WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3890/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Exclusion of farmers from compensation
Date: 1997-12-11
Institutions: ALAVANOS, European Parliament
Subjects: Greece, State aid, aid recipient, aid to disaster victims, farm income, household income, investment aid, terms for aid

22. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 196/31

In this context, the TACIS Programme funded a preliminary study for a centre for the wholesale distribution of
foodstuffs in Moscow. That study was followed up by intervention funded through bilateral technical assistance
from the Netherlands Government.

In  this  connection,  the  Council  would  make  the  general  point  that  the  Commission  is  responsible,  under
successive  Regulations  Nos  2157/91,  2053/93  and  1279/96,  for  managing  the  TACIS  Programme  and  it  is
therefore for the Commission to provide information on the implementation of the operations it finances. With
more specific reference to the project financed by the Netherlands State from its own funds, the Council does not
feel it should comment when a Russian company has brought the case before the courts of the Member State
concerned.

(98/C 196/44)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3890/97

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(11 December 1997)

Subject: Exclusion of farmers from compensation

In its decisions interpreting Regulation (EC) 950/97 (1) which replaced Regulation (EEC) 2328/91 (2) the Greek
Government  has  used  the  (cid:145)family  income(cid:146)  and  not  the  income  of  the  (cid:145)farmer(cid:146)  as  the  criterion  for  the
implementation of Article 5; this means that farmers with family members (spouses, children) working outside
the  agricultural  holding  and  having  their  own  income  are  excluded  from  compensation  in  respect  of  natural
disasters.

Given that the development of the countryside as promoted by EU policies depends in part on the existence of
incomes from outside agriculture, will the Commission say:

1. 

Is  it  legitimate  to  take  into  account  the  non-agricultural  incomes  of  other  members  of  the  family  in
calculating the income of a farmer practising farming as his main occupation?

2.  What does it intend to do to ensure that farmers who meet the criteria set out in Article 5 of Regulation

950/97 are not excluded from compensation for this reason?

(1)  OJ L 142, 2.6.1997, p.1.
(2)  OJ L 218, 6.8.1991, p.1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 1998)

Under Regulation (EC) No 950/97 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures, in order to concentrate
aid for investment on those holdings which need it most, Greece has defined farmers practising farming as their
main occupation in a way which takes account of family income in the calculation of their overall income.

Member States are allowed to lay down additional criteria for the definition of farmers practising farming as their
main occupation, since the above Regulation specifies only the minimum criteria that farmers practising farming
as their main occupation have to fulfil to be eligible for the aid in question (1).

Application by Greece of the family income criterion in order to establish eligibility for state aid granted in the
event of disasters is justified for the same reason as for aid under Regulation (EC) No 950/97. This additional
criterion laid down for granting state aid does not pose a problem of compatibility with Articles 92, 93 and 94 of
the EC Treaty governing aid granted by Member States.

(1)  See Article 5(5) of the Regulation.