EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/838

(2004/C 78 E/0892)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3636/03

by Salvador Jové Peres (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(2 December 2003)

Subject: Reform of the CMO in olive oil

Regulation (EC) No 1638/98 (1) amending the common organisation of the market in oils and fats lays down that: ‘No aid … may be paid to olive growers in respect of additional olive trees or the relevant areas planted after 1 May 1998’.

Under the recent Commission proposal, aid for olive oil would be calculated on the basis of the aid received in the period 2000-2002. Olive groves begin to yield fruit five years after being established, and only reach full productive capacity ten years after planting. As a consequence, the entitlements for olive trees planted between 1990 and 1 May 1998 would, despite their being eligible for aid, be inferior to those for other olive trees. Similarly, the Council regulation of 1998 established guaranteed national quantities which, if exceeded, trigger the application of penalties, and therefore the granting of less aid. In this way, if the approach announced by the Commission were to be applied, there would be a reduction in the aid entitlements for olive trees planted between 1988 and 1 May 1998. Olive groves that are the subject of restructuring or replanting measures in these periods would also be affected by both sets of circumstances.

The Commission has commissioned studies and investigations — Olistat, Olisig, Oliarea and Olicount, Olicount 2000, Oliarea and Geomatics — to obtain reliable information on Community olive groves, and has been able to use GIS for this.

What surface area of olive groves planted prior to 1998 in each Member State would not have come into full production in 2000? What surface area of olive groves subject to restructuring or replanting measures in each Member State would not have come into full production in 2000? How many producers fall into each of these two categories in each Member State?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 January 2004)

Under CAP reform principles the Commission is proposing that the national ceiling be calculated using the average of the payments received by growers during the reference period. For olive oil this is the 2000/2001 to 2002/2003 marketing years. It should be noted that in all three leading producer countries (Greece, Italy Spain) the national guaranteed quantity was exceeded during that period.

Under the reform proposal presented by the Commission additional trees planted after 1 May 1998 will be excluded from any support. As the Honourable Member says, new trees do not reach full productivity until ten years after planting. There are therefore a number of groves eligible under the new provisions that during the reference period produced less (and hence generated less aid) than a grove of mature trees. It is to deal with this type of situation that Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 (2) requires Member States to apply a percentage reduction (not more than 3 %) to reference amounts in order to constitute a national reserve. By using this to establish reference amounts for farmers in a special situation or in areas undergoing restructuring Member States will be able to ensure equality of treatment for all producers.

On numbers of young olive trees, the Olistat study in 1998 gave for Spain a figure of 66,4 million (23 %) out of a total of 287,9 million maintained trees. For the other Member States the corresponding proportion was France 11 %, Greece 14 %, Italy 19 % and Portugal 14 %.

(1) OJ L 210, 28.7.1998, p. 32.

(2) Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of 29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers and amending Regulations (EEC) No 2019/93, (EC) No 1452/2001, (EC) No 1453/2001, (EC) No 1454/2001, (EC) No 1868/94, (EC) No 1251/1999, (EC) No 1254/1999, (EC) No 1673/2000, (EEC) No 2358/71 and (EC) No 2529/2001, OJ L 270, 21.10.2003.