Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) introducing a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing of certain fishery products from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the French department of Guyana as a result of those regions' remoteness'
Date: 1997-12-10
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU aid, compensatory financing, fishery product, island region, peripheral region

C 73/46

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.3.98

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation
(EC) introducing a scheme to compensate for the additional costs incurred in the marketing
of certain fishery products from the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the French
department of Guyana as a result of those regions’ remoteness’

(98/C 73/11)

On 9 September 1997 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee,
under Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the
above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing Committee’s
work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 7 November 1997. The rapporteur was Mr Bento
Gonçalves.

At its 350th plenary session (meeting of 10 December 1997), the Economic and Social
Committee adopted the following opinion by 34 votes with two abstentions.

1.
The Commission proposal reports the continuation
of the conditions and background underlying (a) Council
Decisions 89/687/EEC, 91/314/EEC and 91/315/EEC,
which led to the establishment of programmes of options
specific to the remote and insular nature of the Com-
munity’s most remote regions, the Azores, Madeira, the
Canary Islands and the French overseas departments
(Poseima, Poseicon and Poseidom), and (b) the Declar-
ation on the outermost regions of the Community
annexed to the Treaty on European Union.

2.
The Committee also considers that the content of
its earlier opinion (1) remains relevant, and provides
grounds for the conclusion reached in the present
opinion.

The Committee draws attention to the forwarding
3.
in good time of the report (2), which it had called for in
point 3.1 of its previous opinion, as a result of which it
will be able to assess the application of the compensation
system for the regions in question and its benefits for
their economies in general, and the improvements seen
in the social situation of the populations concerned.

4.
The tables and comments contained in the report
are informative and clearly show the effects of the
improvements achieved by the various actors involved,
especially the rise in exports with evident benefits in
terms of increased employment and higher incomes for
the populations in question.

The Commission proposal updates the payment
5.
amounts in the light, in particular, of the ecu exchange
rate and the extra costs resulting from the regions’
remoteness, and, in the following points, extends support
to new species:

Article 2: 1 (b)

2 (b) and (c)

3 (c), (d), (e) and (f).

6.
The Committee underscores the need to preserve
fish stocks, inter alia by ruling out any aid for fishing of
juvenile species. By the same token when aid is being
awarded, preference should be given to small and
medium-sized undertakings and local non-industrial
fishing activities.

(1) 95/C 102/06 of 10.1.1995, OJ C 102, 24.4.1995, p. 13.
(2) COM(97) 388 final, 22.7.1997.

7.
The Committee believes that the compensation
system should continue as proposed by the Commission.

Brussels, 10 December 1997.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS