WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1895/96 by Isidoro SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA to the Commission. Adjustment of the special supply arrangements for the outermost regions provided for in the Posei programmes
Date: 1996-07-11
Institutions: European Parliament, SÁNCHEZ GARCIA Isodoro
Subjects: GATT, agricultural product, customs duties, economic consequence, peripheral region, regional economy, supply













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91996E1895

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1895/96 by Isidoro SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA to the Commission. Adjustment of the special supply arrangements for the outermost regions provided for in the Posei programmes  


Official Journal C 385 , 19/12/1996 P. 0059 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1895/96 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ARE) to the Commission (11 July 1996)Subject: Adjustment of the special supply arrangements for the outermost regions provided for in the Posei programmesThe Commission has announced that the issue of permanent 'outermost region' status cannot be considered at the Florence European Council meeting. This can only mean that the special measures for the outermost regions will continue to apply under the Posei programmes.Implementation of the GATT agreement, which substantially lowered the refunds payable in respect of certain products (mainly certain types of animal feed, foodstuffs for human consumption and inputs for the agri-foodstuffs industry), has almost totally deprived the special supply arrangements provided for in the Posei programmes of their effectiveness. Those arrangements must therefore be adjusted as a matter of urgency, since failure to do so before the end of the long drawn-out process of revising the Treaty on European Union would create serious distortions in the economies of such regions, owing to increased production costs in the agri-foodstuffs sector and rising consumer prices.Given the above, does the Commission intend to adopt urgent measures under the rules establishing the various special supply arrangements, with a view to ensuring that supplies of animal feed, foodstuffs for human consumption and inputs for the agri-foodstuffs industry in the outermost regions are reasonably priced?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (5 September 1996)Council Regulations (EEC) Nos 3763/91, ((OJ L 356, 24.12.1991. )) 1600/92 ((OJ L 173, 27.6.1992. )) and 1601/922 (the basic regulations for the Poseidom, Poseima and Poseican programmes respectively) lay down special supply arrangements which, in accordance with local consumption patterns (direct or in the processing sector) allow originating products from third countries to be imported free of duty into the outermost regions. In the case of Community products, aid is granted so that they enjoy the same advantages as are conferred by the duty-free status accorded to products originating on the world market.The Commission is particularly sensitive to the consequences of the current arrangements, as described by the Honourable Member. It has therefore set up an ad hoc discussion group to consider ways of adapting the current arrangements to prevent further harm to the economies of these regions.Furthermore, the Commission recently adopted Regulations (EC) Nos 1203/96, ((OJ L 161, 29.6.1996. )) 1204/96,3 and 1205/963 adapting the aid arrangements in the cereals sector.