Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the Food Aid Convention 1995
Date: 1997-03-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: aid system, cereals, developing countries, food aid, international convention

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  03.03.1997 
COM(97)  18  final 

97/ 0026 (CNS) 

Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL REGULATION  (EC) 

apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the 

Food Aid Convention  1995 

(presented  by the  Commission) 

Explanatory memorandum 

1. 

The new Council Regulation (EC) No  1292/96 of 27 June 1996 on food-aid policy 
and  food-aid  management  and  special  operations  in  support  of  food  security 
entered into force  on 8 July this year. 

Article 21(1) of the Regulation, which concerns the allocation of grain under the 
Food Aid Convention, provides that "the Council, acting by a qualified  majority 
on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, 
shall  determine  the  Community  share of  the  overall  amount  of  cereals  aid laid 
down in the Food Aid Convention as the total contribution of both the Community 
and its Member States". 

Article 21(2)  states that "the  Commission shall coordinate the operations of the 
Community  and the  Member  States  as regards the  supply  of  cereals  under the 
Food  Aid  Convention  and  shall  ensure  that  the  total  contribution  by  the 
Community and its Member States is at least as high as the quantities provided for 
in the Convention". 

2. 

Since  the  1986  Food  Aid  Convention  expired  on  30 June  1995,  its  members 
began negotiations for a new Convention. 

3. 

4. 

The negotiations were successful,  and the Food Aid Convention was adopted in 
final  form at the 69th meeting of the Food Aid Committee. 

Under the terms of the new Convention, which came into provisional application 
in the Community from 1 July 1995 for three years (until 30 June 1998), covered 
by  a  declaration  providing  for  provisional  application,  the  Community  and  its 
Member  States have undertaken to provide  a minimum of  1 755  000 tonnes  of 
cereals per year for use as food aid. 

This undertaking represents an increase of 85 000 tonnes over the commitment of 
the  Community  and  the  Member  States  under  the  previous  Convention, 
incorporating  unchanged  the  contributions  of  Austria  (20 000  tonnes),  Finland 
(25  000 tonnes) and Sweden (40 000 tonnes) under that Convention. 

In the  light  of  these  considerations  and the  opinions  expressed  by  some  of the 
Member  States,  including  Sweden,  Finland,  Austria,  Spain  and  Italy,  the 
Commission believes that the Member States' contribution should be increased by 
28 900  tonnes and that of the Community  itself  should be  increased by  56  100 
tonnes. The Commission takes the view that the Community budget can cover the 
additional quantities without an increase in the overall allocation for compulsory 
expenditure. 

<£ 

Contributions would be apportioned as follows: 

old contribution 
(tonnes) 

new contribution 

(tonnes) 

Austria 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Ireland 
Italy 
Luxembourg 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
Spain 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 

Total Member States 
EC 

Overall total 

- 
41 500 
15 600 

200 000 
193 500 
10 000 
4 000 
95 400 
1  400 
50 200 

20 000 
- 
110 700 

742 300 
927 700 

8 400 
41 500 
15 600 

200 000 
193 500 
10 000 
4 000 
87 000 
1  400 
50 200 

8 900 
40 000 
110 700 

771200 
983 800 

1 670 000 

1 755 000 

5. 

6. 

These figures would give the Member States' own operations a share of 43.94% 
and Community operations a share of 56.06%. 

As before, the commitment made in connection with the Convention should be 
considered as a minimum. As in recent years, the Commission expects, when the 
budget process begins, to propose allocations enabling it to provide developing 
countries with amounts of food aid which are determined by their actual needs and 
which  go  beyond  the  Community's  own  commitment  under  the  Food  Aid 
Convention. 

The  Member  States  themselves  will  of  course  likewise  monitor  developing 
countries' needs and provide them with amounts of food aid which are determined 
by  actual  needs  and  which  go  beyond  their  own  commitments  under  the 
Convention. 

7. 

The Commission is proposing to the Council that it adopt the attached Regulation 
allocating the quantities provided for  in the Food Aid Convention.This includes 
a proposed breakdown of national aid in its annex on which the  representatives 
of the Member States meeting within the Council are asked to decide. 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No  ... 

apportioning the quantities of grain provided for under the 
Food Aid Convention  1995 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1292/96  of  27 June  1996  on  food-aid 
policy and food-aid management and special operations in support of food security,1  and 
in particular Article 21 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,2 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,3 

Whereas the  Food Aid  Convention  1995  has applied provisionally  in the  Community 
since  1 July  1995; whereas Council Regulation (EC) No  1292/96 did not enter into force 
until  8 July; 

Whereas Article 21 of Council Regulation (EC) No  1292/96 requires the Commission to 
coordinate Community and Member States' operations for the purposes of the Regulation; 
whereas  it  has presented  a proposed  breakdown of  national  aid to  this end and this  is 
published in the annex; whereas this should be decided on by the  representatives of the 
Member States meeting within the Council and adopted together with the Regulation, 

'OJNoL  166, 5.7.1996, p.8. 
2OJ No  ... 
3Opinion delivered on ... (OJ No  ...) 

< *• 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

The 1 755  000 tonnes of grain constituting the minimum annual contribution to be made 
by the Community  and its Member  States pursuant to the  Food Aid  Convention  1995 
shall be apportioned as follows for the lifetime of the current version of that Convention: 

(a) 
(b) 

Community operations: 
national operations: 

983  800 tonnes; 
771 200 tonnes. 

Article 2 

The  breakdown  of  quantities  for  national  operations provided  for  in Article  21(2)  of 
Council Regulation (EC) No  1292/96 and published in the annex to this Regulation must 
be decided  on by the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council 
and adopted at the same time as this Regulation. 

Article 3 

This Regulation shall enter into force  on the third day following  that of  its publication 
in the Official  Journal of the European Communities. 

This Regulation  shall  be  binding  in  its  entirety  and directly  applicable  in all  Member 
States. 

Done at 

For the Council 

£~ 

PROPOSED BREAKDOWN OF AMOUNTS ALLOCATED UNDER NATIONAL 
FOOD AID OPERATIONS UNDER THE FOOD AID CONVENTION 

ANNEX 

Austria 
Belgium 
Denmark 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Greece 
Ireland 
Italy 
Luxembourg 
Netherlands 
Portugal 
Spain 
Sweden 
United Kingdom 

(tonnes) 

8 400 
41  500 
15 600 

200 000 
193 500 
10 000 
4 000 
87 000 
1400 
50 200 

8 900 
40 000 
110  700 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 18  final 

DOCUMENTS 

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Catalogue number  : CB-CO-97-013-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-15055-X 

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