WRITTEN QUESTION E-3533/00 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Programmes for young farmers.
Date: 2000-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Greece, aid to agriculture, operational programme, rural development, young farmer

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/155

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2000)

The Commission with the help of independent experts evaluated in October 2000 the proposals sub-
mitted in the context of the second call key action (cid:145)Improving the socio-economic knowledge base(cid:146)
(IHP-KA1-001) including the proposal mentioned by the Honourable Member.

The coordinator of the proposal has been informed of the outcome of the evaluation results, which was
that the proposal received a final mark beneath the evaluation threshold and will not be retained for
possible selection.

A copy of the evaluation summary report of the proposal is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to
the Secretariat general of the Parliament.

(2001/C 163 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3533/00

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 November 2000)

Subject: Programmes for young farmers

In Greece, money from the European Union programmes for young farmers ceased to be approved or paid
ten months ago. Could the Commission say when it expects the programmes under Regulation 1257/99 (1)
for young farmers in Greece to be approved?

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

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 December 2000)

The Commission acknowledges that there was some delay in 2000 in implementing measures for young
farmers in Greece. The reasons were as follows.

These measures form part of the 2000-2006 operational programme (OP) for rural development which in
turn forms part of the national strand of the Community Support Framework (CSF III). According to the
rules governing the Structural Funds, the OP cannot be approved until the CSF is formally adopted by the
Commission, which took place only on 28 November 2000.

This OP has already been the subject of negotiations and discussions with the Member State. Following
these negotiations,
the OP
during November 2000 in order to assess whether it could immediately begin the approval procedure.
However, expenditure under the operational programmes has been eligible for Community part-financing
as from the date of admissibility by the Commission, in this case April 2000.

the Commission awaited the transmission of

the final version of

The Commission would however like to reassure the Honourable Member that Commission Regulation
(EC) No 2075/2000 (1) of 29 September 2000 amending Regulation (EC) No 1750/1999 (2) laying down
detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 (3) on support for rural
from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund states that, as regards
development
applications for aid submitted by young farmers for the first time in 2000, the condition of being of less
than 40 years old has to be fulfilled at the time of submission of the application (and not at the time of the
individual decision to grant aid). This transitional provision partially offsets the effects of the delay in
approving the OP for young farmers who were not yet 40 in 2000 and had submitted an aid application
in that year.

(1) OJ L 246, 30.9.2000.
(2) OJ L 214, 13.8.1999.
(3) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.