WRITTEN QUESTION E-0761/02 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Compensation for farmers.
Date: 2002-03-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EAGGF, EU financing, Greece, State aid, agricultural insurance, aid to agriculture, control of State aid, natural disaster, operational programme

C 65 E/2

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

(2004/C 65 E/002)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0761/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(18 March 2002)

Subject: Compensation for farmers

The Greek press reports that a farmer in the village of Theopetra in the Kalambaka district of Trikkala
province in Greece was astonished to discover that the compensation approved by ELGA (the Greek
the destruction of her crops by hailstone amounted to the
farmers’
astronomical sum of EUR 1,16.

insurance organisation)

for

Does the Commission provide Greece with funds for use as compensation in the event of natural disasters?
Is provision made in the EU budget reserve for natural disasters and in the annual expenditure on
agriculture? If so, how much do those appropriations amount to? Does the Commission have any
information concerning the manner in which Greece administers those appropriations? What is the
Commission’s view of the paltry amount of compensation received by the Greek farmer above? Are there
minimum amounts of compensation in such cases? Have there been similar cases in other Member States?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 April 2002)

Following the question of the Honourable Member,
the Commission took note and considered the
question of the particularly low compensation approved by ELGA (Greek Farmer’s Insurance Organisation)
in one specific case in the village Theopetra, Kalambaka District-Trikallon.

ELGA is not a final beneficiary of the relevant Community measure for compensation in the case of
natural disasters, which is a possible action foreseen under the ‘National Operational Programme (cid:1) Rural
Development (2000-2006)’. ELGA is financed by its members who are individual
farmers. National
the existing Community regulatory
legislation, procedures and thresholds apply. On the basis of
framework, national aid schemes are only notified to the Commission for approval in order to avoid
market distortions. Therefore, the Commission is not entitled to comment on the amount and the
procedures applied in this particular case.

The relevant Community contribution is provided through the ‘National Operational Programme (cid:1) Rural
Development (2000-2006)’ which includes a specific measure for the compensation of farmers after
natural disasters. However, the financial compensation for the affected rural population can only cover the
reconstitution of the production potential lost and not the income losses as is the case in the specific case
in Theopetra, Kalambaka District-Trikallon. The final beneficiary for this measure is the Directorate PSEA
(Policy Planning in Case of Urgent Needs) of the Greek Ministry of agriculture. The Community regulatory
framework applies for the programming, implementation and controls of the specific measure.

If the scheduled amounts cannot be sufficient to overcome major problems of the Greek rural areas,
additional Community financial grants can be taken from the total appropriations of the 3rd Community
Support Framework for Greece (2000-2006)
including its programming reserve. No other special
Community funds or Community compensations can be provided. Similar regulatory framework applies
for all Member States.

(2004/C 65 E/003)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2725/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 September 2002)

Subject: The A-9 Motorway between Spain and Portugal and infringement of Community environmental

legislation

The building work on the A-9 motorway between the Rebullón (Tui, Spain)
interchange and the
Portuguese frontier is having an enormous environmental impact on the area, causing a whole range of
damage, particularly to the existing watercourses. When designing the motorway section which affects the