Commission Regulation (EC) No 253/2004 of 13 February 2004 fixing the ceilings on financing for measures to improve the quality of the olive oil production in the 2004/05 production cycle and derogating from Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 528/1999
Date: 2004-02-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: olive-growing, product quality, production aid, production improvement

14.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 44/9

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 253/2004

of 13 February 2004

fixing the ceilings on financing for measures to improve the quality of the olive oil production in
the 2004/05 production cycle and derogating from Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 528/1999

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22
September 1966 on the establishment of a common organisa-
tion of the market in oils and fats (1),

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 528/1999 of
10 March 1999 laying down measures to improve the quality
of olive oil production (2), and in particular Article 3(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

for each
Regulation (EC) No 528/1999 lays down,
Member State and for each 12 month production cycle
beginning on 1 May,
the financial arrangements for
measures to improve the quality of olive oil production
and its environmental impact.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1794/2003 (3) fixes for
the 2002/03 marketing year the estimated production of
olive oil,
including the estimated production of table
olives expressed as olive oil equivalent, at 2 148 486
tonnes. This corresponds to 458 202 tonnes for Greece,
972 130 tonnes for Spain, 3 357 tonnes for France,
686 338 tonnes
for
Portugal. The amount withheld from production aid for
this olive oil marketing year serves as the basis for finan-
cing measures to improve the quality of oil during the
production cycle commencing on 1 May 2004.

Italy and 28 459 tonnes

for

(4)

(5)

As the measures have relatively fixed minimum costs,
the ceilings on total financing laid down in Article 3(3)
of Regulation (EC) No 528/1999 for some Member
States may therefore prove to be too low. Appropriate
limits should therefore be established in those cases.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
the Management
accordance with the opinion of
Committee for Oils and Fats,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

For the production cycle from 1 May 2004 to 30 April 2005,
the ceilings on financing for the measures laid down in the first
subparagraph of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 528/1999
shall be:

Greece

Spain

France

Italy

Portugal

EUR 8 100 185

EUR 11 175 009

EUR 62 137

EUR 51 111

EUR 523 316

Article 2

Notwithstanding Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 528/1999,
the additional national
financial contribution from Member
States whose ceiling on financing laid down in Article 1 is
EUR 100 000 or less shall be no more than EUR 250 000.

(3)

The financial ceilings for the measures that are eligible
for reimbursement from the Guarantee Section of the
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
should be fixed.

Article 3

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

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

Done at Brussels, 13 February 2004.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ 172, 30.9.1966, p. 3025/66. Regulation as last amended by

Regulation (EC) No 1513/2001 (OJ L 201, 16.7.2001, p. 4).

(2) OJ L 62, 11.3.1999, p. 8. Regulation as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 629/2003 (OJ L 92, 9.4.2003, p. 3).

(3) OJ L 262, 14.10.2003, p. 11.