Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) 1765/92 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (COM(98)0051 - C4-0085/98 - 98/0035(CNS))

The proposal was approved with the following amendments:

(Amendment 5)

Recital 3a (new)

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Whereas, given that in the last two yearsextraordinary set-aside has been suspended in the event of an overshoot of the base areas and that in the framework of the Agenda 2000 proposals such set-aside is to be completely abolished, it seems appropriate to suspend this form of set-aside for the next two marketing years as well;

(Amendment 6)

Recital 3b (new)

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Whereas the base area problems which have occurred in the past in the new Länder still exist; whereas a fundamental reason is the considerable, and unforeseeable, decline in stock-farming and thus the agricultural land used for fodder production; whereas the grounds for the transitional measures under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1000/94 or the extension of the transitional period under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1763/96 are still valid; whereas a further extension of the transitional period by two years is therefore justified;

(Amendment 7)

ARTICLE 1, 2ND PARAGRAPH (new)

Article 7(5) (Regulation (EEC) 1765/92)

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Article 7(5) of Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 is replaced by the following:

"5. The compensation for the obligation to set aside land is fixed at the level of the compensatory payment which would be paid from the marketing year 1995/96 for the same areas if cultivated with cereals. This compensation will be paid for the number of hectares needed to satisfy the requirement set out in paragraph 1. In the case of Portugal, the compensation takes account of the aid scheme provided for in Regulation (EEC) No 3653/90. However, if the land set aside is used for the purposes described in paragraph 4 above, the compensation shall be equal to the sum of ECU 75 multiplied by the average cereal yield calculated on a regionalised basis.¨

(Amendment 8)

ARTICLE 1, 3RD PARAGRAPH (new)

Article 7(6), 2nd subparagraph (Regulation (EEC) 1765/92)

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The second subparagraph of Article 7(6) of Regulation (EEC) 1765/92 is replaced by the following:

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By way of derogation from the previous subparagraph, producers who, pursuant to Regulation (EEC) No 2328/91, have set aside a greater area of land than that on which they intend to grow eligible arable crops, and who have not recommenced the growing of crops on that land, may, at the end of the period of commitment referred to in Article 2(3) of the above-mentioned Regulation, continue to set aside land which they had already set aside pursuant to this measure.¨

(Amendment 9)

Article 1a (new)

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Article 1a

The Commission shall submit a proposal which suspends the application of the extraordinary set-aside, referred to in Article 2(6) second indent of Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92, on overshoots of one of the base areas applicable in the marketing years 1998/99 and 1999/2000.

(Amendment 10)

Article 1b (new)

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Article 1b

The Commission shall submit a proposal for the extension by two years of the transitional period provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1763/96.

(Amendment 11)

Article 1c (new)

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Article 1c

The Commission shall submit a proposal on fixing the compulsory set-aside rate, pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation 1765/92, for the marketing year 1999/2000 in order to ensure that a decision can be taken before 30 June 1998.

Legislative resolution embodying Parliament's opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) 1765/92 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (COM(98)0051 - C4-0085/98 - 98/0035(CNS))(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council, COM(98)0051 - 98/0035(CNS) ((OJ C 87, 23.3.1998, p. 3.)),

- having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Article 43 of the EC Treaty (C4-0085/98),

- 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.