Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/98 of 25 May 1998 introducing special temporary measures for hops
Date: 1998-05-25
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: agricultural production policy, fallow, grubbing premium, hops

30. 5. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 157/7

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1098/98

of 25 May 1998

introducing special temporary measures for hops

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1696/71
of 26 July 1971 on the common organisation of the
market in hops (1). and in particular Article 16a thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas Article 16a of Regulation (EEC) No 1696/71
provides that if surpluses arise the Council, acting by a
qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission,
may take appropriate action on production potential;
whereas the market in hops is at present in surplus, for
both short-term and structural reasons;

Whereas the aim of producer groups is to adjust produc-
tion to market requirements; whereas they may use up to
20 % of the aid on appropriate measures to that end;
whereas their scope for action in this area should be
extended by allowing them to have recourse to temporary
resting and/or permanent grubbing-up of areas under
hops; whereas these measures will be additional to the
special measures listed in Article 7(1)(b) of the abovemen-
tioned Regulation;

Whereas the production and marketing conditions for
hops and thus also the economic viability of the sector
differ from one Member State to another; whereas, for this
reason, the decision to apply or not to apply the special
measures should be taken at the level of the Member State
concerned;

Whereas
temporary resting and/or permanent grub-
bing-up can be permitted only if certain requirements are
met, in particular non-cumulation of aid for areas tempor-
arily rested and an obligation to reduce areas by 2002;
whereas this will entail costs; whereas these costs, and loss
of income, should be met in part by payment of an
amount equal to the aid per hectare for a limited period;
temporary
whereas provision should be made that
granting of an amount equal to the aid on such unhar-
vested areas may therefore be permitted; whereas for
effectiveness of supervision the minimum size of the areas
which can benefit from these measures should be speci-
fied;

(1) OJ L 175, 4. 8. 1971, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 1554/97 (OJ L 208, 2. 8. 1997, p. 1).

Whereas for the sake of effective control of the applica-
tion of these measures the responsibilities of producer
groups and of the Member States’ competent authorities
should be defined, and the power of adopting detailed
rules of application should be given to the Commission,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

In addition to the aims described in Article 7(1)(b) of
Regulation (EEC) No 1696/71 producer groups may also
have recourse to temporary resting and/or permanent
grubbing-up as means of jointly adjusting their produc-
tion to market requirements and improving it.

Article 2

1.
In Member States which decide to apply temporary
resting and/or permanent grubbing-up, producers which
have recourse to such measures may, as from the 1998
harvest and up to the 2002 harvest, receive an amount
equal to the aid on the area had it been cropped, provided
that they undertake not to extend hop cultivation to other
areas of their holding. They may not receive any other
Community aid on areas temporarily rested.

The hop area cultivated for the 2003 harvest by producer
groups applying temporary resting and/or permanent
grubbing-up must be less than that cultivated for the
1997 harvest.

2.
Producer groups shall determine the minimum plot
size for which an aid application may be lodged. This
minimum plot size may not be less than 0,3 hectares.

3.
Producer groups may lay down additional specific
requirements to be met by their members in cases of
temporary resting and/or grubbing-up.

4. Areas put into temporary rest or grubbed up must be
notified to the competent authorities by 31 May of the
year of harvest. For the 1998 harvest, this data may be
later than 30 June 1998. The
communicated by not
competent authorities shall check that
the following
requirements have been met:

L 157/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30. 5. 98

(cid:190) for temporary resting, maintenance of the hop poles,
(cid:190) for permanent grubbing-up, removal of the hop poles,
(cid:190) permanent grassing over in order to improve soil

fertility.

Article 3

procedure laid down in Article 20 of Regulation (EEC)
No 1696/71.

Article 4

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

The Commission shall adopt the detailed rules for imple-
this Regulation in accordance with the
menting

It shall apply from the 1998 harvest up to the 2003
harvest.

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

Done at Brussels, 25 May 1998.

For the Council

The President

J. CUNNINGHAM