Proposal for a Council Regulation fixing the aid for fibre flax and hemp and the amount withheld to finance measures to promote the use of flax fibre for the 1998/99 marketing year (COM(98)0051 - C4-0089/98 - 98/0038(CNS))

The proposal was approved with the following amendments:

(Amendment 17)

Recital 1a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas an adjustment coefficient must be created with a view to maintaining equitable levels of income as between farmers in all European Union Member States in order to compensate for the possible disappearance of the green rate on 1 January 1999 for the Member States participating in the single currency;

(Amendment 18)

Recital 2

>Original text>

Whereas Article 4(2) of the said Regulation provides that the amount is to be so fixed per hectare of area sown and harvested so as to ensure an even balance between the volume of production required in the Community and the amount that can be marketed; whereas it is to be fixed taking into account the price for flax and hemp fibres and seed on the world market;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas Article 4(2) of the said Regulation provides that the amount is to be so fixed per hectare of area sown and harvested so as to ensure an even balance between the volume of production required in the Community and the amount that can be marketed; whereas it is to be fixed taking into account the price for flax and hemp fibres and seed on the world market

and whereas it should allow continuity and the development of specific sectors using agricultural products for non-food purposes;

(Amendment 19)

Recital 3

>Original text>

Whereas over recent marketing years the hemp market has seen a marked and continuing trend towards increasing the area sown to hemp; whereas to curb this trend, which could unbalance the longer-term equilibrium of the market, and reduce the impact on budget expenditure, the level of aid should be adjusted accordingly;

>Text following EP vote>

Deleted

(Amendment 20)

Recital 3a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas the provision that hemp may be harvested only when the plant contains more mature than immature seeds (Regulation (EC) No 1164/89) gives rise to practical problems in that the harvest is often started too late, which causes difficulties in gathering the hemp dry and without loss of quality; whereas the Commission, in order to end these problems, must adjust the provision concerning the harvesting period in accordance with Article 2(1), definition Ea(b) of Directive 69/208/EEC on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants so that hemp can be harvested from the flowering period onwards;

(Amendment 21)

Recital 4a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas the use of agricultural products for non-food purposes must be encouraged and whereas fibre plants are particularly well suited for this purpose; whereas the previous promotion programme for flax fibre ran until April 1998; whereas the Commission must be strict in drawing up the procedures for the new promotion programme for flax fibre so that the new promotion programme follows on as closely as possible from the previous one; whereas steps must also be taken to ensure that new flax fibre varieties can be introduced quickly in practice and can be included in the aid provisions;

(Amendment 22)

Article 1(b)

>Original text>

(b) as regards hemp: ECU 537.47/ha.

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

as regards hemp: ECU 728.81/ha.

(Amendment 23)

Article 1a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Article 1a

In order to ensure equitable levels of income as between farmers in all European Union Member States an adjustment coefficient shall be created with effect from 1 January 1999 to compensate for the possible disappearance of the green rate for Member States participating in the single currency.

Legislative resolution embodying Parliament's opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation fixing the aid for fibre flax and hemp and the amount withheld to finance measures to promote the use of flax fibre for the 1998/99 marketing year (COM(98)0051 - C4-0089/98 - 98/0038(CNS))(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council, COM(98)0051 - 98/0038(CNS) ((OJ C 87, 23.3.1998, p. 9.)),

- having been consulted by the Council (C4-0089/98),

- having regard to Rule 58 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on External Economic Relations, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A4-0216/98),

1. Approves the Commission proposal, subject to Parliament's amendments;

2. Calls on the Council to notify Parliament should it intend to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

3. Asks to be consulted again should the Council intend to make substantial modifications to the Commission proposal;

4. Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and Commission.