23. 6. 84 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 165/7 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1755/84 of 19 June 1984 on the implementation in relation to food of alternative operations in place of food-aid deliveries THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ('), Whereas the Community, in parallel with other efforts aimed at food security, should endeavour to encourage developing countries to increase their degree of self- reliance with regard to food, for example by means of food strategies ; Whereas it should provide substantial support for such efforts ; Whereas such support can be stepped up by making food aid more flexible so that in particular, where the conditions permit, it is possible for some food-aid operations to be replaced by financial support for agri- cultural and food operations ; Whereas the measures to be taken in order to imple- ment these alternative operations should be defined ; Whereas a procedure should be laid down for the management of this replacement aid ; whereas Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 3331/82 (*) contains a proce- dure that can be used for that purpose; Whereas the Treaty has not provided the necessary powers to that end, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 The Community shall, where the conditions so justify, implement alternative operations in place of deliveries of food aid for developing countries. These operations shall be aimed at supporting, by means of available funds, the preparation and imple- () OJ No C 127, 14. 5. 1984, p. 249. () OJ No L 352, 14. 12. 1982, p. 1. mentation of a food strategy or other measures to strengthen these countries’ food security and to en- courage them to increase their degree of self-reliance with regard to food. They shall, as far as possible, help towards improving the living conditions of the poorest sections of the population in the countries in question. The alternative operations shall be implemented in the form of financial and technical aid in accordance with the criteria and procedures laid down in this Regula- tion. Article 2 Alternative operations may be implemented for the benefit and at the request of developing countries which are eligible for Community food-aid operations under Regulation (EEC) No 3331/82 in respect of part or all of the quantities of food aid which have been or which could be allocated to them within the frame- work of the quantities provided for in the annual Regulations 1mplementing Regulation (EEC) No 3331/82, taking into account, in particular, develop- ments in production, consumption and the level of stocks in the country in question, the food situation of the population and food aid granted by other donors. The purpose of these operations shall be to support or stimulate the recipient countries’ own efforts. Article 3 The purpose of these alternative operations is to cover financial and technical aid operations aimed, in accor- dance with the objectives in Article 1, at improving self-reliance with regard to food by the development of agriculture and food production in the country concerned and at food security, and shall contribute to the financing of, for example : — the supply of inputs essential to such food produc- tion, —— rural credit operations, — storage by individual farmers, or at village, local, national or regional level, — operations in the field of marketing, transport, distribution or processing of agricultural and food products, — applied research and on-the-job training activities, — projects to develop food production.