Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF)
Date: 2004-10-12
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EAGGF, accession to the European Union, less-favoured region, regional aid, rural development

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 12.10.2004 
COM(2004)652 final 

2004/0234(CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

amending Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development  
from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

This  proposal  for  a  Council  Regulation  amends  Article  47a  of  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1257/1999  in  order  to  prevent  any  difference  in  treatment  between  the  Member  States 
making up the Community at 30 April 2004 and the Member States which joined on 1 May 
2004  as  regards  the  rate  of  the  financial  contribution  for  the  agri-environmental  measures 
applicable to the latter Member States. The rate shall be brought into line with that applicable 
to  the  Member  States  making  up  the  Community  at  30  April  2004  as  from  the  date  of 
accession (1 May 2004). 

The proposed measure does not involve additional spending from the Community budget. 

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2004/0234(CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

amending Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 on support for rural development  
from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Articles 36 and 37 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The  third  indent  of  the  second  subparagraph  of  Article  47(2)  of  Council  Regulation 
(EC) No 1257/19991, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1783/20032, lays down that 
the Community contribution to agri-environmental measures may not exceed 85% in 
areas covered by Objective 1 and 60% in the other areas. 

Article 47a(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999, which lays down specific financial 
provisions  for  the  Member  States  which  acceded  on  1  May  2004,  specifies  that 
Article 47 of that Regulation does not apply to the financing of the measures referred 
to in Article 47a(1), which include agri-environmental measures. For those measures, 
the  Community  financial  contribution  may  amount  to  80%  in  areas  covered  by 
Objective 1, in accordance with Article 47b(1). 

In order to prevent any difference in treatment between the Member States making up 
the Community at 30 April 2004 and the Member States which joined on 1 May 2004 
as  regards  the  financing  of  agri-environmental  measures  in  the  areas  covered  by 
Objective  1,  the  rate  of  the  financial  contribution  applicable  to  the  latter  should  be 
brought into line with that applicable to the former as from  the date of accession, in 
accordance  with  the  third  indent  of  the  second  subparagraph  of  Article  47(2)  of 
Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999. 

(4) 

Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 should be amended accordingly, 

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OJ  L  160,  26.6.1999,  p.  80.  Regulation  as  last  amended  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  583/2004  (OJ L 91, 
30.3.2004, p. 1). 
OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 70. 

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HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 

Article 47a(3)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 is replaced by the following: 

"(b) 

Articles  35(1),  35(2),  second  indent,  36(2)  and  47,  with  the  exception  of  the  third 
indent of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2, of this Regulation." 

Article 2 

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

It shall apply from 1 May 2004. 

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

Done at Brussels,  

For the Council 
The President 

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