Decision on common position (EC) No 60/98 adopted by the Council with a view to adopting a Council Regulation establishing a special framework of assistance for traditional ACP suppliers of bananas (10460/98 - C4-0583/98 98/0014(SYN))(Cooperation procedure: second reading)
Date: 1999-01-28
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: Belize, Cameroon, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles, Malawi, Surinam, air transport, financial aid, fourth Lomé Convention, production aid, production improvement, technical cooperation, veal

7.5.1999

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 128/67

Thursday 28 January 1999

›  having regard to its decision on the common position (1),

›  having  regard  to  the  Commission(cid:146)s  opinion  on  Parliament(cid:146)s  amendments  to  the  common  position

(COM(98)0188 › C4-0215/98),

›  having regard to Article 189b(5) of the EC Treaty,

›  having regard to Rule 77(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

›  having regard to the report of its delegation to the Conciliation Committee (A4-0008/99),

1.

Approves the joint text;

Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, pursuant to Article 191(1) of

2.
the EC Treaty;

Instructs its Secretary-General to duly sign the act and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of

3.
the Council, to have it published in the Official Journal;

4.

Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and Commission.

(1)  OJ C 080, 16.3.1998, p. 133.

3.  Assistance for ACP banana suppliers

**II

A4-0012/99

Decision  on  common  position  (EC)  No  60/98  adopted  by  the  Council  with  a  view  to  adopting  a
Council Regulation establishing a special framework of assistance for traditional ACP suppliers of
bananas (10460/98 › C4-0583/98 › 98/0014(SYN))

(Cooperation procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

›  having regard to the common position of the Council, 10460/98 › 98/0014(SYN) (1),

›  having  regard  to  its  opinion  at  first  reading (2)  on  the  Commission  proposal  to  the  Council

(COM(98)0005) (3),

›  having  been  consulted  by  the  Council  pursuant  to  Articles  189c  and  130w  of  the  EC  Treaty

(C4-0583/98),

›  having regard to Rule 67 of its Rules of Procedure,

›  having  regard  to  the  recommendation  for  second  reading  of  the  Committee  on  Development  and

Cooperation (A4-0012/99),

1.

2.

Amends the common position as follows;

Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and Commission.

(1)  OJ C 364, 25.11.1998, p. 14.
(2)  OJ C 210, 6.7.1998, p. 320.
(3)  OJ C 108, 7.4.1998, p. 91

C 128/68

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Thursday 28 January 1999

COMMON POSITION
OF THE COUNCIL

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

(Amendment 1)

Recital 1

Whereas the Fourth ACP-EC Convention provides that, in res-
pect of its banana exports to the Community markets, no ACP
State  shall  be  placed,  as  regards  access  to  its  traditional
markets  and  its  advantages  on  those  markets,  in  a  less
favourable situation than in the past or at present;

Whereas the European Union is bound by the undertakings
it made to the ACP countries under the Lome· Convention,
and  more  particularly  its  Protocol  No  5,  which  seeks  to
guarantee maintenance for the ACP States of their advan-
tages  on  the  European  market,  access  to  that  market  in
conditions that may not be less favourable than those that
they have previously enjoyed, and improvement of produc-
tion and marketing conditions for ACP bananas;

(Amendment 2)

Recital 1a (new)

Whereas  the  Community  banana  regime  and  the  trade
preferences it involves are real instruments of development
for a good many ACP countries;

(Amendment 3)

Recital 5

Whereas  these  modifications  have  substantially  altered  the
market conditions for traditional ACP suppliers;

Whereas  these  modifications  have  substantially  altered  the
market  conditions  for  traditional  ACP  suppliers  and  might,
in particular, harm the most disadvantaged suppliers;

(Amendment 4)

Recital 7a (new)

Whereas  the  purpose  of  fair  trade  is  to  contribute  to  the
fight  against  poverty  and  to  the  promotion  of  acceptable
social  and  environmental  conditions;  whereas  such  initia-
tives should be encouraged;

(Amendment 5)

Recital 7b (new)

Whereas  European  consumers  are  increasingly  prepared
to  buy  (cid:145)fair  trade(cid:146)  products  and  to  pay  slightly  higher
prices for them; whereas the European Union supports the
goal of increasing the supply of bananas on the European
market  from  producers  that  adhere  to  particularly  high
environmental and social standards; whereas, consequent-
ly, ACP banana producers should be granted support for
converting  their  plantations  to  comply  with  such  criteria
and in obtaining certification;

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COMMON POSITION
OF THE COUNCIL

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

(Amendment 6)

Recital 7c (new)

Whereas  it  is  necessary  to  foster  alternative  economic
activities  for  those  growers  least  able  to  adapt  to  new
market  conditions;  whereas  the  programme  of  technical
and  financial  assistance  should  therefore  be  extended  to
include  aid  for  diversification;  whereas  this  will  only  be
possible  if  the  sum  allocated  for  this  programme  is  suffi-
cient  to  meet  the  real  needs  of  ACP  suppliers  and  is
provided  for  a  long  enough  period  to  cover  the  period  of
crisis;

(Amendment 10)

Article 3(2)(a), indent 1

› 

increasing  productivity,  without  causing  damage  to  the
environment,

› 

increasing  productivity,  without  causing  damage  to  the
environment and while complying with minimum social
standards relating to working conditions,

(Amendment 11)

Article 3(2)(a), indent 4

›  establishing producers(cid:146) organisations which have as their
objective the improvement of the marketing and competi-
tiveness of their products and the development of systems
for  certifying  environment-friendly  production  methods,
including fair trade bananas,

›  assisting  producer  and  farmers(cid:146)  organisations  to
improve competitiveness and increase market opportu-
nities by supporting initiatives to enable producers to
fulfil the social and environment-friendly criteria esta-
blished  by  European  and  internationally  recognised
fair trade and organic produce importers and market-
ing organisations,

(Amendment 12)

Article 3(2)(a), indent 5

›  developing a production and/or marketing strategy to meet
the  requirements  of  the  market  in  the  light  of  the  Com-
munity(cid:146)s common organisation of the market in bananas,

›  developing and operating a production and/or marketing
strategy,  in  consultation  with  producer  and  farmers(cid:146)
organisations, to meet the requirements of the market in
the light of the Community(cid:146)s common organisation of the
market in bananas,

(Amendment 13)

Article 3(2)(a), indent 6

›  assisting  with  training,  market  intelligence,  the  develop-
ment of environment-friendly production methods includ-
ing  fair  trade  bananas,  improving  the  distribution  infra-
structure and improving commercial and financial services
to banana producers;

›  assisting  with  training,  market  intelligence,  the  develop-
ment of environment-friendly production methods includ-
ing  fair  trade  bananas,  implementing  social  projects
relating  to  improvements  in  the  working  conditions
and  lives  of  workers,  improving  the  distribution  infra-
structure and improving commercial and financial services
to banana producers, in consultation with producer and
farmers(cid:146) organisations;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

7.5.1999

Thursday 28 January 1999

COMMON POSITION
OF THE COUNCIL

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

(Amendment 14)

Article 3(2)(a), indent 6a (new)

›  making producers of fair trade bananas, together with
the  agencies  which  provide  (cid:145)fair  trade(cid:146)  certification,
eligible  for  special  support  measures  associated  with
technical and financial assistance.

(Amendment 16)

Article 7(1)

1. Within the global amount available for a given year, the
Commission shall fix the maximum amount available to each
traditional ACP supplier for the financing of the programmes
referred to in Article 3(2), on the basis of the competitivity gap
observed  and  taking  into  account  the  importance  of  banana
production of the country concerned. Where only programmes
as defined in Article 3(2)(b) are implemented, the Commission
will allocate an amount comparable to that given to the other
traditional suppliers.

1. Within the global amount available for a given year, the
Commission shall fix the maximum amount available to each
traditional ACP supplier for the financing of the programmes
referred to in Article 3(2), on the basis of the competitivity gap
vis-a‘-vis  bananas  from  competing  third  countries  and
taking  into  account  the  socio-economic  impact  of  banana
production on the country concerned as well as the conditions
relating to the policy of regional integration and diversifi-
cation  of  agricultural  exports.  Where  only  programmes  as
defined  in  Article  3(2)(b)  are  implemented,  the  Commission
will allocate an amount comparable to that given to the other
traditional suppliers.

(Amendment 17)

Article 7(1a) (new)

1a.
The  funds  available  should  primarily  benefit  small
independent producers. Multinational firms, i.e. firms that
operate  banana  plantations  in  more  than  one  State,  shall
not be eligible for assistance under this Regulation.

(Amendment 18)

Article 7a (new)

Article 7a

The Commission shall undertake to implement a transpar-
ent technical and financial assistance mechanism enabling
producers  or  producer  organisations  to  pass  aid  on  or  to
benefit from it as directly as possible.

(Amendment 20)

Article 9

By  31  December  2000,  and  every  two  years  thereafter,  the
Commission  shall  present  a  report,  accompanied  if  appro-
priate by proposals, on the operation of this Regulation to the
European Parliament and the Council.

By  31  December  2000,  and  every  two  years  thereafter,  the
Commission  shall  present  a  report  on  the  operation  of  this
Regulation  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council.
The report shall focus especially on the improvement of the
competitiveness of the banana sector in the traditional ACP
banana-supplying  countries  and  on  trends  in  incomes  of
banana producers.