legal status
under national law, or that of its members, that has been authorisedby the competent authority of the Member State in the territory ofwhich are located hisor itsfacilitiesfor producing flax or hempfibre.
3. This Regulation shall apply without prejudice to the measures laid
down in Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999.
TITLE I
Internalmarket
Article 2
1. Aid for processing the straw of flax and hemp grown for fibre
shall be introduced.
The aid shall be granted to authorised primary processors on the basis
of the quantity of fibre actually obtained from straw for which a sale/purchase contract has been concluded with a farmer.
However:
(a) in cases where the authorised primary processor and the farmer are
one and the same person, the sale/purchase contract shall be
replaced by a commitment by the party concerned to carry out theprocessing himself;
(b) in cases where the farmer retains ownership of the straw which he
is having processed under contract by an authorised primary
processor and proves that he has placed the fibres obtained on themarket, the aid shall be granted to the farmer.
2. No aid shall be paid to authorised primary processors or farmers
who are found to have artificially created the conditionsfor receivingthe aid, thereby enjoying an advantage that doesnot conform to theobjectivesof thiss cheme.2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 5
(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 113.
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3. The amount of processing aid per tonne of fibre shall be fixed as
follows:
(a) for long flax fibre:
— EUR 100 for the 2001/2002 marketing year,
— EUR 160 for the 2002/2003, 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/
2006 marketing years,
— EUR 200 from the 2006/2007 marketing year onwards.
(b) for short flax fibre and hemp fibre containing not more than 7,5 %
impurities and skives: EUR 90 for the 2001/2002 to 2005/2006marketing years.
However, for the ►
M22001/02 to 2005/06 ◄marketing years,
the Member State may, with reference to traditional outlets, also
decide to grant aid:
— for short flax fibre containing a percentage of impurities and
skives of between 7,5 % and 15 %,
— for hemp fibre containing a percentage of impuritiesand s kives
of between 7,5 % and 25 %.
In such cases, the Member State shall grant the aid in respect of a
quantity which amountsto not more than the quantity produced, on
the basis of 7,5 % of impurities and skives.
4. The quantitiesof fibre eligible for aid s hall be limited on the
basis of the areas which were the subject of one of the contracts or
commitmentsreferred to in paragraph 1.
The limits referred to in the first subparagraph shall be fixed by the
Member Statess o asto comply with the national guaranteed quantities
referred to in Article 3.
5. At the request of authorised primary processors, an advance shall
be paid on the aid on the basis of the quantity of fibre obtained.
Article 3
1. A maximum guaranteed quantity of 75 250 tonnesper marketing
year shall be established for long flax fibre and apportioned among all
the Member Statesasnational guaranteed quantities . That quantity
shall be apportioned as follows:
— 13 800 tonnesfor Belgium,
— 300 tonnesfor Germany,
— 50 tonnesfor Spain,
— 55 800 tonnesfor France,
— 4 800 tonnesfor the Netherlands ,
— 150 tonnesfor Aus tria,— 50 tonnesfor Portugal,
— 200 tonnesfor Finland,
— 50 tonnesfor Sweden,
— 50 tonnesfor the United Kingdom.
2. A maximum guaranteed quantity of 135 900 tonnesper marketing
year shall be established for short flax fibre and hemp fibre in respectof which aid may be granted. That quantity shall be apportioned in the
form of:
(a) national guaranteed quantitiesfor the following Member States :
— 10 350 tonnesfor Belgium,
— 12 800 tonnesfor Germany,
— 20 000 tonnesfor Spain,
— 61 350 tonnesfor France,
— 5 550 tonnesfor the Netherlands ,— 2 500 tonnesfor Aus tria,
— 1 750 tonnesfor Portugal,
— 2 250 tonnesfor Finland,
— 2 250 tonnesfor Sweden,2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 6
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— 12 100 tonnesfor the United Kingdom.
(b) 5 000 tonnesto be apportioned in national guaranteed quantitiesfor
each marketing year among Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy andLuxembourg. Such apportionment shall be determined on the basisof the areaswhich were the s ubject of one of the contractsorcommitmentsreferred to in Article 2(1).
The national guaranteed quantitiesfor s hort flax fibre and hemp fibre,
reduced where applicable in accordance with paragraph 5 of thisArticle, shall cease to apply from the 2006/2007 marketing year.
3. In cases where the fibre obtained in one Member State originates
from straw produced in another Member State, the quantities of fibre
concerned shall be offset against the national guaranteed quantity of
the Member State in which the straw was harvested. The aid shall bepaid by the Member State against whose national guaranteed quantitysuch an offset is made.
4. Member States which wish to do so may transfer between them-
selves, on a one-off basis and before 30 June 2001, part of their
national guaranteed quantitiesreferred to in paragraphs1 or 2, adjus tedif necessary in accordance with paragraph 5. In such cases, they shallinform the Commission, which will notify the other Member Statesaccordingly
5. Each Member State may transfer part of its national guaranteed
quantity asreferred to in paragraph 1 to itsnational guaranteed quan-
tity asreferred to in paragraph 2 and vice vers a.
Transfers as referred to in the first subparagraph shall be carried out on
the basis of an equivalence of one tonne of long flax fibre to 2,2 tonnesof short flax fibre and hemp fibre.
Processing aid shall be granted only in respect of the quantities referred
to in paragraphs 1 and 2, respectively, adjusted in accordance with thefirst two subparagraphs of this paragraph and paragraph 4.
Article 4
Until the 2005/2006 marketing year, additional aid shall be granted to
the authorised primary processor in respect of areas under flax in zones
I and II as described in the Annex and the straw production of which
hasbeen the s ubject of:
— a sale/purchase contract or a commitment as referred to in Article
2(1) and
— aid for processing into long fibre.
The amount of additional aid shall be EUR 120 per hectare in zone I
and EUR 50 per hectare in zone II.
TITLE II
Tradewiththirdcountries
Article 5
1. This Article shall apply without prejudice to more restrictive
provisions adopted by Member States in compliance with the Treatyand the obligations arising from the World Trade Organisation agree-mentson agriculture.
2. All imports of hemp from third countries shall be subject to the
issue of a licence provided the following conditions are met:
— raw true hemp falling within CN code 5302 10 00 must meet the
conditionslaid down in Article 5a of Regulation (EC) No 1251/
1999,
— seeds of varieties of hemp falling within CN code 1207 99 20 for
sowing must be accompanied by proof that the tetrahydrocanna-binol level doesnot exceed that fixed in accordance with Article5a of Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999,2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 7
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— hemp seeds other than for sowing, falling within CN code
1207 99 91 may be imported only by importersauthoris ed by theMember State in order to ensure that such seeds are not intended
for sowing.
Imports into the Community of the products specified in the first and
second indents shall be subject to checks to determine whether thetermsof thisArticle have been complied with.
Article 6
Save as otherwise provided in this Regulation or in provisions adopted
pursuant thereto, the following shall be prohibited in trade with thirdcountries:
— the levying of any charge having equivalent effect to a customs
duty,
— the application of any quantitative restriction or measure having
equivalent effect.
Article 7
1. If, by reason of imports or exports, the Community market in one
or more of the productslis ted in Article 1(1) isaffected by, or isthrea-
tened with, serious disturbance likely to jeopardise the achievement ofthe objectives set out in Article 33 of the Treaty, appropriate measuresmay be applied in trade with third countries until such disturbance orthreat thereof hasceas ed.
The Council, acting by a qualified majority, on a proposal from the
Commission, shall adopt general rules for the application of this para-graph and shall define the circumstances and limits within whichMember States may adopt protective measures.
2. If the situation mentioned in paragraph 1 arises, the Commission
shall, at the request of a Member State or on its own initiative, decide
upon the necessary measures, which shall be communicated to theMember States and shall be immediately applicable. If the Commissionreceives a request from a Member State, it shall take a decision thereonwithin three working daysfollowing receipt of the reques t.
3. The Commission's decision may be referred to the Council by any
Member State within three working daysof the day on which it wasnotified. The Council shall meet without delay. It may, acting by aqualified majority, amend or repeal the measure in question withinone month following the day on which it wasreferred to the Council.
4. ThisArticle s hall be applied having regard to the obligations
arising from agreements concluded in accordance with Article 300(2)of the Treaty.
TITLE III
General provisions
Article 8
Save asotherwis e provided in thisRegulation, Articles87, 88 and 89
of the Treaty shall apply to the production of, and trade in, the productslisted in Article 1(1) of this Regulation.
Article 9
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation
relating to the mattersreferred to below s hall be adopted in accordancewith the management procedure referred to in Article 10(2). Theseshall include, in particular:
— the conditions for authorisation of primary processors,
— the conditions to be met by approved primary processors as regards
the sale/purchase contracts and commitments referred to in Article2(1),2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 8
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— the requirementsto be complied with by farmersin the cas e
referred to in Article 2(1)(b),
— the criteria to be met, firstly, by long flax fibre and, secondly, by
short flax fibre and hemp fibre,
— the methodsfor calculating the quantitieseligible for aid in the
cases referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 2(3)(b),
— the conditionsfor the grant of aid and the advance payment, and in
particular proof of the processing of straw,
— the conditionsto be met for fixing the limitsreferred to in Article
2(4),
— the apportionment of the quantity of 5 000 tonnesreferred to in
Article 3(2)(b),
— the conditionsfor trans fer between the national guaranteed quanti-
tiesreferred to in Article 3(5),
— the conditionsfor the granting of additional aid referred to in
Article 4.
Such measures may also concern all the necessary inspection measures
to protect the Community's financial interests against fraud and otherirregularities.
Article 10
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Management Committee
for Natural Fibres(hereinafter called the ‘Committee’).
2. Where reference ismade to thisparagraph, Articles4 and 7 of
Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.
The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be
set at one month.
3. The Committee may examine any question raised by its
Chairman, either on the tatter'sinitiative or at the reques t of the repre-sentative of a Member State.
4. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 11
Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 and the provisions adopted in imple-
mentation thereof shall apply to the products listed in Article 1 (1) ofthisRegulation.
TITLE IV
Transitionalandfinalprovisions
Article 12
1. For the 2000/2001 marketing year, the amountsof aid for flax
and hemp produced in the Community shall be fixed not later than 31
October 2000 in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article10(2).
These amounts shall be determined by applying to the amounts in force
for the 1999/2000 marketing year a coefficient equal to the ratiobetween
— average expenditure per hectare corresponding to EUR 88 million
for all areas resulting from crop declarations, and
— average expenditure of EUR 721 per hectare estimated for the
1999/2000 marketing year.
However, the amountsof aid for the 2000/2001 marketing year may
not exceed those fixed for the 1999/2000 marketing year.
2. For the 2000/2001 marketing year, the amount to be withheld
from the aid for flax for the financing of the measures promoting theuse of flax fibre shall be fixed at EUR 0 per hectare.
3. The 2000/2001 marketing year shall end on 30 June 2001.2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 9
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Article 13
Regulations(EEC) No 1308/70, (EEC) No 619/71, (EEC) No 620/71,
(EEC) No 1172/71, (EEC) No 1430/82 and (EEC) No 2059/84 shall
be repealed on 1 July 2001.
Article 14
The Commission shall adopt, in accordance with the procedure referred
to in Article 10(2):
— the measures required to facilitate the transition from the arrange-
mentslaid down in Regulations(EEC) No 1308/70 and (EEC) No619/71 to those established by this Regulation,
— the measures required to resolve specific practical problems. Such
measures, if duly justified, may derogate from certain parts of thisRegulation.
Article 15
1. Not later than 31 December 2003, the Commission shall submit a
report to the European Parliament and the Council, if necessary accom-
panied by proposals, on production trends in the various Member Statesand the impact of the reform of the common organisation of the marketon the outlets and economic viability of the sector. It shall alsoexamine the maximum content of impuritiesand s hivesapplicable toshort flax fibre and hemp fibre.
Should the need arise, the report shall serve as a basis for a re-appor-
tionment of, and possible increase in, the national guaranteed
quantities. In particular, the Commission shall take account of the levelof production, processing capacity and outlets on the market.
2. In 2005 the Commission shall submit a report to the European
Parliament and the Council on processing aid, if necessary accompa-nied by proposals.
The report shall include an assessment of the impact of processing aid,
in particular on
— the position of producers as regards areas sown and prices paid to
them,
— market trendsfor textile fibresand the development of new
products,
— the processing industry.
The report shall indicate, in the light of alternative production, whether
the industry is able to function with the guidelines laid down. It shallalso examine the possibility of putting on to a permanent footing,beyond the 2005/2006 marketing year, processing aid per tonne of
short flax fibre and hemp fibre and additional aid per hectare of flax,
asreferred to in Article 4.
Article 16
ThisRegulation s hall enter into force on the day of itspublication in
theOfficial JournaloftheEuropeanCommunities .
Articles1 to 11 s hall apply from the 2001/2002 marketing year
onwards.
Regulations(EEC) No 1308/70 and (EEC) No 619/71 s hall continue to
be applied in relation to the 1998/1999, 1999/2000 and 2000/2001marketing years.
ThisRegulation s hall be binding in itsentirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 10
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ANNEX
ZONESELIGIBLEFORTHEAIDREFERREDTOINARTICLE4
ZONE I
1. The territory of the Netherlands,
2. The following Belgian communes: Assenede, Beveren-Waas, Blankenberge,
Bredene, Brugge, Damme, De Haan, De Panne, Diksmuide (except Vladslo
and Woumen), Gistel, Jabbeke, Knokke-Heist, Koksijde, Lo-Reninge,
Middelkerke, Nieuwport, Oostende, Oudenburg, Sint-Gillis-Waas (Meerdonk
only), Sint-Laureins, Veurne and Zuienkerke.
ZONE II
1. Areasof Belgium other than thos e included in Zone I.
2. The following areasof France:
— the department of Nord,
— the districts of Béthune, Lens, Calais, Saint-Omer and the canton of
Marquise in the department of Pas-de-Calais,
— the districts of Saint-Quentin and Vervins in the department of Aisne,— the district of Charleville-Mézières in the department of Ardennes.2000R1673 — EN — 04.03.2004 — 002.001 — 11