22.1.  76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 15/3 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 134th  plenary 
session,  held  on 29 and  30 October  1975  (meeting  of 
29 October), 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
by unanimous  vote: 
The Committee  approves  the  proposal  for  a 
Directive,  but has the following  comments  to make. 
1. One  of the  practical  consequences  of the 
common  market  has  been  the  introduction  of 
different  kinds  of export  duties,  especially  in the 
agricultural  sector.  The  Committee  therefore  sees  the 
logic  in making  it possible  to defer  payment  of these 
duties  in exactly  the same  way  that  the Directive  of 4 
March  1969  provides  for  the  deferred  payment  of 
import  duties. 
2. Article  6 allows  Member  States  to grant  further 
facilities,  in addition  to the harmonized  arrangements 
for 30-day  deferral.  In the  case  of such  further 
facilities,  Member  States  are  perfectly  free  to fix 
Done  at Brussels,  29 October  1975. whatever  time  limit  they  think  fit. The  rate  of interest 
has to be based  on the rate  prevailing  on the money 
and capital  market  of the  State  concerned.  This 
means  that  rates  will  be allowed  to vary  quite 
considerably  from  one Member  State  to another. 
3. The  import  and  export  duties  are  levied  in 
pursuance  of Community  legal  instruments,  and 
therefore  constitute  Community  receipts.  The 
Committee  accordingly  believes  that  the  conditions 
governing  collection  should  be fully  harmonized,  that 
is to say  there  should  be a single  time  limit  for 
payment  and  a single  interest  rate.  This  interest  rate 
could  be reviewed  periodically.  It is felt  that  the 
present  arrangements  distort  the practical  impact  of 
Community  rules.  The  impact  should  be uniform, 
this being  true  not  only  of basic  rates  but  also  of 
overall  cost  and  the financial  burden  involved.  The 
Committee  is well  aware  that  this  is an issue  which  is 
bound  up with  the monetary  and  financial  policies  of 
the Member  States.  It nevertheless  hopes  that  interest 
rates  will  be unified  as rapidly  as possible,  though  in 
principle  this  could  only  be done  as part  of the move 
towards  economic  and  monetary  union.  The 
Committee  feels  that  Community  duties  constitute  a 
sector  where  progress  is possible. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE 
Opinion  on the proposal  for a Council  Regulation  on the  granting  of a conversion 
premium  in the wine  sector 
The text  referred  to the Committee  was  published  in Official  Journal  of the European 
Communities  No  C 249 of 3 October  1975,  page  7. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 21 October  1975,  the Council  referred  the abovementioned  proposal  to the Economic 
and Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Articles  47 and  198  of the Treaty  establishing 
the European  Economic  Community. 
B. OPINION  OF THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the above  matter  at its 
134th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 29 and  30 October  1975. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: 
No C 15/4 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 22.1.  76 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the request  for an opinion  made  by 
the Council  on 21 October  1975, 
Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Economic  Community,  and  in particular 
Articles  47 and  198  thereof, 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by its Chairman, 
instructing  the Section  for Agriculture  to prepare  the 
Committee's  work  on the matter, 
Having  regard  to the  opinion  approved  by  the 
Section  for Agriculture  at its meeting  on 29 October 
1975, 
Having  regard  to the  oral  report  made  by  the 
Rapporteur,  Mr De Grave, 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 134th  plenary 
session  held  on 29 and  30 October  1975  (meeting  of 
30 October), 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
by 20 votes  in favour,  14 against  and  8 abstentions: 
The Committee  approves  the  proposal  for  a 
Regulation  in so far  as it is part  of an overall 
programme  for  improving  production  and  adapting 
production  capacity  to the  present  and  potential 
needs  of  the  Community  and  non-Community 
markets.  The  proposal  is moreover  in line  with  the 
proposals  made  in the Committee  opinion  of 17 July 
1975. 
1. The  Economic  and  Social  Committee  has 
repeatedly  stressed  the need  to define  and  seek,  with 
respect  to all agricultural  products,  a general  balance 
between  internal  and  external  production  and 
demand. 
Done  at Brussels,  30 October  1975. 2. If  the proposal  is to achieve  its aims,  it should 
be part  of a Community  set of rules  on planting  and 
replanting. 
3. The  Committee  wonders  whether  the three-year 
ban on replanting  for  normal  replacement  of the 
remaining  vines  might  not  discourage  many 
producers  from  grubbing  their  vines.  The 
Commission's  proposal  might  be more  effective  if the 
ban on replanting  for  normal  replacement  of the 
remaining  vines  were  cut  to one  year,  both  for 
quality  wines  psr and  for table  wines. 
4. The  amounts  fixed  for the premiums  in Article 
3 are  approved.  But  there  should  also  be a more 
attractive  premium  for  wine-growers  who  grub  all 
their  vines  (cf.  Article  1 of the  proposal)  and 
undertake  not  to replant  for 10 years.  In such  cases, 
the premium  should  be 2 000 units  of account  per 
grubbed  hectare,  provided  that  the total  area  grubbed 
is at  least  one  hectare.  In  this  connection, 
encouragement  should  be given  to new  types  of 
production  which  are  appropriate  to the  climate  of 
the relevant  regions  and  to market  requirements. 
5. As  regards  Article  2 (3),  the  Commission  is 
asked  to study  how  vineyards  whose  output  is 
consumed  mainly  by the grower  and  his family  might 
also become  eligible  for the conversion  premium. 
6. To  make  the  Commission's  proposals  more 
attractive,  growers  who  grub  their  vines  should 
receive  preferential  distillation  terms. 
7. The  Commission  is asked  to look  into  ways  of 
ensuring  that  these  measures  do, in fact,  lead  to an 
improvement  in quality. 
8. The  Committee  emphasizes  once  more  the need 
to step  up anti-fraud  checks  in the wine  sector. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE 
22.1.76 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 15/5 
ANNEX 
to the opinion  of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
The following  amendments  were  rejected  during  the discussion: 
1. Add  an item  4 (a) worded  as follows: 
'4. (a) In all cases  where  there  is a definitive  undertaking  not to replant  grubbed-up  areas, 
the premium  should  be 2 500 units  of account'. 
Outcome  of the voting: 
For: 8, against:  18, abstentions:  14, 
2. The  following  passage  in the Section  opinion  was  amended.  Voting:  for:  27, against:  14, 
abstentions:  5. 
'1. First  of all, the Section  considers  that  any  measures  to discourage  or reduce  surpluses 
should  cover  all sectors  where  there  are surpluses  and not just  the wine  sector,  especially  as 
it is not iyet certain  whether  the wine  lake  is a structural  or purely  cyclical  surplus.  But it 
regrets  having  been  given  such  an extremely  tight  deadline  for drawing  up an opinion.  This 
has prevented  it commenting  adequately  on measures  which  can play  an important  part  in 
restructuring  the Community's  wine-producing  sector'. 
Opinion  on the  proposal  for  a Council  Regulation  establishing  a system  of aid  to 
organizations  of silkworm  rearers 
The text  referred  to the  Committee  was  published  in Official  journal  of the European 
Communities  No  C 210  of 12 September  1975,  page  2. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 16 July  1975,  the  Council  referred  the abovementioned  proposal  to the  Economic 
and Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Article  198  of the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Economic  Community. 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the  above  matter  at its 
134th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 29 and  30 October  1975. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: