Proposal for a Council Regulation on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy
Date: 1999-10-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, EU financing, common agricultural policy, information, public awareness campaign

C 376 E/40

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

28.12.1999

Proposal for a Council Regulation

on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy

(1999/C 376 E/06)

COM(1999) 536 final (cid:151) 1999/0209(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 26 October 1999)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) Articles 32 to 38 of the Treaty provide for the implemen-

tation of a common agricultural policy.

(2) Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999
on the financing of the common agricultural policy (1)
stipulates that measures intended to provide information
on the common agricultural policy are to be financed by
the EAGGF Guarantee Section.

(3) Article 22(1) of the Financial Regulation of 21 December
1977 applicable to the general budget of the European
the implementation of
Communities (2) stipulates that
appropriations entered for significant Community action
requires
Interinstitutional
Agreement of 13 October 1998 on legal bases and
implementation of the budget, a basic act is also needed
for the measures covered by this Regulation.

act. Under

basic

the

a

achieve this goal should therefore be eligible to make
proposals.

(8) The Commission must have the necessary resources to
implement the information actions it wishes to realise in
the area of agriculture.

(9) Although activities

that can be assisted under other
Community programmes should not be financed under
this Regulation,
the complementarity of such activities
with other Community initiatives should nevertheless be
encouraged.

(10) Since the measures required for the implementation of
this Regulation are management measures within the
meaning of Article 2 of Council Decision 1999/468/EC
of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the
conferred on the
exercise of
Commission (3), they should be adopted by use of the
management procedure provided for in Article 4 of that
Decision.

implementing powers

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The Community may finance information measures relating to
the common agricultural policy that aim, in particular, at:

(4) The issues surrounding the common agricultural policy
and its development
explained to both
farmers and other parties directly concerned, as well as
the general public.

should be

(a) helping to explain, implement and develop this policy,

(b) promoting the European model of agriculture and helping

people understand it,

(5) The priority measures which the Community may support

should be defined.

(c) informing farmers and other parties active in rural areas,

(6) Organisations representing those active in farming and in
rural areas, particularly farmers’ organisations, consumers’
associations and environmental protection associations
play a vital role in informing their members about the
common
the
policy
relaying
Commission the opinions of
the parties concerned in
general and farmers in particular.

agricultural

and

to

(7) Since the common agricultural policy is the first and most
extensive of the Community’s integrated policies, it should
be explained to the general public. Other parties likely to
information projects that will help
be able to present

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 103.
(2) OJ L 356, 31.12.1977, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-
lation (EC, ECSC, Euratom) No 2779/98 (OJ L 347, 23.12.1998,
p. 3).

(d) raising public awareness of the issues and objectives of the

CAP.

These actions aim to supply coherent, objective and compre-
hensive information in order to give an overall picture of this
policy.

Article 2

1.

The measures referred to in Article 1 may be:

(a) annual work programmes presented,

in particular, by
farmers’ or rural development organisations, consumers’
associations and environmental protection associations,

(3) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

28.12.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 376 E/41

(b) specific measures presented by any party other than those
referred to in (a), in particular the public authorities of the
Member States, the media and universities.

(c) activities implemented at

in
particular measures of mutual benefit to the Commission
and the target groups of the measures referred to in Article
1.

the Commission’s initiative,

The maximum financing rate for the measures referred to

2.
in paragraph 1(a) and (b) shall be 75% of eligible costs

The following measures may not receive Community

3.
financing as provided for in Article 1:

Article 5

The Commission shall ensure that the Community measures
and projects implemented under this Regulation are consistent
with and complement other Community action.

Article 6

The Commission shall monitor and check the activities
financed by the Community to ensure that they are properly
and efficiently implemented. The Commission’s representatives
shall be authorised to make on-the-spot checks on such activi-
ties, including by sampling.

Article 7

The Commission, where it judges it to be appropriate, evaluate
the measures financed under this Regulation.

(a) measures which are required by law,

Article 8

(b) measures

already

receiving

financing under

another

Community operation.

In order

4.
referred to in
to implement measures as
paragraph 1(c), the Commission may have recourse to any
technical and administrative assistance it might need.

Article 3

1. Measures eligible under Article 2 shall
particular,
productions,
programmes for the exchange of experiences.

in
talks, seminars, publications, media actions and
and

participation

international

include,

events

in

The Commission shall present a report on the implementation
of this Regulation to the European Parliament and the Council
every two years. The first report must be presented not later
than 31 December 2001.

Article 9

For the purpose of

implementing this Regulation, the
1.
assisted in accordance with the
Commission shall be
procedure provided for in paragraph 2 by the Committee for
the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund set up
by Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 (1).

2. Where this paragraph is referred to, the management
procedure laid down in Article 4 of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall apply.

2. Measures as referred to in Article 2 shall be selected on
the basis of general criteria such as:

The period provided for
1999/468/EC shall be one month.

in Article 4(3) of Decision

(a) the quality of the project,

(b) cost effectiveness.

Article 10

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

Article 4

It shall apply from 1 January 2000.

Community financing shall not exceed the annual appro-
priations decided by the budgetary authority.

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

(1) OJ L 94, 28.4.1970, p. 13.