Commission Regulation (EC) No 296/2007 of 20 March 2007 on transitional measures in the sector of flax and hemp grown for fibre in Bulgaria and Romania
Date: 2007-03-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Bulgaria, Romania, agro-industry, flax, hemp, production aid, textile fibre, transitional period (EU)

21.3.2007

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 80/3

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 296/2007

of 20 March 2007

on transitional measures in the sector of flax and hemp grown for fibre in Bulgaria and Romania

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and
Romania,

Having regard to the Act of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania,
and in particular the first paragraph of Article 41 thereof,

Regulation (EC) No 245/2001. Therefore provision
should be made for authorised primary processors in
the new producer Member States, and primary processors
who have submitted an application for authorisation for
which the competent authority has not yet granted
authorisation, to inform the national
inspection bodies
of the quantities of flax and hemp straw and fibre held
by them at the beginning of the 2007/2008 marketing
year. Provision should also be made for checks to be
carried out by the inspection bodies and for the intro-
duction of a penalty system.

Whereas:

(5)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Natural Fibres,

(1)

(2)

(3)

Article 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 (1) provides
for processing aid for flax and hemp straw. This aid is
granted to authorised primary processors.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Under Article 7(1) of Commission Regulation (EC)
No 245/2001 of 5 February 2001 laying down
detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation
(EC) No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the
markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre (2), aid for
processing flax and hemp straw is payable on flax and
hemp fibre only where it comes from straw covered by
sale/purchase
contracts, processing commitments or
processing contracts for which a single aid application
as foreseen in Part II, Title II, Chapter I of Commission
Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 (3) was
submitted in
respect of the marketing year concerned.

obtained

As a result, in Bulgaria and Romania (hereinafter referred
to as the new producer Member States), flax and hemp
fibre
the
2007/2008 marketing year is not eligible for aid. Transi-
tional measures should therefore be taken to enable
Bulgarian and Romanian processors to qualify for this
measure.

from straw produced

before

Article 1

1.
In Bulgaria and Romania (hereinafter referred to as the
new producer Member States) authorised primary processors
within the meaning of Article 1(2)(b) of Regulation (EC)
No 1673/2000 and primary processors who have submitted
an application for authorisation for which the competent
authority has not yet granted authorisation shall
inform the
competent authority by 31 July 2007 of the stocks of flax
straw, hemp straw, long flax fibre, short flax fibre and hemp
fibre held by them on 30 June 2007.

2.
The competent authorities of the new producer Member
States shall verify the accuracy of the information referred to in
paragraph 1 on the spot at, at
the primary
processors referred to in paragraph 1.

least 50 % of

3.
The new producer Member States shall determine the
penalties to be applied where the information is not provided,
is provided late, is incomplete or is incorrect. The penalties shall
be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

(4)

These measures must
include appropriate monitoring
mechanisms to ensure compliance with Article 7(1) of

(1) OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 953/2006 (OJ L 175, 29.6.2006, p. 1).

(2) OJ L 35, 6.2.2001, p. 18. Regulation as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 1913/2006 (OJ L 365, 21.12.2006, p. 52).

(3) OJ L 141, 30.4.2004, p. 18. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 2025/2006 (OJ L 384, 29.12.2006, p. 81).

The new producer Member States

shall provide the
4.
Commission by 31 January 2008 with a summary of the quan-
tities of the products referred to in paragraph 1 in stock on
30 June 2007, where applicable adjusted as a result of the
checks provided for in paragraph 2, and a summary of the
penalties applied under paragraph 3.

L 80/4

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Official Journal of the European Union

21.3.2007

Article 2

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

It shall be applicable for the 2007/2008 marketing year.

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

Done at Brussels, 20 March 2007.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission