Amended proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 on the protection of the Community's forests against atmospheric pollution (COM(2000) 864 final — 1999/0159(COD)) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2001-03-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, air quality, environmental protection, forest, forest conservation, sustainable development

C 96 E/362

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

27.3.2001

Amended proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 on the protection of the Community’s forests against
atmospheric pollution (1)

(2001/C 96 E/36)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 864 final (cid:151) 1999/0159(COD)

(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty of 20 December 2000)

(1) OJ C 307 E, 26.10.1999, p. 32.

INITIAL PROPOSAL

AMENDED PROPOSAL

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Unchanged

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 175 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty,

Whereas:

(1) The period of application of Council Regulation (EEC) No
3528/86 of 17 November 1986 on the protection of the
forests against atmospheric pollution (1)
Community’s
expired on 31 December 1996.

(2) Forests play an essential part in maintaining fundamental
ecological balances, particularly as regards the soil, water
resources, climate, fauna and flora. Those balances are
indispensable
and the
sustainable
management of rural areas.

agriculture

for

a

(3) The conservation of forests is important for economic,
in
towards safeguarding the social situation of

environmental and social
particular,
those people working in agriculture and rural areas.

reasons and contributes,

importance to the
(4) The Mediterranean forests are of
the
south of
the
countries of
ecosystems of
European Union, particularly the regions affected by
desertification.

the

___________
(1) OJ L 326, 21.11.1986, p. 2. Last amended by Regulation (EEC) No

2157/92 (OJ L 217, 31.7.1992, p. 1).

27.3.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 96 E/363

INITIAL PROPOSAL

AMENDED PROPOSAL

(5) The Community and the Member States committed them-
level at the pan-European Minis-
selves at international
in
terial Conferences on the Protection of Forests
Europe, held in Strasbourg in 1990 and in Helsinki
in
1993, to continuous surveillance of forest damage. The
Community scheme provided for by Regulation (EEC)
No 3528/86 helps fulfil this commitment.

(6) Results from the systematic survey network show obvious
forest

in spatial and temporal distribution of

trends
damage over the entire area of the Community.

(7) Plots for the intensive and continuous monitoring of
forest ecosystems have been set up by the Member
States. A continuation of this monitoring activity over a
longer period will
the
causal relationship between changes in forest ecosystems
and the factors influencing them.

improve the understanding of

(8) The damage caused to forests by various factors, especially
atmospheric pollution and other unfavourable meteoro-
logical factors, hampers the development of sustainable
agricultural activity and the management of rural areas.

(9) The protection of forests against atmospheric pollution
and other unfavourable meteorological factors therefore
directly contributes to the achievement of the aims set
out in Article 33(1)(b) of the EC Treaty.

(10) Consequently the scheme provided for by Regulation
(EEC) No 3528/86 should be continued and its duration
extended for five years, its period of application thereby
being extended to fifteen years as from 1 January 1987.

(11) The measures to be taken for the implementation of this
Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council
Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the
procedures
implementing powers
the exercise of
conferred on the Commission (1).

for

(12) The financial allocation established by this Regulation
covers the full duration of the measure and constitutes
the prime reference for the budgetary authority during
the annual budgetary procedure within the meaning of
point 33 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and
and
the
improvement of the budgetary procedure.

Commission

budgetary

discipline

on

___________
(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

C 96 E/364

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

27.3.2001

INITIAL PROPOSAL

AMENDED PROPOSAL

(13) Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 should therefore be

amended,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Article 11 of Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 is replaced by the
following:

(cid:145)Article 11

The scheme shall run for 15 years from 1 January

1.
1987.

2.
The financial allocation for the implementation of
the scheme shall be EUR for the period 1997 to 2001.

2.
The financial allocation for the implementation of
the scheme shall be EUR 34,5 million for the period
1997 to 2001.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the
budgetary authority within the limits of
the financial
perspective.

Unchanged

3.
Before expiry of the period referred to in paragraph
1, the Commission shall submit and the Council a report
on the application of this Regulation.(cid:146)

submit

the Commission shall

Before expiry of the period referred to in paragraph
3.
1,
to the European
Parliament and the Council a report on the application
of this Regulation and a revision proposal covering in
social
particular
aspects (qualitative assessment) and the results of a cost-
benefit analysis (quantitative assessment).(cid:146)

environmental,

economic

and

the

Article 2

Unchanged

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

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