WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3890/97 by Alexandros ALAVANOS to the Commission. Exclusion of farmers from compensation
22. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 196/31 In this context, the TACIS Programme funded a preliminary study for a centre for the wholesale distribution of foodstuffs in Moscow. That study was followed up by intervention funded through bilateral technical assistance from the Netherlands Government. In this connection, the Council would make the general point that the Commission is responsible, under successive Regulations Nos 2157/91, 2053/93 and 1279/96, for managing the TACIS Programme and it is therefore for the Commission to provide information on the implementation of the operations it finances. With more specific reference to the project financed by the Netherlands State from its own funds, the Council does not feel it should comment when a Russian company has brought the case before the courts of the Member State concerned. (98/C 196/44) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3890/97 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 December 1997) Subject: Exclusion of farmers from compensation In its decisions interpreting Regulation (EC) 950/97 (1) which replaced Regulation (EEC) 2328/91 (2) the Greek Government has used the áfamily incomeí and not the income of the áfarmerí as the criterion for the implementation of Article 5; this means that farmers with family members (spouses, children) working outside the agricultural holding and having their own income are excluded from compensation in respect of natural disasters. Given that the development of the countryside as promoted by EU policies depends in part on the existence of incomes from outside agriculture, will the Commission say: 1. Is it legitimate to take into account the non-agricultural incomes of other members of the family in calculating the income of a farmer practising farming as his main occupation? 2. What does it intend to do to ensure that farmers who meet the criteria set out in Article 5 of Regulation 950/97 are not excluded from compensation for this reason? (1) OJ L 142, 2. 6. 1997, p. 1. (2) OJ L 218, 6. 8. 1991, p. 1. Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (13 February 1998) Under Regulation (EC) No 950/97 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures, in order to concentrate aid for investment on those holdings which need it most, Greece has defined farmers practising farming as their main occupation in a way which takes account of family income in the calculation of their overall income. Member States are allowed to lay down additional criteria for the definition of farmers practising farming as their main occupation, since the above Regulation specifies only the minimum criteria that farmers practising farming as their main occupation have to fulfil to be eligible for the aid in question (1). Application by Greece of the family income criterion in order to establish eligibility for state aid granted in the event of disasters is justified for the same reason as for aid under Regulation (EC) No 950/97. This additional criterion laid down for granting state aid does not pose a problem of compatibility with Articles 92, 93 and 94 of the EC Treaty governing aid granted by Member States. (1) See Article 5(5) of the Regulation