Council Regulation (EC) No 953/2006 of  19 June 2006  amending Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000, as regards the processing aid for flax and hemp grown for fibre, and Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, as regards hemp eligible for the single payment scheme
Date: 2006-06-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: agro-industry, aid system, common organisation of markets, flax, hemp, production aid, textile fibre

29.6.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

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I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 953/2006

of 19 June 2006

amending Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000, as regards the processing aid for flax and hemp grown for
fibre, and Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, as regards hemp eligible for the single payment scheme

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(4)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular
Article 37(2) thereof,

establishing the European
the third subparagraph of

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Article 15(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000
of 27 July 2000 on the common organisation of the
markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre (2) requires
the Commission to present a report to the European
Parliament
if
necessary accompanied by proposals. On the basis of
that report,
it is appropriate for the current system to
remain in force up to and including the marketing year
2007/2008.

and the Council on processing aid,

The processing aid for short flax fibre and hemp fibre
containing not more than 7,5 % impurities and shives
applies until
the 2005/2006 marketing year. Never-
theless, in view of the favourable trends on the market
for this kind of fibre under the current aid scheme and in
order to contribute to consolidating innovative products
and their market outlets, application of this aid should be
extended until the 2007/2008 marketing year.

Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 provides for an increase
in the level of processing aid for long flax fibre from
the 2006/2007 marketing year onwards. Since the
processing aid for short fibres is maintained until the
2007/2008 marketing year, the processing aid for long
flax fibre should be limited to the present level until the
2007/2008 marketing year.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

In order to promote the production of high-quality short
the aid is granted to fibres
flax and hemp fibres,
containing a maximum of 7,5 % of
impurities and
shives. However, Member States may derogate from
this limit and grant processing aid for short flax fibre
containing a percentage of
impurities and shives of
between 7,5 % and 15 % and for hemp fibre containing
a percentage of impurities and shives of between 7,5 %
and 25 %. Since this possibility is open only until the
2005/2006 marketing year,
is necessary to give
Member States the possibility to derogate from that
limit for two more marketing years.

it

In order to continue to ensure reasonable production
levels in each Member State,
it is necessary to extend
the period in which the national guaranteed quantities
apply.

Additional aid has been supporting the continuation of
traditional production of flax in certain regions of the
is necessary to
Netherlands, Belgium and France.
extend this
the 2007/2008
in order to continue enabling gradual
marketing year,
to the new market
farm structures
adaptation of
conditions.

It
aid until

transitional

The Commission should submit a report to the European
Parliament and the Council in sufficient time before the
beginning of the 2008/2009 marketing year in order to
assess whether the present system needs to be adapted or
should continue.

Article 52 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 of
29 September 2003 establishing common rules for direct
support schemes under the common agricultural policy
and establishing certain support schemes for farmers (3)
provides that only hemp grown for fibre is eligible for
the single payment scheme established under Title III of
that Regulation. It is appropriate to make the cultivation
of hemp for other industrial uses also eligible.

(1) Not yet published in the Official Journal.
(2) OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16. Regulation as last amended by the

2005 Act of Accession.

(3) OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 319/2006 (OJ L 58, 28.2.2006, p. 32).

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Official Journal of the European Union

29.6.2006

(9)

the yearly management of direct
Taking account of
payments,
the modifications to
the eligibility conditions of the single payment scheme
apply from 1 January 2007.

is appropriate that

it

2.

in Article 3(2), the second subparagraph shall be replaced by
the following:

(10)

Regulations (EC) No 1673/2000 and (EC) No 1782/2003
should be amended accordingly,

‘The national guaranteed quantities for short flax fibre and
hemp fibre shall cease to apply from the 2008/2009
marketing year.’;

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

3.

in the first paragraph of Article 4,
replaced by ‘2007/2008’;

‘2005/2006’ shall be

Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 is hereby amended as follows:

4. Article 12 shall be deleted;

1.

in Article 2, paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

5. the following paragraph shall be added to Article 15:

The amount of processing aid per tonne of fibre shall

‘3.
be fixed as follows:

(a)

for long flax fibre:

— EUR 100 for the 2001/2002 marketing year,

— EUR 160

for

the

2002/2003

to

2007/2008

marketing years,

— EUR 200 from the 2008/2009 marketing year

onwards,

The Commission shall submit a report to the European
if necessary accompanied by
in sufficient time to allow the implementation
2008/2009
proposed measures

‘3.
Parliament and the Council,
proposals,
of
marketing year.

during

the

the

the processing industry and the market

The report shall assess the impact of processing aid on
for
producers,
textile fibres. It shall examine the possibility of extending
processing aid for short flax fibre and hemp fibre and addi-
tional aid beyond the 2007/2008 marketing year, as well as
the possibility of integrating this aid scheme in the general
the common
framework of
agricultural
(EC)
No 1782/2003.’

farmers under
down

Regulation

support

policy

laid

for

by

(b) for short flax fibre and hemp fibre containing not more
than 7,5 % impurities and shives: EUR 90 for
the
2001/2002 to 2007/2008 marketing years.

Article 2

Article 52 of Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 shall be replaced
by the following:

However, for the 2001/2002 to 2007/2008 marketing
years, the Member State may, with reference to tradi-
tional outlets, also decide to grant aid:

— for short flax fibre containing a percentage of impu-

rities and shives of between 7,5 % and 15 %,

— for hemp fibre containing a percentage of impurities

and shives of between 7,5 % and 25 %.

‘Article 52

Production of hemp

1.
In case of production of hemp, the varieties used shall
have a tetrahydrocannabinol content not exceeding 0,2 %.
Member States shall establish a system for verifying the tetra-
hydrocannabinol content of the crops grown on at least 30 %
of the areas on hemp. However, if a Member State introduces
a system of prior approval for such cultivation, the minimum
shall be 20 %.

In the cases provided for in the second subparagraph, the
Member State shall grant the aid in respect of a quantity
which amounts to not more than the quantity produced,
on the basis of 7,5 % of impurities and shives.’;

2.
In accordance with the procedure referred to in Article
144(2), the granting of payments shall be made subject to
the use of certified seeds of certain varieties.’

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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.

It shall apply as of the date of entry into force, with the exception of Article 2 which shall apply from
1 January 2007.

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

Done at Luxembourg, 19 June 2006.

For the Council
The President

J. PRÖLL