2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 1
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►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1358/2001
of4July2001
layingdownspecific communicationmeasuresinthebeefandvealsector
(OJ L 182, 5.7.2001, p. 34)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 2154/2001 of 5 November 2001 L 289 3 6.11.2001
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1358/2001
of4July2001
laying downspecific communication measures in the beef and veal
sector
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 of 19
December 2000 on information and promotion actions for agriculturalproducts on the internal market(
1), and in particular Articles 12 and 16
thereof,
Whereas:
(1)Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000 harmonises and simplifies the
existing rules in the different sectors. In the beef and veal sectorthese rules only concern the promotion of quality beef meat and
information on labelling.
(2)In the meantime, the BSE crisis has led to a sharp fall in theconsumption of beef and veal in a number of Member States. In
order to deal with this serious situation, specific communicationmeasures are urgently needed to re-establish consumer confidencein this product.
(3)To ensure that these measures are effective, they derogate fromthe existing rules in particular by extending their scope and byadapting the approval procedure for the programmes as well asthe financing rules and thereby act as a transition to the new
arrangements provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000.
(4)Because of the market situation, the communication programmes
submitted by professional or interprofessional organisations,
covering some or all segments of the production chain consump-
tion level included, must comprise a first stage consisting of aninformation campaign to reassure consumers by providing fullinformation on the key aspects of the Community and nationalrules in particular ensuring food safety. Preference is given toprogrammes which concern several segments of the production
chain, consumption level included.
(5)This first stage may be followed by a promotion stage at a laterdate. The measures must take into account evaluation results of
the promotion measures already taken.
(6)To avoid any distortion of competition, criteria should be laid
down regarding reference to the specific origin of the products
covered by the programmes.
(7)The procedure for presenting and approving programmes and forselecting the implementing bodies needs to ensure the broadestpossible competition.
(8)The criteria to be used by the Member States to evaluate theprogrammes should be laid down.
(9)Guidelines should be laid down defining the broad lines and keyaspects of the programmes to ensure that they are consistent andeffective.
(10)Given the state of the market in beef and veal, which has sufferedfrequent disturbances, the Commission should be allowed to adaptapproved programmes if necessary to deal with any problemsposed by developments on the market.
(11)In order to supplement and develop the measures taken byprofessional or interprofessional organisations and by theCommission, particularly in those Member States where thesector is not well organised, the Member States should be allowed2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 328, 23.12.2000, p. 2.
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to present information programmes, dealing in particular with
organising conferences, seminars and information networks. TheMember States should also inform the Commission of measures
taken at national level, aiming the setting up of information
networks, in order to ensure coordination on between theCommission's services and professional or interprofessionalorganisations.
(12)Financing rules must be set for these measures. As a general rule,so that the organisations and Member States assume theirresponsibilities, the Community should meet only part of the
cost of measures. However, the Community should meet the full
cost of an evaluation carried out by an independent body of theresults of the programmes presented by the organisations.
(13)The administrative and financial management of promotioncontracts concluded with proposing organisations is covered byCommission Regulation (EC) No 481/1999 of 4 March 1999laying down general rules for the management of promotional
programmes for certain agricultural products(
1). Those rules
should apply, subject to some adjustments, to the contractsprovided for in this Regulation.
(14)Financial relations between the Commission and the MemberStates carrying out information measures should be governed byconventions for this purpose.
(15)The joint meeting of Management Committees on the promotionof agricultural products has not delivered an opinion within thetime limit set by its Chairman,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The Community may contribute to the financing of communication
programmes comprising a consistent set of information measures forbeef and veal presented by professional or interprofessional organisa-
tions representative of the market in that product.
Preference shall be given to programmes covering all or several
segments of the sector.
Programmes shall last 12 months.
Article 2
The Community contribution shall be 60 % of the actual cost of the
programme. The remaining 40 % shall be borne by the organisationsproposing the programmes.
Article 3
Measures provided for in the programmes must not be brand-oriented or
encourage the consumption of a product on grounds of its specificorigin.
Any reference to the origin of products must be secondary to the central
message of the campaign. However, the origin of a product may beindicated in the case of a designation under Community rules or afeature of a typical product needed to illustrate the measures undertaken.
Article 4
In compliance with the guidelines set out in the Annex, the programmes
referred to in Article 1 shall comprise an information stage covering thedissemination of key information on food safety included in the nationaland Community legislation and on the nutritional aspects of the product.A stage on promotion may be considered at a later stage.2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 3
(1) OJ L 57, 5.3.1999, p. 8.
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Article 5
1. Programmes shall be submitted by 15 August 2001 at the latest to
the competent body of the Member State in which the organisation
presenting the programme has its head office.
Programmes shall identify the implementing body chosen by the
organisations presenting them following a competition approved by theMember State.
The competent body shall consider the programme and forward it to the
Commission together with a reasoned opinion by 10 September 2001 at
the latest.
2. The Member States' reasoned opinions shall include an appraisal of
programmes against the following criteria in particular:
(a) consideration as to whether the proposed measures are suited to the
goals of the programme and comply with the guidelines set out inthe Annex; this appraisal must include a justification for the way the
budget is broken down to ensure that the programme is coherent and
effective in the light of the actual market situation;
(b) compliance with Community and national legislation in force;
(c) identification of the body responsible for the communication
programme for each measure to be implemented;
(d) the merit of the proposed measures and their link with the
information campaigns run by the Commission and the publicauthorities in the Member States;
(e) the likely impact and success of these measures in terms of the
evolution of the demand for the products concerned;
(f) the effectiveness and representativeness of the professional or
interprofessional organisations;
(g) the technical capacity and effectiveness of the proposed imple-
menting body.
3. After the programmes have been evaluated, where necessary using
technical assistance, the Commission shall approve programmes, inaccordance with the procedure laid down in Article 13(2) of Regulation(EC) No 2826/2000, by 30 November 2001 at the latest.
Article 6
1. The professional organisations presenting the selected programmes
shall be responsible for implementing them properly.
2. During implementation of the approved programmes, the Commis-
sion may decide, after consulting the relevant organisations and afterinforming the Member States concerned, to adapt them with a view toensuring that they are suited to the actual situation on the market,
without thereby incurring additional financial obligations for the
organisations concerned.
Article 7
1. Articles 2 to 5 and Articles 7 and 8 of Regulation (EC) No 481/
1999 shall apply to the programmes referred to in Article 1.
2. The Commission shall select the body or bodies responsible for
evaluating the results of the implemented measures by open or restricted
invitation to tender.
3. The Commission shall bear the full cost of the measures referred to
in paragraph 2.
Article 8
The Member States shall inform the Commission, as soon as possible
and before 15 August 2001 at the latest, of measures taken at nationallevel to inform consumers about the market for the products concerned.2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 4
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They shall also inform the Commission regularly of any new measure
taken to that end.
Article 9
1. Each Member State may present a programme to the Commission
comprising information measures to supplement and develop those run
by the Commission and those referred to in Article 4 with a view to
obtaining Community financing of 60 % of the actual cost of themeasures. The information provided by such programmes must coverthe Community dimension.
The remaining cost of these programmes shall be borne by the Member
States.
2. The programmes referred to in paragraph 1 may cover in
particular:
— the organisation of conferences and seminars on the safety and
nutritional value of beef and veal,
— the setting-up of appropriate information networks using, for
example, the Internet and freephone services.
3. The programmes shall be presented to the Commission by 10
September 2001 at the latest.
After informing the Management Committees referred to in Article 13 of
Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000, the Commission shall decide which
programmes are selected by 30 November 2001 at the latest.
Article 10
The Commission and the beneficiary Member State shall conclude a
convention governing the rights and obligations arising from theCommission's decision to part-finance the programmes selected inaccordance with Article 9.
Article 11
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the
Official Journal of the European Communities .
It shall apply until 31 December 2002.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in
all Member States.2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 5
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ANNEX
GUIDELINESFORTHECOMMUNICATIONSPROGRAMME
I. OBJECTIVES
The communication programme aims to restore confidence in the beef and
veal market by co-ordinated efforts in the Member States affected. The
programme shall be flexible. Its objectives and its broad structure shall be
common to all, but the particular combination of its elements and the timing
will vary from Member State to Member State as the situation demands.
There shall be a need for consistency, but not uniformity. This shall cover all
beef markets.
The entity responsible for the programme must always be identified in each
Member State. It shall provide a point of contact.
Consumers concerns should be addressed and they should be re-assured on
beef and veal.
Theinformationcampaign
The campaign shall concentrate on re-assurance of the consumers. They need
to know that there is an European and national legislation installing rules on
safety (e.g. traceability, labelling) and provides effective control along the
production chain.
The campaign shall operate at three levels: European, national authorities and
the private sector.
The content and the meaning of national and private labels where utilised,
shall be explained.
All the material shall mention the European and national website addresses.
II. KEY ISSUES
— Beef and veal is nutritious and under control.
— Reinforced safety measures, including controls, are in place.— The labels on the meat are there to provide re-assurance.— More information is available if the consumer needs it.
III. KEY TARGET AUDIENCES
A. Individual consumers
— The key consumer audience to reach is 25-45 year old urban women,
with children. These women are the core of the food buying market.
— A secondary audience is the under 35 year old singles and couples
with means to buy and a motivation to choose the product guided by
the convenience and its enjoyable nature.
B. The institutional market — schools, hospitals, catering providers, etc.
Furthermore, specialised press and consumer associations are directly
involved as multipliers of opinion.
IV. MAIN INSTRUMENTS
— e-tools (internet),
— telephone information line,— contacts with media (e.g. consumer journalists, scientific and specialised
press), conferences, question-and-answer sessions given by independent
food safety experts. These sessions involve traders, consumer groups,
other institutional market entities,
— print media (e.g. consumer magazines, regional press, leaflets, brochures,
etc.),
— visual media, such as poster advertising, point of sale materials, TV,— radio.2001R1358 — EN — 06.11.2001 — 001.001 — 6