COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 532/2000

of 10 March 2000

derogating from Regulation (EC) No 658/96 on certain conditions for granting compensatory payments under the support system for producers of certain arable crops

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 of 30 June 1992 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops(1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1624/98(2), and in particular Article 12 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 658/96(3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 610/1999(4), establishes the rules for applying Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 as regards the conditions for granting compensatory payments for certain arable crops. Article 3(1)(c) stipulates that the arable crop must be maintained in normal growth conditions until at least the beginning of the flowering period.

(2) During May 1999 certain Community regions were hit by flooding thus preventing them from complying with the above condition.

(3) Since non-compliance with the condition was due to circumstances beyond the control of those concerned, it would not be appropriate to refuse to grant compensatory payments for the flooded land. It is therefore necessary to derogate from Regulation (EC) No 658/96 under certain conditions.

(4) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Joint Meeting of Management Committees for Cereals, Oils and Fats and Dried Fodder,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

For the 1999/2000 marketing year and by derogation from Article 3(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 658/96, land sown to arable crops and declared flooded in the regions listed in the Annex to this Regulation shall remain eligible for the compensatory payments laid down for non-irrigated crops provided that that land remained unused during the normal flowering period of the damaged crop.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply to compensatory payments for the 1999/2000 marketing year.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 10 March 2000.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 181, 1.7.1992, p. 12.

(2) OJ L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 3.

(3) OJ L 91, 12.4.1996, p. 46.

(4) OJ L 75, 20.3.1999, p. 24.

ANNEX

1. GERMANY

Hessen

Landkreise: Groß-Gerau, Bergstrasse

Rheinland-Pfalz

Landkreise: Alzey-Worms, Ludwigshafen, Germersheim

Kreisfreie Städte: Worms, Frankenthal (Pfalz), Ludwigshafen a.R., Speyer

Baden-Württemberg

Regierungsbezirk Karlsruhe:

Landkreise: Karlsruhe, Rastatt; Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

Regierungsbezirk Freiburg:

Ortenaukreis, Landkreise Emmendingen, Konstanz

Regierungsbezirk Tübingen:

Landkreis Ravensburg, Bodensee-Kreis

Bayern

Regierungsbezirk Schwaben

Landkreise: Donau-Ries, Dillingen a.d. Donau, Aichach-Friedberg, Günzburg, Augsburg, Neu-Ulm, Unterallgäu, Ostallgäu (einschließlich Stadt Kaufbeuren), Oberallgäu (einschließlich Stadt Kempten), Lindau/B.

Regierungsbezirk Oberbayern

Landkreise: Eichstätt (einschließlich Stadt Ingolstadt), Berchtesgadener-Land, Traunstein, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Pfaffenhofen a.d. Ilm, Freising, Dachau, Erding, Mühldorf a. Inn, Fürstenfeldbruck, Starnberg, München, Ebersberg, Rosenheim, Miesbach, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Landsberg a. Lech, Weilheim-Schongau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Regierungsbezirk Niederbayern

Landkreise: Straubing-Bogen (einschließlich Stadt Straubing), Deggendorf, Dingolfing-Landau, Landshut, Kehlheim, Passau, Rottal-Inn

Regierungsbezirk Oberpfalz

Landkreise: Landkreis Regensburg (einschließlich Stadt Regensburg), Cham (einschließlich Stadt Cham)

Regierungsbezirk Mittelfranken

Landkreis Roth

2. AUSTRIA

Burgenland

Oberwart, Güssing

Niederösterreich

Amstetten, Melk, Krems Stadt, Krems Land, St. Pölten Land, Tulln, Korneuburg, Wien-Umgebung, Gänserndorf, Bruck/Leitha

Oberösterreich

Perg, Eferding

Steiermark

Feldbach

Tirol

Imst

Vorarlberg

Gesamtes Bundesland

3. FRANCE

Bas-Rhin