WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2977/96 by Honório NOVO to the Commission. EU financial participation in controlling the spread of Pseudomonas Solanacearum
Date: 1996-11-08
Institutions: European Parliament, NOVO
Subjects: EU aid, Netherlands, Portugal, agricultural holding, plant disease, plant health control, plant health legislation, potato, protected area, seedling













EUR-Lex - 91996E2977 - EN






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91996E2977

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2977/96 by Honório NOVO to the Commission. EU financial participation in controlling the spread of Pseudomonas Solanacearum  


Official Journal C 091 , 20/03/1997 P. 0058 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2977/96 by Honório Novo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (8 November 1996)Subject: EU financial participation in controlling the spread of Pseudomonas SolanacearumThe disease caused by the Pseudomonas Solanacearum bacterium in seed potatoes and potatoes for human consumption produced in the Netherlands is causing serious problems for agriculture in various Member States, particularly Portugal.Following Commission Decision 95/506/EC of 24 November 1995 ((OJ L 291, 6.12.1995, p. 48. )), which adopted specific measures to be followed by the Netherlands and authorized the introduction of additional measures by other individual Member States, Portugal not only implemented all the measures recommended in the Decision but also went a step further, in the form of an additional national plant-health protection programme.All this huge set of measures designed to limit the spread of, and ultimately eradicate, the disease is still in force at a great financial cost which is being exclusively borne by Portugal.This is a problem stemming from agricultural products recognized and proved to have originated in one Member State (the Netherlands). As in other, similar cases it is clearly a matter to be resolved by means of joint financial solidarity mechanisms.Would the Commission say whether or not it is envisaged that the EU will provide full or partial financial support for the expenditure which Portugal (and other member States) are having to shoulder in order to control and eradicate the disease caused by the Pseudomonas Solancearum bacterium? If such a financial solidarity mechanism has not yet been decided upon, does the Commission intend to submit an appropriate proposal?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (2 December 1996)The Commission is aware of outbreaks in Portugal of potato brownrot, caused by pseudomonas solanacearum, as well as of the measures taken to control the disease.The current Community plant health regime as established by Directive 77/93/EEC ((OJ L 26, 31.1.1977. )) on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products or against their spread within the Community, as last amended by Directive 96/14/EC ((OJ L 68, 19.3.1996. )) does indeed not include provisions for a financial contribution from the Community for expenses incurred by those facing such outbreaks.However, it should be noted that in this respect the Commission presented in 1989 a proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 77/93/EEC ((OJ C 31, 9.2.1990 and OJ C 205, 6.8.1991. )). It consists essentially of two elements, financial solidarity under which a Community fund would be created to provide a contribution to Member States' expenses in combatting an outbreak of a harmful organism spread by contaminated consignments, and financial liability under which this contribution would have to be reimbursed to the solidarity fund in the event a Member State did not comply with obligations under the Community plant health regime. The proposal is still under discussion in the Council.