WRITTEN QUESTION E-0214/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(12 February 1999)

Subject: Olive cultivation register in Greece

According to the Commission's answer to my previous question (E-1557/97)(1), the olive cultivation register in Greece was not established or notified by the statutory deadlines. In the same answer, the Commission states that "if the work plan proposed by Greece is respected, establishment of the olive cultivation register will be completed in December 1998 and ... could therefore be financed in the same way as in the other Member States".

What stage has now been reached in establishing the olive cultivation register? Has the project received 100 % funding as in the other Member States? What was the cause of the failure to complete the register by the end of 1998?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(23 March 1999)

The olive cultivation register was not drawn up in accordance with the plans submitted by Greece to the Commission in April 1997 and referred to in the answer to the Honourable Member's Written Question No E-1557/97.(2) As described in the progress report on compilation (up to 30 November 1998), submitted to the Commission at the end of January 1999, almost all the work remains to be done.

The work is divided into two stages. In August 1997 the Commission approved the use of a grove identification system, which Greece proposed in March 1997, for areas not covered by the integrated system. An invitation to tender for this work was published in March 1998, but no contracts have yet been signed. In April 1998 the Commission provisionally approved a work programme (based on proposals submitted in January 1998) for the next stage: collating and checking crop declarations and entering them into a database. An invitation to tender for a pilot project in four prefectures was published but subsequently cancelled. A new invitation was due to be published in February 1999.

Meanwhile, the reform of the market organisation has been adopted and Commission Regulation (EC) 2366/98 of 30 October 1998 laying down detailed rules for the application of the system of production aid for olive oil for the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01 marketing years(3) has changed the regulatory requirements by replacing the olive cultivation register with geographical information system (GIS) terminology. At the Commission's instigation, the olive cultivation register compilation method chosen by Greece had anticipated this development and the work programme previously drawn up is in line with the new rules.

As is always the case for Member States, the eligible work undertaken by Greece qualifies for 100 % funding. The costs are to be borne by growers, in the form of a flat-rate deduction from the aid received. The Commission has so far been notified of expenditure of EUR 6 million for 1998 (allocated mainly to map-making), which will be subject to an accounts clearance procedure.

The work would seem not to have been completed primarily because the Greek Ministry of Agriculture has accorded the matter low priority. The authorities have to cope with slow procedures for publishing invitations to tender and awarding contracts, and are drastically short of specialist staff for drawing up technical specifications. In view of this, it is likely that Greece will continue for some time to be subject to financial corrections to production aid when accounts are cleared and, in accordance with the new rules, must redouble its on-the-spot checks on aid applications and crop declarations.

(1) OJ C 21, 22.1.1998, p. 70.

(2) OJ C 21, 22.1.1998.

(3) OJ L 293, 31.10.1998.