Commission Regulation (EC) No 30/98 of 8 January 1998 supplementing the restructuring plan referred to in Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92 concerning flat-rate aid for sugar cane cultivation in the French overseas departments
Date: 1998-01-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, French overseas department and region, State aid, aid to agriculture, farm development plan, sugar cane

9. 1. 98

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 30/98

of 8 January 1998

supplementing the restructuring plan referred to in Regulation (EEC) No
1487/92 concerning flat-rate aid for sugar cane cultivation in the French overseas
departments

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3763/91
of 16 December 1991 introducing specific measures in
respect of certain agricultural products for the benefit of
the French overseas departments (1), as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 2598/95 (2), and in particular Article
19 thereof,

Whereas aid for the planting of sugar cane and for land-
improvement works referred to in Article 17 of Regula-
tion (EEC) No 3763/91 has been granted by Commission
Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92 (3), as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 260/96 (4), for a given area on the
basis of a restructuring plan presented by the French
authorities;

these measures,

to be implemented by 31
Whereas
December 1998, have already been fully carried out;
whereas, however, the measures for the improvement of
plantations have not completely achieved their economic
objectives, namely an optimal replantation rate; whereas,
one of the reasons for this outcome is that a part of the
plantations, having benefited or not from replanting aid,
has been affected on a catastrophic scale by bad weather
and plant health problems and, as a result, has been or
will be replanted ahead of schedule; whereas another
reason for this outcome has been the time required for
carrying out the measures which has been in excess of
what was initially anticipated under the plan, with the
effect that the eligible areas have increased in number;
the impact on rejuvenating the plantations
whereas
generally has consequently been lessened;

Whereas, on the basis of the additional plan presented by
the French authorities, aid for replanting and for land

(1) OJ L 356, 24. 12. 1991, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 267, 9. 11. 1995, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 156, 10. 6. 1992, p. 7.
(4) OJ L 34, 13. 2. 1996, p. 16.

improvement should be granted for the areas affected by
the natural and plant disasters and for those affected by
delays in the rejuvenation exercise;

the general objective of strengthening the
Whereas if
sugar cane — sugar — rum sector is to be achieved, the
land improvement works must be carried out in parallel
with replanting;

Whereas for these measures to be brought to a successful
conclusion,
the plan must be administered more rig-
orously and action must be well targeted; whereas the
additional plan cannot be implemented within the period
initially specified in the Regulation; whereas, therefore, a
period of time should be fixed for its implementation;
whereas the end of that period should be fixed in this
Regulation;

Whereas the additional plan relies, for its implementa-
tion, on the same technical support as the main plan and
its continuity should be ensured; whereas, therefore, this
Regulation should apply retroactively from 1 April 1997
in respect of eligible measures started in 1997 and not
covered by Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92;

Whereas the Management Committee for Sugar has not
delivered an opinion within the time limit set by its
chairman,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.
As a supplement to the restructuring plan referred to
in Article 1 of Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92, France shall
pay out aid for the replanting of sugar cane and aid for
land improvement to individual planters, planter groups
and associations of planters.

Community aid shall be limited as regards replanting to
16 423 ha, of which 8 568 ha in R(cid:130)union, 6 895 ha in
Guadeloupe and 960 ha in Martinique and, as regards
land improvement to 8 875 ha, of which 7 500 ha in
R(cid:130)union, 1 165 ha in Guadeloupe and 210 ha in Mar-
tinique.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

9. 1. 98

Aid for replanting shall be paid by the French

2.
authorities for plots:

— which on 1 April 1997 were planted with sugar cane

aged over:

(a) seven years in R(cid:130)union;

(b) five years in Martinique and Guadeloupe,

— for which replanting aid has not been granted

pursuant to Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92.

3.
Plots shall, however, be eligible for the aid referred
to in the second subparagraph which are situated in
R(cid:130)union and Guadeloupe and, regardless of whether or
not they have received replanting aid pursuant to Regula-
tion (EEC) No 1487/92, have been affected in whole or in
part by recognised natural disasters due to bad weather or
infestations deleterious to plant health.

In the cases referred to in the first subparagraph, only
those plots on which the sugar cane has actually been
affected may receive replanting aid up to a limit, as
regards R(cid:130)union, of 3 500 ha and, as regards Guadeloupe,
of 4 200 ha.

4.
Aid for the land-improvement works referred to in
the additional plan may be granted by the French au-
thorities only in respect of areas under cane which have
received no aid pursuant
to Regulation (EEC) No
1487/92.

Plots shall, however, be eligible for the aid if they have
received aid pursuant to Regulation (EEC) No 1487/92 for
removal of large stones and aid applications have been
submitted for removal of small stones.

Article 2

The additional restructuring plan shall be implemented
before 31 December 1999, in accordance with the rules
and conditions
laid down in Regulation (EEC) No
1487/92 and in this Regulation.

Article 3

France shall notify to the Commission, as a supplement
to the notification referred to in Article 5 of Regulation
(EEC) No 1487/92,
the method of administration in-
cluding, in particular, the conditions of eligibility and the
inspection measures to be adopted within one month
following the entry into force of this Regulation as well
as, every six months, the progress reports on the addi-
tional plan.

Article 4

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

It shall apply with effect from 1 April 1997.

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

Done at Brussels, 8 January 1998.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission