NoC201/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities26.7.93
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation(EEC)introducingspecificmeasuresfor
thesmallerAegeanislandsconcerningcertainagriculturalproducts()
(93/C201/09)
On12February1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal,
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon6May1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrSpyroudis.
Atits306thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1993),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
c)OpiniononthedraftCouncilDecisionestablishing
aprogrammeofoptionsspecifictotheremoteand
insularnatureofMadeiraandtheAzores
(Poseima)(4);
d)OpiniononthedraftCouncilDecisionestablishing
aprogrammeofoptionsspecifictotheremoteand
insularnatureoftheCanaryIslands(Poseican)(4).
2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteehastakenaccount,initsgeneral
approach,oftheCommissionreportprecedingthe
DraftRegulation.TheCommittee'sviewofthepresent
Commissioninitiativeis,asinitsearlierOpinions,
thoroughlypositive.1.Introduction
1.1.InaccordancewiththeconclusionsoftheEuro­
peanCouncilmeetinginRhodesinDecember1988,a
numberofstepshavebeentakensofarbyboththe
CommissionandtheGreekauthoritiesconcerningthe
Aegeanislands:
a)SubmissionofaproposalbytheGreekauthorities
intheformofa'Programmeofspecialmeasures
fortheAegeanislands1992-1996'(October1991
andJanuary1992);
b)CommissionReportonthesocio-economic situ­
ationoftheAegeanislands[SEC(92)36finalof
10January1992];
c)FinalCommissionReportwithaviewtofollowing
uptheaboveobligationsandneeds[COM(92)569
finalof23December1992];
d)TogetherwiththeFinalCommissionReportthe
currentProposalforaCouncilRegulationwasalso
presented.
1.2.Inconsideringthequestion,theSectiontook
accountoftheabove-mentioned Reportsandearlier
relevantCommitteeOpinionsonthe'Posei'pro­
grammestoassistisolatedanddisadvantaged regions
oftheCommunity :
a)Own-initiative OpiniononDisadvantaged Island
Regions,2July1987(2);
b)OpiniononthedraftjointDecisionoftheCouncil
andtheCommissionestablishingaprogrammeof
optionsspecifictotheremoteandinsularnatureof
theFrenchOverseasDepartments (Poseidom)(3);2.1.1.Itwould,however,pointoutthattheDraft
Regulationfailstotakeaccountofpointsmadeinthe
OpiniononDisadvantaged IslandRegions,adopted
unanimouslybytheCommitteeon2July1987.
2.2.Thedevelopmentoftheislandshasaconsider­
ableimpactonthatofthecountryasawhole:amore
generaldevelopmentpolicyandmorecomprehensive
planningfortheAegeanIslandsarethereforeneeded.
2.3.Reinforcement oftheagriculturalsectorcannot
beseparatedfromtheimplementation ofanumber
ofdetermineddevelopmentfactors,dealingwiththe
pronouncedinsularproblemsfacedbytheislands.The­
sefactorsincludethefollowing :
(!)OJNoC56,26.2.1993,p.21.
(2)OJNoC232,31.8.1987.
(3)OJNoC159,26.6.1989.(4)OJNoC191,22.7.1991.

26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/23
2.5.3.TheCommissionmustgivemoreseriouscon­
sideration,intermsofrelationsbetweenthepublic
authoritiesandthesocialpartners,tothecontribution
androleof:
—district/localauthorities,
—smallandmedium-sizedenterprises,
—labourandfarmers'unions,
—professionalbodies,
—agriculturalcooperatives .
2.6.Intheeventthattheprogrammeforagricultural
productsinquestionissuccessful,theabove-mentioned
elementsoftheislands'generaldevelopmentwill
requireoverallfunding.
2.6.1.ItistheCommittee'sviewthattheCom­
missionandtheCouncilmustproceedwithspecific
fundingviaaprogrammeofpracticalstructural
measuresofaregionalnature,tosupplementtheCom­
munitySupportFrameworkforGreece.
2.6.2.Itshouldbeborneinmindthatinthethree
earlierPoseiprogrammestheagriculturalsectorformed
apartoftheoverallprogrammebenefitingfromspecial
fundingfromtheCommunityBudget(*).—Safeguardingof,andinterventionin,theforestry
infrastructure .
—Determinedenvironmentalprotection.
—Facingthewatershortageandmanagingwater
resources .
—Resolvingthequestionofenergysufficiency,and
theuseofalternativesourcesofenergy.
—Thepressingproblemsoftransport.Theimplemen­
tationoftheabovemeasuresinfavourofthefarm­
ingsectorisnotconsideredtobefeasiblewithout
thepriorsolutionoftransportandcommunications
policyissues(inter-islandcommunications andlinks
tothemainlandnetwork,excessivecost,etc.).
—Actiontomakebetteruseofup-gradedhuman
resources,inresponsetoincreasedunemployment .
—Thedevelopmentofagro-tourismasanalternative
solutiontomasstourism,andasasupplementto
farmincomes.
—Areviewofthehealthsector,includingmedical
andhospitalcare,toguaranteethebestpossible
provisionofsocialservicesforthepopulationof
theislands.
3.Specificcomments
2.4.TheCommitteebelievesthatthedevelopmentof
theAegeanIslandsrequiresmeasuresintheagricultural
sector,hand-in-handwithcomprehensivedevelopment
ofthefisheriessector(coastalandintermediate).A
parallelprogrammeisthereforeneededforthedevelop­
mentofthefisheriessector,withmeasurescoveringthe
market,infrastructures ,processing,commerceandthe
utilizationofhumanresources.
2.4.1.Inadditiontoaspectsofmarineresource
exploitationsuchasspongefishingandaquaculture,
specificpoliciesandbackingwillbeneededforecon­
omicactivitiesintegratedintoislandlife.3.1.Recitals
3.1.1.TherecitalsoftheCommissionproposal
shouldmentiontheuniquestatusoftheseislandson
accountoftheirpositionontheSouth-EastMediter­
raneanbordersoftheCommunity .Theirsensitivebor­
derroleshouldbegivengreatersubstanceby(i)
implementing asupplyprogramme (inresponseto
probablecompetitionforCommunityproductsarising
fromlarge-scaleimportsfromthirdcountries)and(ii)
envisagingaccompanying measuresforagricultural
development ,asmentionedinthegeneralcomments
(2.3.1).
3.1.2.Customsfacilitiesmustbesteppedup(interms
ofinfrastructureandpersonnel)preciselybecauseof
thisproximitywiththirdcountriesinaparticularly
sensitiveregion.
3.2.Title1
3.2.1.Article3
3.2.1.1.TherecognitionbytheCommissionofthe
needtosupplytheislandswithagriculturalproduce,2.5.Theagriculturalmeasurescanonlyachievelast­
ingandcomprehensive successifappropriateplanning,
managementandsupervisorymechanismsareinplace.
2.5.1.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheregulations
implementingtheprogrammeinquestionmustcontain
provisionswhichwouldassureaproperplaceand
functionforallthesocialpartnersandbusiness
enterprisesintheislands.
2.5.2.Withoutsucharrangements ,itcannotbe
guaranteedthatthefinaluserswillreaptheexpected
benefits.()1992Budget,itemB2-160,Communityinitiatives.

26.7.93NoC201/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
authoritiesanddependingontheparticularcon­
ditionsontheislands.
c)Thecriteriaforproducerorganizationsshouldbe
loweredintheCommunityregulationsbecauseof
difficultieswiththenumberoffarmersandvolume
ofproductiononthesmallerAegeanislands.basicallyforhumanconsumption,indicateshowurgent
thesolutionsoughtis.Forthefruitandvegetablesector,
alonger-termmeasureisneeded,whileawaitingthe
resultsoftheplannedstructuralmeasuresandthe
achievementofreasonableself-sufficiency .TheCom­
missionproposaltoapplythesupplymeasuresfor
yearsistotallyinsufficient.Actionofthiskind
constitutesanexceptionalmeasure,notasystemof
supply.
3.3.2.Article9
3.3.2.1.Theamountofaidforthecontinuedculti­
vationofvinesisregardedasparticularlylowinviewof
theadversegeographical/soilconditionsontheislands.
3.3.3.Article10
3.3.3.1.Theplannedamountofaidforolivetreesis
toolowtoactasanincentiveforthere-establishment
andconservationofolivegroves.OntheAegean
islands,olivegrovesarelocatedinsteepandinaccessible
areas,involvingveryhighcosts.3.2.1.2.Itisproposedthatthearrangementsforfruit
andvegetablesremaininforceforafive-yearperiod,
withaprogressivereductionofaidto30%ofthe
originalbythefifthyearofapplication.1994wouldbe
thefirstyear,with1993beingseenasanexperimental­
transitionalyear.Attheendofthefive-yearperiod,the
Commissionwouldhavetoreportontheresultsofits
activitiesandsubmitproposalsforthefutureappli­
cationofthearrangements .TheCommissionreport
shouldbesupplementedbyinformationonchangesto
sectoralreadjustmentsandontheprogressoflocal
crops.Thefive-yearprogrammeneedstobebackedup
byguaranteesforthenecessarychecksonitsapplication
andonthemechanismsforensuringthatthefinaluser
benefits.Anewfruit,thekiwi,withgoodprospectsin
termsofconsumption,shouldbeaddedtofruitand
vegetables.
3.2.2.Thepreservationofthesmallnumberofunits
forfatteningcalvesintheislandsisessentialtothe
economiesofsomeofthem.Consequently ,theimport
ofcalvesforfatteningshouldbeexemptedfromthe
plannedcontributions,whencarriedoutbyisland
undertakings/farms.
3.2.2.1.Thesupplysystemshouldbesupportedby
thenecessarymeasuresandguaranteestoverifythat
finalusersintheislandsbenefit.3.3.4.Article11
3.3.TitleII
3.3.1.Article7a)Theproposedamountofaidperhiveisregarded
asverylow.Beekeepingisofvitalimportancefor
certainislands,andthecostofmaintainingand
movinghivesisexceptionallyhigh.Finally,cheap
importsoflower-qualityflower-basedhoneysfrom
thirdcountriesconstituteaseriousrisk.
b)Paragraph1assumestheexistenceofproducers'
groupsrecognizedinaccordancewithRegulation
(EEC)No1360/78.Sucharequirementinthehoney
sectorisexcessiveforthesmallerislands,which
withsmallpopulationsandwidelyscatteredsmall
settlementsdonotmeetalltheconditionsforrecog­
nitionofproducers'groupsunderRegulation (EEC)
No1360/78.Itisproposedthatcertaincriteriabe
laiddownforguaranteesofproperoperationfor
thealreadyexistingandoperatingagricultural
organizations (cooperatives )sothat,bywayof
exception,theislandbeekeeperscanbenefitfrom
theaid.
3.3.5.UnderTitleIIthefollowingnewmeasures
areproposedforthemoregeneralimprovementof
agricultureontheislands.Theyarejudgedtobeof
significancetothebalancedagriculturaldevelopment
oftheruralpopulation,particularlyintheisolated
Aegeanislands.
a)Thereshouldbeaprovisionforspecialindirectaid
forconsumptionoffreshmilkinlocaldairies.It
shouldbesetatECU5/100kg.Giventheparticu­a)Theproposedarrangementsforfruitandvegetables
shouldbeextendedtoflowersandplants.Their
applicationshouldberestrictedtoquantitiesfor
localconsumptionortosupplyneighbouring
islands,onthebasisofpluriannualproduction/
distributionagreementsconcludedbyislandunder­
takings.
b)Thefollowingchangeisproposedintheformof
co-financingforaid:amountofaidECU1000/
hectare,ofwhich60%wouldbecoveredbythe
Communitycontributionand40%bypublicloans,
accordingtocriterialaiddownbythenational

26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/25
4.ProposednewmeasuresunderTitleIII
4.1.Implementation ofearlyretirement—Regulation
(EEC)No2079/92
4.1.1.Anumberofexemptionsfromtheprovisions
ofRegulation (EEC)No2079/92'institutingaCom­
munityaidschemeforearlyretirementfromfarming'
willhavetobeprovided,inordertofacilitatethe
replacementofolderfarmerswithyoungerones.
Implementation ofthecurrentprovisionsinsmall
Aegeanislandsisdifficult.larlylowmilk-producing capacityoftheislands,
theriskofincreasingproductionisnon-existent .
Ontheotherhand,non-paymentwouldcondemn
allremainingresidualmilkproductiontoextinc­
tion.
b)Thereshouldbeaprovisionforcontinuedpayment
ofthe'ruralsociety'premiumonalong-termbasis,
atthelevelfixedbytheCouncilinRegulation (EEC)
No363/93(*).
c)Notwithstanding Article5ofCouncilRegulation
(EEC)No3013/89,100%oftheplannedpremium
forselectedsheep,eweswithweaklambs,andgoats
shouldbegranted.
d)ThereshouldbeaprovisionforCommunityaid
perhectarefortheproductionofaromaticand
pharmaceutical plantsandaidfortheirprocessing .
Thedry,warmclimateandthesoiloftheislands
favourthedevelopmentofsuchcrops,whichpose
noproblemfortheCommunitymarkets,whilethey
makefulluseofthelandandprovideadditional
incomefortheislandpopulations .
e)Aidshouldbeprovidedforthemarketinanimals
forbreeding(newbreeds)ofCommunityoriginby
analogywiththearrangementsapplyingunderthe4.2.Article2,third,indent
4.2.1.'Farmingtransferees'intheAegeanislands
comingunderthepresentprogrammeshouldbeexemp­
tedfromtheobligationtoexpandthesizeoftheir
agriculturalholding.Theyshouldbeislandresidents.
4.3.ArticleS(1),secondindent
previousPoseiprogrammes .
*4.3.1.A'transferor'livingononeoftheAegean
islandsconcernedshouldbeexemptedfromtheobli­
gationtohavehadfarmingashismainoccupationfor
atleastthelast10yearsbeforethetransfer.
4.3.2.However,theGreekauthoritiesshouldensure
thatrigorousselectioncriteriaareappliedtoidentify
eligiblefarmers,suchassufficientdegreeofoccupation
inagriculture,localresidence,farmincomeasapro­
portionofhouseholdincome,agriculturalcontri­
butions,etc.f)Thereshouldbeincentivesfortheprocessingand
preservationofcitrusfruits(oranges,lemons,man­
darins)boughtinbytheislands,withadditionalaid
forthepurchasingfirms,onthebasisofpluriannual
purchasecontracts.Otherwisetheremotelocation
oftheislandsandtheconstantlydiminishinginterest
ofindustrieswillleadtothedisappearanceofthis
sector.
3.4.TitleIII
3.4.1.Article12.1.(c)5.Specialmeasuresforthedevelopmentofagriculture
5.1.Itisnecessarytosupportthesetting-up,oper­
ationandstaffingofan'AgriculturalProduction
ResearchCentrefortheAegeanIslands',ensuringthe
participationofthepublicauthorities,localauthorities
andtheprofessionalassociationsforagriculturalpro­
duction,processingandcommerceoftheAegean
islandsfortheproperplanningandresearchonthe
needsofthesector.Suchassistancecouldmakethe
mostoftherelevantprogrammesonresearchandtech­
nologyintheagriculturalsectorwithfavourablecon­
ditionsforaCommunitycontribution .3.4.1.1.ThemeasureproposedbytheCommission
wouldbehelpfultopigmeatproduction .However,
retainingthe35%self-sufficiency conditionforfeed
meansitcannotbeappliedunderAegeanislandcon­
ditions.
3.4.1.2.Itisproposedthatthisconditionbewaived,
aswasdoneinthesimilarmeasureappliedunderthe
otherPoseiprogrammes .Inthiscase,environmental
safeguardswouldhavetobedevised.5.2.SpecialarrangementsformasticonChios
5.2.1.Masticisanagriculturalproductwhichhas
providedalivingforasubstantialnumberofinhabi­ (i)OJNoL42,11.2.1993.

NoC201/26 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities26.7.93
tantsoftheislandsforcenturies.Itisatraditional
product,linkedhistoricallyandculturallywithlifeon
theislands,mainlyintheeasternAegean.
5.2.1.1.Itisnotedthatthisimportantproducthas
beenomittedfromthepresentproposalonagricultural
products.
5.2.1.2.TheCommitteecallsontheCommissionto
investigatethelegalbasisonwhichitcouldincludethis
productinthegroupofagriculturalproducts,andto
makeconcreteproposalsforreorganizingthewhole
sector.5.3.2.Aspecialwide-rangingprogrammeof
vocationalinformationandtrainingshouldbedrawn
upfortheagriculturalpopulationandagricultural
advisersandexperts,sothattheycanbenefitfrom
thenewopportunities ,technologiesandCommunity
policiesinthecontextofthedevelopmentofrural
societyandthereformofthecommonagricultural
policy(CAP).
5.3.3.Thereisaneedfordevelopmentandimprove­
mentofpasturelandinthemoresuitablepartsofthe
islands.Pasturelandservestwopurposesatonce:
exploitationoflocalresourcesforanimalfeeding,and
preventionoferosion.
5.3.4.Themaintenanceanddevelopmentoflocal
breedsofsheeponcertainislandsisofvitalimportance.
Thegoodyieldsandtoughnessofthesebreedsmake
thempopular.Theabsenceofalocalbreedingcentre
givesrisetoaserioussupplyproblem,becauseofthe
increaseddemandinrecentyears.TheCommitteecalls
ontheCommissiontoincludeaidforsettingupa
sheep-breedingcentreonChiosinthespecialaidsection
oftheEuropeanAgriculturalGuidanceandGuarantee
Fund(EAGGF).5.3.Othermeasures
5.3.1.Studiesshouldbemadetoclarifythesituation
andtheproposedmeasuresonreorganization and
developmentoftheprocessingbranchforalltheagricul­
turalproductsoftheislands.Thissectoristendingto
disappearbecauseoftheveryscatteredlocationofthe
islandsandthehightransportcosts.
DoneatBrussels,26May1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN