Commission Regulation (EC) No 621/96 of 9 April 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 84/93 on the specific aid to be granted to producer groups in the raw tobacco sector

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 621/96 of 9 April 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 84/93 on the specific aid to be granted to producer groups in the raw tobacco sector
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92 of 30 June 1992 on the common organization of the market in raw tobacco (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 415/96 (2), and in particular Article 12 (3) thereof,
Whereas certain Member States are encountering difficulties in implementing Commission Regulation (EEC) No 84/93 of 19 January 1993 on the specific aid to be granted to producer groups in the raw tobacco sector (3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2637/95 (4), in particular as regards the provisions on the protection of producers remaining in groups from which members withdraw and on the possibility of payment of advances on the specific aid to groups which cannot bear the costs of lodging securities; whereas certain time limits should be set for compliance with the minimum conditions for producer groups and the costs of lodging securities for the payment of advances should be made eligible;
Whereas provision should be made for the time limit for compliance with the minimum requirements by producer groups to apply as from the 1995 harvest;
Whereas Article 2 (1) (f) of Regulation (EEC) No 84/93 should be amended to make it consistent with Commission Regulation (EC) No 1066/95 (5), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 259/96 (6);
Whereas Article 1 (4) of Regulation (EEC) No 84/93 states that tobacco producers may not belong to more than one group and whereas Member States should carry out regular checks to verify compliance with that condition;
Whereas the main purpose of the specific aid is to contribute to improving the quality of tobacco delivered; whereas the percentage of specific aid set aside for the provision of an income supplement to producers, adjusted in relation to the quality delivered, should accordingly be increased;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Tobacco,