Council Regulation (EC) No 696/2003 of 14 April 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 on Community support for pre-accession measures for agriculture and rural development in the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the pre-accession period

Council Regulation (EC) No 696/2003
of 14 April 2003
amending Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 on Community support for pre-accession measures for agriculture and rural development in the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the pre-accession period
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 181A thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee(3),
After consulting the Committee of the Regions,
Whereas:
(1) In mid-August 2002 considerable damage was caused, inter alia, in various candidate countries by floods in their rural areas. The Community needs to be able to respond appropriately to such exceptional natural disasters whenever they occur in candidate countries, using various instruments including the pre-accession instrument set up under Council Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999(4), one of its objectives being to solve priority and specific problems for the sustainable adaptation of the agricultural sector and rural areas in these countries.
(2) No special provision is included in that Regulation for actions to help restore rural areas following exceptional natural disasters.
(3) Appropriate action by the Community in the wake of such disasters is needed. These events place inter alia a considerable economic burden on the affected parties both in the public and private sectors and coincide with the preparation for accession. Under a co-financing policy instrument such as that set up under Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999, appropriate action for the relevant projects in the countries concerned should include an increase both in the rate of Community assistance and in the normal ceilings on aid intensities.
(4) Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 should therefore be amended accordingly,