L 193/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 29.7.2000 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1673/2000 of 27 July 2000 on the common organisation of the markets in flax and hemp grown for fibre THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 36 and 37 thereof; Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Whereas: (1) The operation and development of the common market for agricultural products must be accompanied by the establishment of a common agricultural policy. Such a policy must include, in particular, a common organ- isation of agricultural markets which may take various forms, depending on the product. (2)  The aim of the common agricultural policy is to attain the objectives set out in the Treaty. In the case of flax and hemp grown for fibre, in addition to the provisions on area payments in Council Regulation (EC) No 1251/ 1999 of 17 May 1999 establishing a support system for producers of certain arable crops (), measures are needed to govern the internal market, including aid to primary processors of flax and hemp straw or to farmers who have the straw processed at their own expense. (3)  In order to ensure that flax and hemp straw is actually processed, grant of the aid should be subject to certain conditions, in particular the authorisation of primary processors and the requirement that such processors purchase the straw under contract. Likewise, in order to counter any possible abuse, aid for processing will be granted only on the basis of the processing of the straw, or on the basis of the use of the fibres on the market if the farmer has the straw processed on his behalf. (4)  In order to prevent improper use of Community funds, no aid should be granted to primary processors or farmers who are found to have artificially created the conditions for receiving the aid, thereby enjoying an () O] C 56 E, 29.2.2000, p. 19. (¥ Opinion delivered on 6 July 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () O] C 140, 18.5.2000, p. 3. (*) Opinion delivered on 14 June 2000 (not yet published in the Offi- cial Journal). () OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1672/2000 (see p 13 of this Official Journal). advantage that does not conform to the objectives of the support scheme for straw processing. (5)  In view of the differences between the market for long flax fibre and the market for short flax fibre and hemp fibre, the aid should be differentiated according to which of the two types of fibre is obtained. In order to ensure that overall support is sufficient to maintain traditional production of long flax fibre in conditions similar to those provided for in Council Regulation (EEC) No 1308/70 of 4 July 1970 on the common organisation of the market in flax and hemp (°), the aid should be gradually increased to offset the gradual reduction in the aid per hectare paid to growers under Regulation (EC) No 1251/1999 and, ultimately, the abolition of the aid for short flax fibre. The aid for short flax fibre and hemp fibre should be fixed at a level that will give new prod- ucts and their potential outlets the time to reach equilib- rium. In order to promote only the production of high quality short flax fibre and hemp fibre, provision should be made for a maximum percentage of impurities and shives, together with transitional provisions to enable the processing industry to adapt to this requirement. (6)  In order to take account of the special status of tradi- tional flax in certain areas of the Netherlands, Belgium and France, additional transitional aid must be granted to the primary processors of straw in respect of the areas concerned. (7 In order to prevent any fraudulent increases in the quantities eligible for aid, the Member States should fix maximum quantities on the basis of the areas whose straw is the subject of processing contracts or commit- ments. (8) In order to keep down the expenditure incurred in applying this Regulation, a stabiliser mechanism should be introduced for both types of fibre obtained, i.e. long flax fibre and short flax fibre and hemp fibre. In order to ensure reasonable production levels in each Member State, a maximum guaranteed quantity should be set for both types of fibre, to be distributed among the Member States as national guaranteed quantities. However, national guaranteed quantities will be fixed for short flax fibre and hemp fibre only for the time needed to allow the new products to adjust to the market. The national (®) O] L 146, 4.7.1970, p. 1. Regulation last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2702/1999 (O] L 327, 14.12.1999, p. 7).