CELEX: 51974PC1825
Language: en
Date: 1974-11-07
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION extending the period of operation of the system of minimum prices for potatoes and certain vinegars (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (74) 1825
Vol. 1974/0287
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                 COM(74)1825   final
                                                 Brussels . 7 November 1974
                                    Proposal for a
                                   COUNCIL DECISION
                      extending "the period of operation of the
                      system of minimum prices for potatoes and
                                   certain vinegars
                   ( submitted to the Council try the Commission)
  C0M/ 74 ) 1825 final
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                      VI/3390/7 ^--E
                              EXPLAHATORY MEMORANDUM
                              >i<r i« ilm LH^Ì I . ii MnnrwiiiJit mrtw»    ■
1. Pursuant to the second sentence of Article 44(6 ) of the EEC Treaty , the
   Council , by its Decision »f 20 December 1969 ( ®J No L 328 , 30 December 1969 »
   p. 11 ) extended in respect of the Member States concerned the period during
   which the system of minimum prices effective on 31 December 1969 was to
   apply .   However , in the case of vinegar and substitutes for vinegar imported
   into Germany and of seed potatoes and certain fishery products imported
   into Prance , it also authorised the levying of countervailing charges in
   place of minimum prices .
2. The Council Decision of 20 December 1969 » which ifas to apply until 31 December
   1970 at the latest , was extended successively by the Decisions of
   15 December 1970 ( 0J No L 281 , 27 December 1970 , p . 25 ), of 29 December 1971
   ( 0J Ho L 2 , 4 January 1972 , p . 23 ), of 19 December 1972 ( 0J No L 291 , 28
   December 1972 , p . 152 ) and of 17 December 1973 ( 0J No L 360 , 29 December 1973j
   P » 65)e
                                S
   At tne time when those extensions were made , m December 1970 and December 1971 »
   the Council took into account the fact that the authorisation granted to the
   Member States concerned to levy countervailing charges in place of minimum
   prices on wine vinegar and the fishery products specified in the Decision
   of 20 December 1969 had expired on 1 June 1970 and I February 1971 ? "the
   respective dated from which took effect Council Regulation (EEC ) No . 816/70
   of 28 April 1970 laying down additional provisions for the common organisation
   of the market in wine ( 0J No L 99 » 5 May 1970 , p. l ) and Council Regulation
   (EEC ) NO . 2142/70 of 20 October 1970 on the common organisation of the market
   in fishery products ( 0J No L 236 , 27 October 1970 , p « 5 )«
3. At present of all the arrangements instituted under Article 44 of the EEC
   Treaty , only the following are still in effect :
   ( a) charges replacing minimum prices :                              in France, seed potatoes and in Germany ,
         vinegar and substitutes for vinegar , other than wine vinegar ;
   (b ) minimum prices :       in France , ware potatoes and in France , Germany ,
         Belgium and Luxembourg, new potatoes .                              The system of minimum prices
         is at present applied :                   for ware potatoes , in France , throughout the
         year ; for new potatoes , in France , from 15 May to 30 June , in Belgium an 1
      Luxcsnbotuf-g , from 1 June to 31 July and in Germany , from 10 June to 10
         August .
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 2 -                  vt/ 3 0 °O /T' -*":
4«   It should, bo noted that in the* past the application of minimum prices
     or of charges helped alleviate difficulties arising with regard to those
     products .
     As regards charges levied instead of minimum prices , ( on seed potatoes and
     vinegar other than wine vinegar ) the figures in the attached tables shoi :
     a favourable trend .
     The application of the system of minimum prices for seed potatoes (Prance , Bel g. v \
   LuxetabOUi-gj Germany ) involved in 1974 the closing of frontiers at certain
     times of the year :     in Prance , from 23 May to 5 June and from 21 June to
     25 June and in Germany , from 1 July to 17 July and from 23 July to 10 August .
     Nonetheless , trade in new potatoes over the year may be considered by and
     large , to have been normal .
     Admittedly , in the case of ware potatoes , together with the application
     of the system of minimum prices , Prance closed its frontier from 23 July to
     24 October 1974 to imports from the ESC countries and Greece .
     However , it has to be recognised that the import requirements of Prance , which
     for this product is predominantly an exporting country , are limited in normal
     years .
5.   ( a) The Council Decision of 17 December 1973 extended the period during which
           systems of minimum prices of countervailing charges in place of minimum
           prices night be applied until such time as a common organisation of the
           markets in the products in question could be established or until
           31 December 1974 » whichever was the earlier .    It should be noted that the
           Council is at present discussing a proposal for a common organisation of
           the market in alcohol , which would cover spirit vinegar , and that work
           is in progress on measures to establish a common organisation of the
           market in vinegar other than wine or spirit vinegar .
     (b ) As regards potatoes , however , it has not yet been possible to submit
           to the Council a proposal for a common organisation of the market . It
           must be remembered that the problems created by the particular
           characteristics of this market have been aggravated by the enlargement
           of the Community since in the United Kingdom there exists a national
           organisation of the market which comprises a system of individual quotan ,
           guaranteed prices and deficiency payments .
 ---pagebreak---                                 -* 3 –                     VI/3890/74-E
In view of -the above , the period of validity of the Council Decision of
17 December 1973 extending the system of minimum prices should be
extended in respect of poHrstpes and srertqtiro ^via&gans . until r31 December 1975
at the latest .  This is the purpose of the proposal for a decision attached
hereto .
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                                            VI/3890/74-E
                                                                   AîffiEX I
                                                             FRAldE - IMPORTS
                                                                   Seed potatoes
                                                                                                                          1,000 kg
i-–'–                                         Il II  , lll t  . 1.1 I ..... 1 I.IU  . U I IIU                                    a,i IIWI'mijpi i.tm -.
                         1966 Ι
I Origin
I
                                     1967
                                                      1968 I 1969 j   U                       1  1
                                                                                                    1970     1971   i   1972
                                                                                                                               r~
                                                                                                                                          1973
                                                                                                                                                       î
i
\ Germany          l  ^3/1i         1,499   1            311 i!                507 !                 174      858        331   i             666
: BLEU                    727         716               849                    544                   739      644        58O                 596
5 Netherlands          58,577      79,240       47,881                   61,474                 59,565      49,763 61,359             67,584 *
'Italy             1                                         45                    16                 19        19                              24
i Dcnnark               1,361       6,735 I         1,047                  1,021                   1,237     6,108       240*                704
| United       ;
[      Kingdon
  ■ Ireland               -    I
 ■'EEC ,. as        j                                                                                    I
                                                                                                         I                         •« •  *r      .   1
j originally        j                                                                                    I
 j constituted      ! 59,938       31,455 i     49,085                   62,521                 60,497   !  51,284 62,283             68,870
 | (including        j
     Denmark)        j 61,299      88,190       50,133                    63,562                61,734      57,392 i 62,523 I         69,574
     World             61,992 j 90,183 :        50,645                    64,305 i              62,984      59,236  I 64,261 !        72,646
                                 i                                     !             -J
             *   The probable reason for this extremely low figure is the objections on
                 plant health grounds raised by France .
  I
   1
 ---pagebreak---                                                                                VI/3890/74-E
                                                       AMEX II
                                                   GERMANY - IMPORTS
                                                          Vinegar
                                                         ΚΜ&ΜΜΜβι
                                                                                                 hl
                                      \. .."          i 11ΜΜΜΜΜΜΜΜΙ
I     Origin           ,|      1968 ,         1969            1970    1971         1972       1973
!   Prance            ?          229           306          1,401      . 521     1,200         706
 [ BLEU
 !  .....
                                                               171       145
 .  Netherlands .                               30                                           3,596
 J  Italy                1       545         1,116                   1,855       1,995       2,334
 *  New Member Stated                                           -
  J EEC               ,I         774   1     1,563     1     3,024 ! 3,084        3,532      7,268
    World                    1*371           2,153       !" 3,341  &              3,979      8.063
                          b 11 *
                                                         Γ"                  1
             Source : ^ Nimexe analytical tables for , 1968, 1969 , 1970 , 1971 , 1972
                           Statistisches Bundesamt , Series 2 , 1973
             NB : .        This table does not distinguish between wine vinegar and other
                      , vinegar .                                                        ! .
 ---pagebreak---                                                            VI /3890/74-E
                                    Proposal for a
                                 COUNCIL DECISION
                     extending "the period of operation of the
                     system of minimum prices for potatoes
                     and certain vinegars .
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
and in particular Article 44 thereof ;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ;
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament ;
Whereas, "by its Decision of 4 April 1962^^ on minimum prices, the Council laid
down objective criteria for the establishment of minimum price systems and
for the fixing of such prices ;
                                               (2)
Whereas , by its Decision of 20 December 1969      , the Council extended, in respect of
the Member States concerned, the period during which the system of minimum prices
effective on 31 December 1969 was to apply ; whereas , in the case of vinegar and
substitutes for vinegar other than wine vinegar imported into Germany and of
seed potatoes and certain fishery products imported into Prance , however it
authorised in place of minimum prices the levying of countervailing charges ;
Whereas the Decision of 20 December 1969 * which was to apply until not later than
                                                                                   ( 3)
31 December 1970 , was extended successively by the Decision of 15 December 1970        ,
the Decision of 20 December 1971^^» the Decision of 19 December 1972^*^
Decision of 17 December 1973^^1
     0J No 30 , 20 April , 1962 , p . 995/62
 2   OI No L 328 , 30 December 1969 » - P» H
(3)  0J lío L 281 , 27 December 1970 , p . 25.
(4)  OJ No L 2 , 4 January 1972 , p . 23
     0J No L 291 , 28 December 1972 , p . 152
(6 ) 0J No L 360 , 29 December 1973 , p » 65
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 2 -                 VI/3390/74-E
Whereas , at the tine when those extensions were made , in December 1970 and.
December 1971 » the Council took into account the fact that the authorisation
granted, to the Member States concerned to levy countervailing charges in place
of minimum prices on wine vinegar and the fishery products specified in the
Decision of 20 December 1969 had expired on 1 June 1970 and 1 February 1971 »
                                                                                   (7)
the respective date-s from which~took effect Council Regulation (EEC ) No . 8l6/70 v "
of 28 April 1970 laying down additional provisions for the common organisation
of the market in wine and Council Regulation (SEC ) No. 21/2/70^^ of 20 October
1970 on the common organisation of the market in fishery products ;
Whereas no common organization of the markets in the products to which that
Decision still applies , namely potatoes , including seed potatoes , and vinegar
other than wine vinegar and substitutes for vinegar , will have been established
by 31 December 1974 ? whereas the period of validuty of the Decision of 20 December
1969 should be extended for a period sufficiently long to allow measures to
that effect to be introduced but not in any event beyond 31 December 1975 »
HAS ADOPTED IKES DECISION:
                                   Art ai"! le 1
In Article 3 of the Council Decision of 20 December 1969 °n "the system of minimum
prices , as last amended by the Decision of 17 December 1973 , the date " 31 Decemb?:
1974" is replaced by the date " 31 December 1975" •
                                   Article 2
This Decision is addressed to the Member States .
Done at Brussels ,                                             For the Council
                                                                The President
     OJ No L 99 , 5 May 1970 , p . 1
 8   OJ No L 236 , 27 October 1970 , p . 5