CELEX: 51992PC0569
Language: en
Date: 1992-12-24
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) introducing specific measures for the smaller Aegean Islands concerning certain agricultural products

26 . 2 . 93                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                  No C 56 / 21
              Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) introducing specific measures for the smaller Aegean
                                       islands concerning certain agricultural products
                                                           93 / C 56 / 03
                                                      COM(92) 569 final
                                   (Submitted by the Commission on 24 December 1992)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,                              redispatched to other parts of the Community or
                                                                      re-exported to third countries;
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community, and in particular Articles 42 and                 Whereas a suitable and effective management and control
43 thereof,                                                            system should be established for the implementation of the
                                                                       arrangements ;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
                                                                      Whereas the specific conditions of agriculture on the
                                                                      Aegean islands require special attention; whereas measures
Having regard to        the   opinion    of the European              are necessary both for stockfarming and animal products
Parliament ,                                                          and for crop products ;
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social               Whereas , to promote the development of traditional
Committee ,                                                           stockfarming on the islands, supplementary premiums
                                                                      should be granted for the fattening of male bovine animals
                                                                      and for the maintenance of suckler cows and private
Whereas the Rhodes European Council of 2 and                          storage aid should be granted for cheeses traditionally
3 December 1988 acknowledges the specific socio­                      manufactured on the islands;
economic problems experienced by certain island regions
in the Community ; whereas measures should be
implemented in order to respond to these specific                     Whereas measures should also be taken to support the
problems ;                                                            production of ware potatoes;
                                                                      Whereas measures should be taken in the fruit and
Whereas the exceptional geographical situation of the
Aegean islands in relation to the sources of supply of                vegetables sector to support and increase production and
certain food sectors and the agricultural sector essential for        improve farm productivity and product quality;
everyday consumption or agricultural production on the
Aegean islands imposes costs which constitute a severe                Whereas, in order to help support traditional viticulture
handicap to the sectors concerned ; whereas this natural              on the islands, aid should be granted for vines producing
handicap can be remedied by the introduction of specific              quality wines psr and regional wines which meet the
supply arrangements for certain basic products;                       requirements laid down in Community rules and form part
                                                                      of a quality improvement programme ;
Whereas the quantities of products benefiting from the
specific supply arrangements must be determined within                Whereas, in order to help support traditional olive
the framework of periodic forecast supply balances which              growing on the islands, to maintain production potential
may be adjusted during the year on the basis of the                   and to preserve the countryside and natural environment,
essential requirements of the local market and taking                 a per hectare aid should be granted so that olive groves are
account of local production ; whereas , in view of the                kept in a way that guarantees regular production;
measures adopted to encourage the development of local
production, these arrangements should be applied in the               Whereas bee-keeping is a sector linked to maintaining the
fruit and vegetable sector over a period of two years and             important and fragile flora of the Aegean islands while at
on a reducing basis;                                                  the same time providing the inhabitants with extra
                                                                      income; whereas, therefore, that traditional activity should
Whereas the arrangements in question are intended to                  be supported through the grant of an aid helping to reduce
reduce production costs and consumer prices ; whereas                 the high production costs; whereas that aid should be
their actual impact should therefore be monitored;                    granted as part of the initiatives to improve the marketing
                                                                      conditions for honey to be carried out by associations of
                                                                      producers; whereas, in anticipation of such associations
Whereas, to avoid any deflection of trade, products                   being set up , a limited amount of aid should be allocated
covered by the specific supply arrangements may not be                to all honey producers for a restricted period ;
 ---pagebreak--- No C 56 / 22                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                  26 . 2 . 93
Whereas farms on the Aegean islands present major                  as not to obstruct the potential development of local
structural weaknesses from which specific difficulties             products.
derive; whereas a number of derogations is therefore
necessary from the rules which restrict or prohibit the            2 . The aid shall be fixed as a lump-sum for each group
grant of certain forms of structural aid;                          of islands on the basis of marketing costs calculated from
                                                                   the ports of mainland Greece from which normal supplies
Whereas certain structural measures essential for the              are despatched.
development of agriculture on the Aegean islands are
financed under Community support frameworks to                     Aid for fruit and vegetables shall only be paid for the years
                                                                   1993 and 94 . The aid for 1994 shall be fixed at 50% of
promote the development and structural adjustment of
regions whose development is lagging behind (Objective 1 )         the amount applicable to 1993 .
pursuant to Articles 130a and 130c of the Treaty;
                                                                   90% of the amount of the aid shall be financed by the
                                                                   Community and 10% by the Member State in question .
Whereas the problems experienced by the Aegean islands
are accentuated by the lack of size of the islands; whereas,
                                                                   3.      A condition for benefiting from the arrangements
in order to direct the priorities and guarantee the                shall be that the advantages are actually passed on to the
effectiveness of the measures foreseen these should only be        end-user.
applied to islands with populations not exceeding 100 000
inhabitants, known as the smaller islands ,
                                                                   4.      The products covered by the specific supply
                                                                   arrangements provided for in this Title may not be
                                                                   re-exported to third countries or redispatched to the rest of
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION :
                                                                   the Community .
                                                                   5 . 4 Products covered by the specific supply arrangements
                                                                   and products processed therefrom shall not be eligible for
                           Article 1                               refunds on exportation from the islands referred to in
                                                                   Article 1 .
This Regulation lays down specific measures to remedy, in
respect of certain agricultural products and means of
                                                                                                Article 4
agricultural production , the difficulties caused by the
remote and insular nature of the smaller Aegean islands.
                                                                   Detailed rules for the application of this Title shall be
                                                                   adopted according to the procedure laid down in
For the purposes of this Regulation 'smaller islands' are          Article 26 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2727 / 75 of
any islands in the Aegean Sea whose permanent                      29 October 1975 on the common organization of the
population does not exceed 100 000 inhabitants.                    market in cereals (*), as last amended by Regulation (EEC )
                                                                   No 674 / 92 (2 ), or the corresponding Articles of the
                                                                   Regulations on the common organization of the markets in
                                                                   the sectors concerned .
                           TITLE I                                 They shall cover in particular:
                Specific supply arrangements                       — determination of the quantities of products covered by
                                                                         the specific supply arrangements,
                                                                   — the amounts of the aid ,
                           Article 2
                                                                   — the provisions to ensure effective monitoring and that
                                                                         the advantages are actually passed on to the end
For each calendar year forecast supply balances shall be                 user .
established for the agricultural products necessary for
human consumption and for the basic means required for
agricultural production listed in the Annex hereto. These
balances may be revised during the year on the basis of
trends in the islands' requirements .                                                            TITLE U
                                                                                 Measures to support local products
                           Article 3
                                                                                                Article 5
1.     Under the arrangements referred to in this Title, aids
shall be granted for the supply to the islands of the              The aids provided for under this Title shall be granted for
products listed in the Annex hereto, taking particular             the support of traditional activities, improvement of the
account of the specific needs of the islands and, where the
products are food, the precise quality requirements. The           (») OJ No L 281 , 1 . 11 . 1975 , p. 1 .
supply arrangements shall be implemented in such a way             ( 2 ) OJ No L 73 , 19, 3 . 1992 , p. 7 .
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 2 . 93                                      Official Journal of the European Communities                                        No C 56 / 23
quality of and development of local products in                             Article 13 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1035 / 72
accordance with the requirements of the markets on the                      of 18 May 1972 on the common organization to the
islands in question and for the revitalization of certain                   market in fruit and vegetables ( 4), and Regulation
agricultural activities which are a traditional and natural                 (EEC) No 1360/ 78 ( 5) respectively which undertake a
vocation on the islands in question.                                        programme of initiatives, approved by the competent
                                                                            authorities, with a view of the development and
                                                                            diversification of production and/ or the improvement of
                               Article 6                                    the quality of the fruit and vegetables listed in Chapters 7
                                                                            and 8 of the combined nomenclature. The eligible
1.        The following aids shall be granted in the                        initiatives shall seek in particular to develop production
stockfarming sector:                                                        and product quality , particularly through varietal
                                                                            conversion and crop improvements. These initiatives shall
— fattening aid for male bovine animals which shall                         form an integral part of programmes conducted over at
      represent a supplement of ECU 40 per head to the                      least three years.
      special premium provided for in Article 4a of Council
      Regulation (EEC) No 805 / 68 of 27 June 1968 on the                   The aid shall be granted for programmes covering a
      common organization of the market in beef and                         minimum area of 0,3 hectare.
      veal ('). The supplement may be granted in respect of
      an animal of a minimum weight to be determined in
      accordance with the procedure provided for in                         2.        The amount of Community aid shall be a maximum
      paragraph 3 ,                                                         ECU 500 / ha if the Member State provides official
                                                                            financing of at least ECU 300 / ha and the contribution of
— a supplement to the premium for maintaining suckler                       the individual producer or group amounts to at least ECU
      cows provided for in Council Regulation (EEC)                         200 / ha . If the contributions of the Member State and the
      No 1357 / 80 (2 ), which shall be paid to beef and veal               producers are less than the amounts specified , the
      producers. The amount of this supplement shall be                     Community aid shall be reduced proportionately.
      ECU 40 per suckler cow held by the producer on the
      day on which the application is submitted up to a
      maximum of 40 head per holding.                                       The aid shall be paid each year of execution of the
                                                                            programme, for a period not exceeding three years.
2.        Aid shall be granted for the private storage of
traditionally manufactured cheeses:                                         3.        The aid shall be increased by ECU 100 / ha where
— Feta, at least two months old,
                                                                            the programme of initiatives is submitted and carried out
                                                                            by a producer group or organization and where, for its
— Graviera , at least three months old,                                     implementation, recourse to technical assistance is
                                                                            envisaged. The additional aid shall be granted in respect of
— Ladotyri, at least three months old,                                      programmes involving a minimum area of 2 ha .
— Kefalograviera, at least three months old.
                                                                            4.        This measure shall not apply to the production of
The amount of the aid shall be fixed in accordance with
                                                                            ware potatoes falling within CN codes 0701 90 51 ,
the procedure referred to in paragraph 3 .                                  0701 90 59 and 0701 90 90 nor to the production of seed
                                                                            potatoes falling within CN code ex 0701 10 00 or the
3.        The Commission shall adopt detailed rules for the                 production of tomatoes falling within CN code 0702.
application of this Article, including control provisions, in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 30 of
Council Regulation (EEC) No 804 / 68 of 27 June 1968 on                     5.        Detailed rules for the application of this Article,
the common organization of the market in milk and milk                      including control provisions, shall be adopted in
products ( 3 ), or that laid down in Article 27 of Regulation               accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 33 of
(EEC ) No 805 / 68 , as the case may be.                                    Regulation (EEC ) No 1035 / 72.
                               Article 7
                                                                                                           Article 8
 1.       Aid per hectare shall be granted to producers and
producer groups and organizations recognized pursuant to                    1.        Aid per hectare shall be granted annually for the
                                                                            cultivation of ware potatoes falling within CN codes
(') OJ No L 148 , 28 . 6 . 1968 , p . 24. Regulation as last amended        0701 90 51 , 0701 90 59 and 0701 90 90 .
      by Regulation (EEC) No 674 / 92 (OJ No L 73 , 19. 3 . 1992,
      P. 7).
( 2 ) OJ No L 140 , 5 . 6 . 1980 , p. 1 . Regulation as last amended by     ( 4 ) OJ No L 118 , 20 . 5 . 1972 , p . 1 . Regulation as last amended
      Regulation (EEC ) No 3577 / 90 ( OJ No L 353 , 17. 12. 1990 ,               by Regulation (EEC) No 1156 / 92 (OJ No L 122 , 7. 5 . 1992,
      p. 23 ).                                                                    p . 3 ).
( 3 ) OJ No L 148 , 28 . 6 . 1968 , p . 13 . Regulation as last amended     ( 5 ) OJ No L 166, 23 . 6 . 1978 , p . 1 . Regulation as last amended
      by Regulation (EEC) No 816 / 92 ( OJ No L 86 , 1 . 4. 1992,                 by Regulation (EEC) No 3808 / 89 (OJ No L 371 , 20. 12.
      p . 83 ).                                                                   1989 , p . 1 ).
 ---pagebreak---   No C 56 / 24                                   Official Journal of the European Communities                                           26 . 2 . 93
  The aid shall be paid in respect of areas cultivated and                   concern in particular the condition for applying the
  harvested up to a maximum of 1 300 ha per year.                            programme referred to in paragraph 2 and the control
                                                                             provisions.
  2.      The amount of the annual aid shall be ECU
  500 / ha .                                                                                              Article 1 0
  3.      Detailed rules for the application of this Article,                1.     A flat-rate aid per hectare shall be granted for the
  including control provisions, shall be adopted in                         maintenance of olive groves in traditional olive-growing
  accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 11 of                  zones, provided that the olive groves are kept and
  Council Regulation (EEC ) No 2358 / 71 of 26 October                      maintained in good production conditions.
  1971 on the common organization of the market in                          The amount of the aid shall be ECU 80 / ha .
  seeds (').
                                                                            2.      Detailed rules for the application of this Article shall
                                                                            be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in
                                                                            Article 11 of Council Regulation No 136 / 66 / EEC (6). In
                               Article 9                                    particular they shall fix the minimum area and planting
                                                                            density of the olive grove subject to the aid , the conditions
  1 . A flat-rate aid per hectare shall be granted for the                  for proper maintenance of production and the control
 continued cultivation of vines for the production of quality               provisions.
 wines psr and regional wines as designated in accordance
 with Article 2 ( 3 ) (i) of Council Regulation (EEC)                                                     Article 11
 No 2392/ 89 ( 2) and published by virtue of Article 11 ( 1 )
 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3201 / 90 ( 3 ).                         1 . Aid shall be granted for the production of quality
                                                                            honey specific to the Aegean islands, containing a large
 Aid shall be paid in respect of areas:                                     proportion of thyme honey.
                                                                            The aid shall be paid to groups of honey producers
 ( a ) planted to varieties included in the list of vine varieties          recognized in accordance with Regulation (EEC )
        suitable for the production of each of the quality                  No 1360 / 78 according to the number of registered
        wines psr or regional wines produced and belonging                  production hives, which undertake to implement annual
        to the recommended or authorized categories referred                programmes of initiatives designed to improve the
        to in Article 13 of Council Regulation (EEC)                        conditions under which quality honey is marketed and
        No 822 / 87 (4); and                                                promoted .
 (b) on which the yield per hectare is below a maximum                      The amount of the aid shall be fixed at ECU 10 per
        limit fixed by the Member State, expressed in                       registered production hive per year.
        quantities of grapes , grape must or wine, subject to
        the conditions of Article 11 of Council Regulation                  2.      For a transitional period of a maximum two years
        (EEC) No 823 / 87 ( 5 ) and of Article 4 ( 3 ) of                  with a view to the establishment and recognition of the
        Regulation (EEC ) No 2392 / 89 .                                    groups referred to in paragraph 1 , the aid shall be paid to
                                                                            any bee-keeper keeping at least 10 hives in production. For
 2.       The aid shall amount to ECU 400 / ha . From a date
                                                                           this particular case, the amount of the aid shall be fixed at
                                                                           ECU 7 per registered production hive.
 to be determined, the aid shall be granted exclusively to
 producer groups or organizations initiating a measure to                  3.       The aid referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be
 improve the quality of the wines produced in accordance                   granted for a maximum 50 000 and 100 000 per year
 with a programme approved by the competent authorities;                   respectively.
 the programme shall include in particular the means for
 improving vinification , storage and distribution                         4.       Prior to the sixth month of the fifth year of
 conditions .
                                                                           application the Commission shall present to the Council a
                                                                           report on the application of this Article accompanied,
 3 . Detailed rules for the application of this Article shall              where necessary, by appropriate proposals .
 be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 83 of Regulation (EEC ) No 822 / 87. They shall                    5.      Detailed rules for the application of this Article,
                                                                           including control provisions where necessary, shall be
(!) OJ No L 246 , 5 . 11 . 1971 , p . 1 . Regulation as last amended       adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in
      by Regulation (EEC ) No 1740 / 91 ( OJ No L 163 , 26 . 6 .           Article 17 of Council Regulation (EEC ) No 2771 / 75 of
      1991 , p . 39 ).                                                     29 October 1975 on the common organization of the
( 2 ) OJ No L 232, 9. 8 . 1989 , p. 13 .                                   market in eggs ( 7).
( 3 ) OJ No L 309 , 8 . 11 . 1990, p. 1 .
( 4 ) OJ No L 84 , 27 . 3 . 1987 , p. 1 .                                  (s ) OJ No L 172 , 30 . 9 . 1966 , p . 3025 / 66 .
( s ) OJ No L 84 , 27 . 3 . 1987 , p . 59 . Regulation as last amended     ( 7 ) OJ No L 282 , 1 . 11 . 1975 , p. 49. Regulation as last amended
      by Regulation (EEC ) No 3896 / 91 (OJ No L 368 , 31 . 12 .                 by Regulation (EEC ) No 1235 / 92 ( OJ No L 128 , 11 . 5 .
      1991 , p . 3 ).                                                            1989 , p. 29 ).
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 2 . 93                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                      No C 56 / 25
                            TITLE III                               Regulation may be granted on the islands for all crops
                                                                    provided they are cultivated in a manner compatible with
        Derogations applicable to structural measures               environmental protection requirements and subject to a
                                                                    maximum income per holding to be determined.
                                                                    In addition, cows whose milk is intended for the domestic
                            Article 12                              market of the region may be taken into consideration for
                                                                    the calculation of the compensatory allowance in all areas
1.      Notwithstanding Articles 5 , 6 , 7, 10 and 19 of            of the region specified in Article 3 (4 ) and (5 ) of Council
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2328 / 91 of 15 July 1991               Directive 75 / 268 / EEC of 28 April 1975 on mountain and
on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures ('),         hill farming in certain less-favoured areas ( 2), up to a
                                                                    maximum of 20 livestock units .
investment aid for agricultural holdings on the Aegean
islands in question shall be granted on the following
conditions :                                                        4.       The Commission, in accordance with the procedure
                                                                    laid down in Article 29 of Council Regulation (EEC)
( a) notwithstanding Article 5 ( 1 ) (a), the investment aid        No 4253 / 88 ( 3 ):
     scheme provided for in Articles 5 to 9 of the
     abovementioned Regulation may be applied on the                  ( i) shall adopt the conditions for applying this Article;
     Aegean islands in question to farmers who , while they
     do not practise farming as their main occupation,              (ii) may decide, for the Aegean Islands on a reasoned
     derive at least 25 % of their total income from                       request by the competent authorities, to derogate
     farming carried out on the holding and whose holding                  from the second indent of Article 17 (3 ) of that
     does not require the equivalent of more than one                      Regulation with a view to authorizing an increase in
     man-work unit (MWU ), provided that the envisaged                     the rate of Community funding above the limit
     investments do not exceed ECU 40 000. With the                        provided for investments in certain sectors of the
     exception of local specialities all the food production               processing and marketing of agricultural products
     must be restricted to local consumption;                              intended to improve the standard of living of the
                                                                           inhabitants .
( b) the authorization concerning the keeping of simplified
      accounts provided for in Article 5 ( 1 ) (d) shall
      apply ;
(c) pig production on family holdings shall not be subject
     to the conditions laid down in Article 6 (4), except for                                     TITLE IV
     the condition referred to in the last subparagraph of
      that paragraph, provided that the production is                                         Final provisions
      intended to satisfy consumption requirements on the
     island in question;
(d) with regard to eggs and poultry production , the                                              Article 13
     prohibition referred to in Article 6 ( 6 ) shall not apply
      to family farms ;
                                                                    The measures provided for in Tides I and II of this
(e) notwithstanding Article 7 (2 ) ( a ) and (b), the               Regulation shall constitute intervention measures designed
     maximum value of the investment aid shall be 55%               to stabilize the agricultural markets within the meaning
      whether the investment is in fixed assets or not.             of Article 3 ( 1 ) of Council Regulation (EEC )
                                                                    No 729 / 70 ( 4 ).
The measures mentioned in (c), (d) and (e) of this Article
shall apply only in so far as livestock production is
undertaken in a manner compatible with animal welfare                                             Article 14
and environmental protection requirements and provided
that production is for the domestic market on the islands           1.       The Commission shall submit to the Council and to
in question .
                                                                    Parliament an annual report on the implementation of the
                                                                    measures provided for in this Regulation, accompanied
2.      With regard to the installation of young farmers, the       where         appropriate    by    proposals      concerning     any
condition provided for in the last indent of Article 10 ( 1 )
shall not apply .                                                   (2 ) OJ No L 128 , 19 . 5 . 1975 , p. 1 . Regulation as last amended
                                                                          by Regulation (EEC) No 797/ 85 (OJ No L 93 , 30 . 3 . 1985 ,
3.      Notwithstanding Article 19 ( 1 ) (b) (iii), the                   p. 1 ).
                                                                    ( 3 ) OJ No L 374 , 31 . 12 . 1988 , p. 1 .
compensatory allowance referred to in Article 17 of that
                                                                    ( 4 ) OJ No L 94 , 28 . 4. 1970, p . 13 . Regulation as last amended
                                                                          by Regulation (EEC ) No 2048 / 88 (OJ No L 185 , 15 . 7 .
(>) OJ No L 218 , 6 . 8 . 1991 , p. 1 .                                   1988 , p . 1 ).
 ---pagebreak--- No C 56 / 26                           Official Journal of the European Communities                               26 . 2. 93
adjustment measures which may prove necessary in order            In the light of the report's conclusion, the Commission
to achieve the objectives of this Regulation.                     shall submit, wherever this proves necessary, appropriate
                                                                  adjustments.
2.     At the end of the third year of application of the
arrangements, the Commission shall submit to the Council                                 Article IS
and the Parliament a general report on the economic
situation of the Aegean islands showing the impact of the        This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January
measures taken pursuant to this Regulation.                       1993 .
                 This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member
                 States .
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 2 . 93                             Official Journal of the European Communities                      No C 56 / 27
                                                            ANNEX
            LIST OF PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE SPECIFIC SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS UNDER TITLE I FOR
                                               THE SMALLER AEGEAN ISLANDS
                                  Description                                          CN code
            Milk products
            — Fresh milk                                              0401 20
            — Yoghurt                                                 0403 10
            Sugar                                                     1701 10
            Wheat flour                                               1101 and 1102
            Vegetables ( For 1993 and 1994 )                       ex ( 0701 10 10 , 0702 to 0709 90 90 )
            Fruit ( For 1993 and 1994 )
            — Citrus fruit (oranges, mandarins, clementines,       ex ( 0805 10 to 0805 90 00 )
               lemons)
            — Grapes                                                  0806 10
            — Apples                                               ex ( 0808 10 91 to 0808 10 99 )
            — Pears                                                ex (0808 20 31 to 0808 20 39 )
            — Apricots, cherries, peaches, plums                      0809
            — Strawberries                                            0810 10
            — Melons , watermelons                                 ex (0807 10 to 0807 10 90)
            — Figs                                                    0804 20 10
            Feedingstuffs
            Cereals
            — Wheat                                                    1001
            — Rye                                                      1002
            — Barley                                                   1003
            — Oats                                                     1004
            — Maize                                                    1005
            Lucerne and forage products                                1214
            Residues and waste from the food industries               2302 to 2308
            Preparations of a kind used in animal feeding             2309 90