WRITTEN QUESTION P-0807/00 by Elizabeth Montfort (UEN) to the Commission. Financial assistance to disaster areas in the Auvergne region of France.
Date: 2000-03-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Auvergne, EU aid, bad weather

C 46 E/48

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.2.2001

(2001/C 46 E/053)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0807/00

by Elizabeth Montfort (UEN) to the Commission

(9 March 2000)

Subject: Financial assistance to disaster areas in the Auvergne region of France

Further to the statement by Mr Michel Barnier, Member of the Commission, in plenary in January 2000
concerning the damage caused by the storms and the note from Mr Romano Prodi, President of the
Commission, to Mr Lionel Jospin, Prime Minister, what practical measures can Auvergne expect from the
Commission:

1.

as a matter of urgency, on account of the risks of phytosanitary and water pollution?

2.

financial measures:

(cid:129) under the EAGGF-Guarantee Section (Article 33 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 (1)
which provides for measures in the event of a natural disaster) and the use of aid to forestry,

(cid:129) areas eligible under Objective 2 (flexible application of criteria),

(cid:129) outside areas,

(cid:129) LIFE programme,

(cid:129) to complement national or local aid, will the Commission adopt a more flexible approach to State

aid to enterprises?

fiscal measures: for how long will the Commission grant an exemption from the principle of free
competition by authorising France to reduce the VAT rate from 20,6 % to 5,5 % for numerous forestry
activities?

logistic measures: what coordination is to be anticipated under the Community action programme for
civil protection adopted by the Council on 9 December 1999?

3.

4.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 April 2000)

1.
The Community budget contains no heading for emergencies caused by natural disasters. This means
that the Commission will try to provide the regions affected with the reconstruction aid they need under
the existing instruments.

The Structural Funds do not constitute emergency aid. However, the scope of their work means that

2.
they can provide significant aid for the economic and social development of the disaster regions.

Under Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 concerning support
for rural development by the European
Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations (1),
the French authorities presented a national rural development programme which includes substantial
support for forestry and will apply throughout the country, including therefore Auvergne. In this context,
in January 2000 the French authorities requested additional measures to reconstitute the forests destroyed
by the storms. Other complementary measures on forestry and timber storage and protection were also
introduced then. The whole application is currently being considered and is the subject of negotiations
between the Commission and the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Commission is already favourably
disposed towards these proposals and a final decision on the programme should be taken early in the
second half of this year.

13.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 46 E/49

The Auvergne region, like the other regions of metropolitan France, will continue to be partially eligible
under the new Objective 2 of the Structural Funds during the period 2000-2006. The French authorities
announced that they would submit the draft single programming documents no later than the end of April.
If that date is respected, expenditure before 1 January 2000 will be eligible retrospectively.

For example, the Objective 2 programmes will be able to finance the reconstitution of production
infrastructure and equipment and the restoration of historic sites, if these measures are selected by the
regional partnership. The same arrangements may also apply in areas receiving transitional support
because they are no longer eligible for Community funds in the new period although they received them
previously.

The Life Regulation, which is being revised, contains no provision for granting emergency aid other than
its usual procedure of calls for projects. However, it is possible that certain projects under Life-Nature
could be redesigned to take account of the damage caused to sites or species of Community interest,
insofar as this complies with the objectives of the projects.

tax aid for the forestry sector, which the French Government

National
intends to notify to the
Commission, will be examined under Article 87 (formerly Article 92) (2)(b) of the EC Treaty, which
permits the Member States to provide aid to make good the damage caused by natural disasters. To
qualify, the link between damage and the aid has to be established clearly and the aid may cover only the
damage caused. The Commission has undertaken to examine the French requests as soon as possible in
order to take account of the emergency to which they relate.

3.
The application by France of a reduced rate of VAT to certain forestry operations does not result
from an exemption from the Sixth VAT Directive (77/388/EEC) (2). It is the result of an exchange of letters
between the French authorities and the Commission, following which the Commission stated that this
Directive, and in particular the combined application of Article 12(3)(a) and Category 10 of Annex H, does
not prevent application of a reduced rate to certain forestry operations, provided that the conditions laid
down in the Directive are observed. Accordingly, no time limit was placed on the operation of this
arrangement.

In addition to these specific answers, the Commission has sought to launch a broad debate on the

4.
ability of the Community to provide itself with a genuine capacity for civil protection.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
(2) OJ L 145, 13.6.1977, last amended by Directive 1999/85/EC (OJ L 277, 28.10.1999).

(2001/C 46 E/054)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0814/00

by Agnes Schierhuber (PPE-DE) and Xaver Mayer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Transhumance of cattle

(21 March 2000)

The identification and registration of cattle is an essential precondition for ensuring full traceability in
connection with compulsory beef labelling. The practice of transhumance creates a special situation in
Member States with mountainous and alpine regions. Each year in the spring in Austria alone approxi-
mately 300 000 cattle and in Bavaria approximately 54 000 cattle are moved to upland pastures and
remain there for around three months. As a rule, these upland pastures are common grazing land on
which livestock from different holdings is assembled and tended jointly. The keeping of transhumance lists
means that each animal can be allocated to its holding of origin.

Regulation 820/97 (1) establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals makes
no provision for taking into account these specific requirements and simplified arrangements in relation to
the registration of cattle moved to upland pastures for summer grazing.

How does the Commission view the special case of transhumance and the presence of cattle on

1.
upland pastures in relation to registration and/or the transhumance lists that are already kept?