Communication from the Commission on the proposal to amend Council Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre to extend the current scheme by one year
Date: 2007-08-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agro-industry, aid system, common organisation of markets, flax, hemp, production aid, textile fibre

C 196/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.8.2007

Communication from the Commission on the proposal
to amend Council Regulation (EC)
No 1673/2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre to
extend the current scheme by one year

(2007/C 196/05)

Under 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), aid for short flax fibre and hemp fibre is to cease at the end
of the 2007/2008 marketing year. Under Article 15(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1673/2000, the Commission
is to submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council assessing the impact of processing aid on
producers by the end of the 2007/2008 marketing year. The Commission is proposing a further extension
of the current system by one year and an in-depth assessment of the sector in the framework of the single
payment scheme review, as requested by the Council in June 2003, which is to take place in 2008. The
Commission plans to submit a report and a legislative proposal to the Council before the start of the new
(2008/2009) marketing year.

In the Commission's view, the extension of the current scheme will allow a more in-depth analysis and leave
sufficient time to complete an impact assessment in order to evaluate the possibility of simplifying this aid
scheme by integrating it
framework 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 (2).

into the general

If the Council were to accept, the extension of the scheme to the end of the 2008/2009 marketing year
would involve maintaining aid to long flax fibre at the present level of EUR 160 per tonne and aid to short
flax fibre and hemp fibre at EUR 90 per tonne. As for the national guaranteed quantities, the current levels
would continue to apply.

As regards the maximum content of impurities and shives, since most Member States derogate from the
7,5 % limit and certain end uses require a high level of impurities, the current system should be maintained
to permit the Member States to grant aid for short flax fibre containing no more than 15 % of impurities
and shives and for hemp fibre containing no more than 25 %.

The additional aid granted to primary processors of long flax fibre in certain traditional production areas of
the Netherlands, Belgium and France would remain unchanged at EUR 120 per hectare in zone I and
EUR 50 per hectare in zone II.

The cost of this extension is an estimated EUR 5,07 million. If the total national guaranteed quantities were
to be used the maximum financial impact would be EUR 12,02 million.

(1) OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 16. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 953/2006 (OJ L 175, 29.6.2006, p. 1).
(2) OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 552/2007 (OJ L 131, 23.5.2007, p. 10).