21.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC98/29
Opiniononthereformofthecommonagriculturalpolicy:
—ProposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)introducinganintegratedsystemforthe
managementandsupervisionofcertainCommunityaidschemes
(92/C98/13)
On23January1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mitee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon7February1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrStrauss.
Atits294thPlenarySession(meetingof26February1992),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionnem.con.withsixabstentions .
havetoappreciatethatthepaperworkisnecessaryif
thecompensatory aidschemes,designedtoaugment
theirincomes,aretooperateequitably.Farmersalso
shouldnotresentspotchecks.Wherefraudisdisco­
veredheavypenaltieswouldbeappropriatesincewide
scalefraudcouldquicklybringalldirectfarmaid
paymentsintodisrepute.
6.Itwillinpracticenotbepossibletofullyset
upthesystemby1January1993.Programming and
bringingthesystemtofulloperationalreadinessis
likelytotakeanumberofyears.TheCommissionwill
thereforehavetoputforwardinterimproposalsasto
howthecompensatory schemescanbecontrolled
beforethesystembecomesoperational .
7.AnyfeasibilitystudiesshouldbeonaCommunity
widebasistoensurecompatibility ofthesystems
betweenMemberStates.1.TheCommitteapprovestheprinciplesunderlying
theproposal,butbelievesthatitwillnotbepossibleto
putthenecessarilycomplexintegratedadministration
andcontrolsystem(thesystem)intooperationforsome
years.
2.Itisrecognizedthatcontrolsgoverningcompensa­
toryaidslinkedtothecultivatedareaornumberof
animalskeptbyindividualfarmers,willhavetobe
complexandstringent.
3.Theywillhavetobecomplexbecauseitwillbe
necessarytointroduceacomputerizedCommunity
widedatabaselistingholdingswiththeeligibleparcels
oflandandanimalsoneach.Thisrequiresanumerical
identificationsystemofparcelsoflandandanimals.
Suchasystemisneededbecausegiventhelargenumber
offarmersqualifyingforindividualcompensatory pay­
mentsthereareconsequentdifficultiesofcheckingfor
fraud.
4.Thearrangements willhavetobestringentnot
onlytopreventfraudbuttoensurethatthecompensa­
torypaymentsdonotbecomeavehicleforrenationaliz­
ingagriculturalpolicy.Itiseasiertoensurethataidis
distributedonthesamebasisthroughouttheCom­
munitywhenthisisdonethroughregulationofthe
market,thanwhenaidispaiddirectlytoproducers
throughcompensatory paymentsandwhenthose
schemesperforcehavetobeadministeredbynational
administrations .ACommunitywidedatashouldenable
theCommissiontoensuretheevenapplicationofthe
compensatoryaidsthroughouttheEC.
5.Theproposalwillrequirefarmerstofillupde­
tailedstatementswhenapplyingforcompensatoryaids.
Thiswillinvolvefarmersinconsiderableclericalwork.
Forthispurpose,occupationalorganizationsshould
helpandsupervisethepreparationoftheformsand
documentation tobesubmittedtothepublicauthori­
ties.Wherevernecessary,farmersshouldbeassistedin
thisworkbytheauthorities .Producerswill,however,8.Themethodofidentifyingandrecordingsheep
willrequirespecialattention.Notonlyarethereabout
100millionsheepintheCommunity ,butownership
duringtheirlifetimemaychangeupto7times.What
ismore,eartaggingisparticularlydifficultandsome
sheephaveonlyrudimentaryears.
9.Thecorrelationbetweenmakingdetailedannual
statementsandpresentingquiteseparatelyaidappli­
cationsrequiresclarification .Thestatementisforward
looking,farmersbeingaskedfortheirplansandinten­
tions.Thesefrequentlychange,iffornootherreason
thantheweather,anditwillthereforenotbesufficient
torefertothestatementsbeforeapprovingaidappli­
cations.
10.Thedateonwhichtheannualstatementwill
havetobesubmittedwillhavetobeconsideredcare­
fully.Itmaynotbeparticularlyusefultoaskforsub­
missionsbeforespringsowingshavebeencompleted .

NoC98/30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 21.4.92
implementing controlsandintroducingsupport
measuresagreedbytheCommunity .Moreover,part
financingoughttoenabletheCommunityauthorities
toensuremorereadilythatthevariouscontrolmeasures
areproperlyintegrated.11.TheCommitteeagreesthattheintroductionof
thesystemshouldbefinancedinpartbytheCom­
munity.Notonlycouldthecostconstituteahighfinan­
cialburdentosomemembercountries,butexperience
hasshownthatintheabsenceofsuchfundinggovern­
mentpleadadministrative expensefornotproperly
DoneatBrussels,26February1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
APPENDIX
FourthparagraphofArticle43oftheRulesofProcedure
Thefollowingamendmentwasdefeatedinthecourseofthedebate:
Point1
Replace:'TheSection...but'withthefollowingtext:
'TheCommitteehasconsiderablereservationsabouttheprinciplesonwhichtheproposalisbased,and...'
Reason
Excessiveadministration willsubjectfarmerstoanunacceptableamountofcontrol.
Voting
For:21,against:38,abstentions :5.