WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1150/98 by Robin TEVERSON to the Commission. The single market and EU funding
Date: 1998-04-24
Institutions: European Parliament, TEVERSON
Subjects: EU aid, United Kingdom, agri-monetary policy, aid to agriculture, beef, farm income, monetary compensatory amount, representative rate, single market













EUR-Lex - 91998E1150 - EN






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91998E1150

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1150/98 by Robin TEVERSON to the Commission. The single market and EU funding  


Official Journal C 354 , 19/11/1998 P. 0071 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1150/98 by Robin Teverson (ELDR) to the Commission (24 April 1998)Subject: The single market and EU fundingThe UK Government has decided not to take part in all available EU funding opportunities in the beef sector. As a result, UK beef farmers find themselves at a distinct disadvantage vis-à-vis beef farmers from other Member States whose Governments do participate. This situation has created a major distortion in the successful functioning of the single market.Firstly, would the Commission please list all available EU funding opportunities in the beef sector and indicate those which have not been taken up by the UK Government?Secondly, does the UK Government's decision run contrary to the basis of the acquis communautaire which every Member State has an obligation to accept before accessing to the European Union?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (12 May 1998)The Commission is unable to supply an exhaustive list of all Community funding opportunities for the beef sector in the United Kingdom, due to the fact that certain Community instruments, such as structural measures, are not specific to certain sectors and may be applied differently according to national priorities.In the particular case of agrimonetary compensatory aid in connection with the appreciable revaluations of the Pound Sterling agricultural conversion rate which occurred during 1997, the maximum amount available to all sectors was 610 MECU. From this total, the maximum amount that could be granted to the beef sector was 189 MECU. The British government submitted a request for 95 MECU to the beef sector. This corresponds to the maximum available to the beef sector, since according to the regulatory provisions concerning agrimonetary compensation, the maximum amounts payable are halved in cases such as this where Member States do not wish to grant national contribution.Furthermore, it should be noted that the net sum to be transferred from the Community budget to the United Kingdom will be substantially below 95 MECU as a result of the operation of the corrective mechanism granted to the United Kingdom in respect of budgetary imbalances by Article 4 of Council Decision 88/376/EEC, Euratom on the system of the Communities' own resources ((OJ L 185, 15.7.1988. )).Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 724/97 of 22 April 1997 determining measures and compensation relating to appreciable revaluations that affect farm incomes ((OJ L 108, 25.4.1997. )), establishes that a Member State may grant aids to farmers under certain conditions. The Commission considers that the waiving of a Member State participation in a voluntary aid scheme does not run contrary to the 'acquis communautaire'.